On July 1, 2026, the U.S., Mexico, and Canada will decide whether or not to continue the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which entered into force in 2020. How can policymakers prepare for the negotiations and continue to work toward a strategic, mutually beneficial North American partnership?

This episode of Baker Briefing was originally published by the México Centered podcast. Former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative C.J. Mahoney and David A. Gantz, the Baker Institute’s Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics, joined host Tony Payan to explore major challenges on the horizon for U.S. trade policy, including the upcoming review of the USMCA and the rising influence of China.

Want to learn more? Watch “Election Insights: The Future of US Trade Policy,” a Baker Institute event held on Sept. 19.

This conversation was recorded on Sept. 19, 2024, before the inauguration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Oct. 1, 2024.

Discussants

David A. Gantz   Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics, Baker Institute; Samuel M. Fegtly Professor Emeritus, James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona

C.J. Mahoney   Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Cloud + AI, Microsoft; Former Deputy U.S. Trade Representative

Tony Payan, Ph.D. Françoise and Edward Djerejian Fellow for Mexico Studies and Director, Center for the U.S. and Mexico, Baker Institute