Trump Reviews USMCA After Mexican Rebar Imports Jump 1,148%
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 24
Trump Reviews USMCA After Mexican Rebar Imports Jump 1,148%
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 24
Summary
U.S. officials are using the USMCA review to press Mexico and Canada to close steel loopholes rather than grant an automatic 16-year extension.
Mexico became the top U.S. trading partner with about $873 billion in 2025 goods trade, but Washington says it has also become a conduit for subsidized steel from China, South Korea and Vietnam.
From 2020 to 2024, Mexican steel imports from those three countries rose 44%, 59% and 39%, while total steel imports into Mexico climbed 45%; Canadian imports of Chinese steel increased about 75%.
The administration wants both neighbors to adopt border measures like Section 232 tariffs, tighten rules of origin and require steel to be genuinely North American under a 'melted and poured' standard.
Negotiations with Mexico are furthest along, and the U.S. says it could pursue a bilateral deal first because USMCA stays in force even without renewal this year.