US Congress urges changes in T‑MEC review over labor, tech issues

U.S. lawmakers, led by Representative Rudy Yakym and a coalition of 167 Republicans, have backed Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s push to extend the Joint Review of the United States‑Mexico‑Canada Trade Agreement (T‑MEC). In a letter to Greer, they demanded concrete improvements, including guaranteed market access for U.S. manufacturers and farmers, removal of measures by Mexico and Canada that they say harm U.S. workers, simplification of tariff structures, and action against third‑country trade practices that undermine North‑American competitiveness.

In Mexico, Deputy Pedro Haces Barba, head of the special commission monitoring T‑MEC, proposed a trinational labor‑certification system. The scheme would create modern credentials for technical skills in AI, automation, advanced manufacturing and semiconductors, and seek mutual recognition of those certifications across the three countries to help the workforce adapt to rapid technological change.

Regional businesses are also feeling the effects of the review. Suppliers in San Luis Potosí’s automotive sector warned that a prolonged T‑MEC review could shorten investment horizons, complicate supply‑chain verification and increase costs for smaller firms that lack the financial and technological resources of larger tier‑one manufacturers.