Grassley Urges Renewal of USMCA, Calls on Ambassador Greer to Stand with American Pork and Consider All Producers During Negotiations

Floor Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa Senate President Pro Tempore “ Upcoming United States – Mexico Bilateral Meeting on USMCA” Monday, June 15, 2026 VIDEO The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) has been in force for six years. It’s scheduled for review and renewal, I hope, now, and that process is going on. I’ve been here two or three times this year to discuss the importance of continuing the Mexico-Canada agreement with the United States. This week, delegates from Mexico will be meeting with U.S. trade officials to discuss leveling the playing field in agriculture under the USMCA. I’d like to discuss some specific issues that affect the country nationally but also [affect] my state of Iowa. In July of last year, the United States ended the Tomato Suspension Agreement with Mexico. In direct response, the Mexican government launched an investigation into the American pork industry. That’s what affects my state of Iowa. Not only has the ending of the suspension agreement led to a tit-for-tat between the United States and Mexico, but it has opened the door to the issue of seasonality of fresh produce. The effect of this issue stretches way and far beyond the southernmost regions of the United States, even up to my state of Iowa, where covered produce growers have been negatively impacted by the end of the tomato agreement. While the USMCA meetings on agriculture take place, I hope that our U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Greer, and others on his team take into consideration all produce growers across the United States and, especially, the potential impact of Mexico’s investigation of the U.S. pork industry. This is particularly important for my state of Iowa, as my state is the top [pork] producing state in the entire country, and Mexico is the number one export market for American pork, with over $22 billion in exports last year alone. These issues must be resolved quickly for farmers who rely on this important market. The USMCA has been an important trade agreement for Iowa agriculture. While there are areas [for] improvement, I urge the Trump administration to quickly advance the trilateral conversations on renewing it. And I think it should be renewed. It’s a big deal for all three countries, and it’s a particularly big deal for American agriculture. -30-