A parade of agriculture-industry leaders told United States politicians they like the Canada-U.S.-Mexico (CUSMA) trade deal during the first of three days of hearings in Washington.

But U.S. President Donald Trump made it clear he wants to change the deal because he accused Canada and Mexico of taking advantage of the U.S.

Politicians want to hear from people before they shape their approach to talks in July when a CUSMA review is scheduled to begin.

Dave Walton, secretary of the American Soybean Association, spoke out against Trump’s move to hit Canadian and Mexican exports with tariffs, including those targeting specific industrial products such as steel, aluminum and automotive parts. 

The tariffs “increase the likelihood that U.S. soybean farmers will end up in the crosshairs of potential retaliation,” Walton said. 

 

Our industry would not survive a long tariff battle with our two closest customers,” he said, adding that a failure to renew the trade deal would be catastrophic for his industry. 

Riley Bushue, vice-president of the Northwest Horticultural Council, representing the biggest U.S. apple, pear and cherry growers, a $13 billion U.S. industry, said retaliatory tariffs imposed by Mexico during Trump’s first-term trade war damaged his industry’s exports. 

 

“With thousands of American family tree-fruit farms already at risk of going out of business, losing preferential access to Mexico and Canada would be devastating,” Bushue told the hearing. 

“There are no other export market opportunities capable of offsetting the severe economic losses to growers in the event that we lose preferential access to Mexico and Canada.”   

Under federal law, the United States Trade Representative  must report to Congress on Jan.2 its recommendation on renewing the trade agreement or taking other action.