Colorado Capitol Report

ITC Releases Positive Assessment of USMCA Trade Deal


ITC Releases Positive Assessment of USMCA Trade Deal

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) recently did a deep-dive economic analysis of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal’s likely economic impact on the U.S.  The results are good news for Colorado, particularly for the included intellectual property protections, data transfer provisions, and for manufacturers contributing to auto-maker supply chains.  This study by U.S. ITC is required by Congress through trade promotion authority (TPA) laws, but allows the public to better see and understand complex provisions of the trilateral agreement set to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, a.k.a. NAFTA.

Based on the ITC’s report, USMCA would:

  • Increase U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) by roughly $68 billion
  • Create 176,000 additional U.S. jobs
  • Increase U.S. exports to Canada and Mexico by a likely 5.6%, representing $19.1 billion increase of U.S. product into the Canadian market, and $14.2 billion in Mexico.

To read more of the ITC Report, click here.

Additional highlights from the ITC Trade Report on USMCA include:

  • “The Commission used a combination of detailed quantitative and qualitative industry analyses and an economy-wide computable general equilibrium model to assess the likely impact of USMCA on the U.S. economy and industry sectors. The model estimates that, if fully implemented and enforced, USMCA would have a positive impact on U.S. real GDP and employment.
  • The elements of the agreement that would have the most significant effects on the U.S. economy are (1) provisions that reduce policy uncertainty about digital trade and (2) certain new rules of origin applicable to the automotive sector. Of interest to stakeholders in many sectors, particularly services industries, are USMCA’s new international data transfer provisions, including provisions that largely prohibit forced localization of computing facilities and restrictions on cross-border data flows. Industry representatives consider these provisions to be a crucial aspect of this agreement in terms of changing certain rules of trade across industry sectors, especially given the lack of similar provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
  • Because NAFTA has already eliminated duties on most qualifying goods and significantly reduced nontariff measures, USMCA’s emphasis is on reducing remaining nontariff measures on trade and the U.S. economy; addressing other issues that affect trade, such as workers’ rights; harmonizing regulations from country to country; and deterring certain potential future trade and investment barriers.
  • USMCA would strengthen and add complexity to the rules of origin requirements in the automotive sector by increasing regional value content (RVC) requirements and adding other requirements. USMCA’s requirements are estimated to increase U.S. production of automotive parts and employment in the sector, but also to lead to a small increase in the prices and small decrease in the consumption of vehicles in the United States.
  • The agreement would establish commitments to open flows of data, which would positively impact a wide range of industries that rely on international data transfers. USMCA would reduce the scope of the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism, a change that, based on modeling results, would reduce U.S. investment in Mexico and would lead to a small increase in U.S. domestic investment and output in the manufacturing and mining sectors. The agreement, if enforced, would strengthen labor standards and rights, including those related to collective bargaining in Mexico, which would promote higher wages and better labor conditions in that country. New intellectual property rights provisions would increase protections for U.S. firms that rely on intellectual property. These changes are estimated to increase U.S. trade in certain industries.
  • The Commission’s model estimates that USMCA would raise U.S. real GDP by $68.2 billion (0.35 percent) and U.S. employment by 176,000 jobs (0.12 percent). The model estimates that USMCA would likely have a positive impact on U.S. trade, both with USMCA partners and with the rest of the world. U.S. exports to Canada and Mexico would increase by $19.1 billion (5.9 percent) and $14.2 billion (6.7 percent), respectively. U.S. imports from Canada and Mexico would increase by $19.1 billion (4.8 percent) and $12.4 billion (3.8 percent), respectively. The model estimates that the agreement would likely have a positive impact on all broad industry sectors within the U.S. economy. Manufacturing would experience the largest percentage gains in output, exports, wages, and employment, while in absolute terms, services would experience the largest gains in output and employment.”