Overview
- The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative put the new tariff regime into effect Friday under Section 301, applying rates that range from 10% to 12.5% across 60 countries and assigning Mexico a 10% rate.
- Mexico’s Economy Ministry and Secretary Marcelo Ebrard say roughly 85% of Mexican exports that meet T‑MEC rules of origin will remain duty free, shielding most goods that qualify under the trade pact.
- The Section 301 tariffs replace a temporary 10% surcharge imposed under Section 122 that expired on July 24 after U.S. courts limited the administration’s earlier legal authority to levy global tariffs.
- Mexican and U.S. delegations held the third round of T‑MEC talks in Mexico City and met with USTR Jamieson Greer; both sides agreed to continue technical work and a fourth round to resolve rules of origin, labor and environmental questions.
- Immediate disruption should be limited for goods that qualify under the T‑MEC but exporters whose products fall outside treaty rules could face higher costs and supply‑chain shifts while Mexico and the U.S. seek exemptions and provisional agreements.