On Tuesday, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) shared remarks on the Senate floor during this National Agriculture Week regarding the upcoming review of the USMCA and called for it to be extended. You can watch his full speech in the video below and also hear his conversation on the Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 episode of Agriculture of America below the video as well.
***Hear Senator Grassley talk on today’s AOA in Segment Three in the audio below:
Senator Grassley’s video remarks, as prepared:
I have come to the floor before to speak about the value of the U.S.-Mexico-[Canada] Agreement and the value to all three countries, but most importantly, the United States.
I’m here again in honor of National Agriculture Week.
I would like to continue my review of the U.S.-Mexico-[Canada Agreement] – “USMCA,” for short. And I do it today by thanking President Trump for what he called, “the largest, fairest, most balanced and modern trade agreement ever achieved.”
I hope that President Trump remembers those words – and they were very appropriate words – as he leads the reconsideration of USMCA today.
One little provision – but important provision – in the USMCA [is that] in 2020, when the agreement was signed, it may have been difficult to see just how big an impact the first ever biotechnology provision in a trade agreement would make and how important the dispute settlement piece would be for the agreement, and in this particular case, helping American farmers.
It happens that in 2022, Mexico tried to ban genetically modified corn. In Iowa-language we say, “GMO product.” This could have led to more bans and shutting off billions of dollars in market[s] for U.S. ag products.
After a significant push by this senator and the junior senator from Iowa, the U.S. Trade Representative filed a successful dispute settlement in the process [that] was laid out under USMCA, and that dispute settlement resulted in Mexico reversing its ban on GMO corn.
It was a win for U.S. farmers, processors and the very large, fair, balanced and modern U.S.-[Mexico-Canada] Agreement.
Now, that’s a very small part of this agreement because, overall, the big picture is that USMCA has been a success for all of our economy, but especially for agriculture.
Now, this agreement is going through a review process that was called for in [the] agreement, and the big question is, “Will the United States lead Mexico and Canada to continue this agreement to the year 2036?”
I’m urging this administration that the first few years of the USMCA [have] been so beneficial to all three countries that it’s a no-brainer to continue the USMCA through 2036.
Along this line, I’ll be meeting with Canadian senators to talk about how they feel this agreement’s going and how successful they think it might be [to get] it continued.
I hope that it’ll be continued and that’s what I’m urging the Trump administration to see it through, because, like I say, it is a “no-brainer.” It should be continued.
