[author: Laura Anne Schierhoff]
On May 18, 2017, the Trump administration formally notified Congress of its intent to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The notification started the clock on a 90-day period that must elapse before the renegotiations with Canada and Mexico may start. The letter to Congress from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer expressed “the Trump Administration’s commitment to concluding the negotiations with timely and substantive results for U.S. consumers, businesses, farmers, ranchers, and workers.” The USTR is required by Congress to publish more-detailed objectives at least 30 days before formal negotiations begin. Negotiations will begin no earlier than August 16, 2017.
