Warren, Luján, Smith Press Trump Trade Representative to Reveal Whether Giant Corporations Influenced Trade Priorities

Warren, Luján, Smith Press Trump Trade Representative to Reveal Whether Giant Corporations Influenced Trade Priorities

"USTR has engaged in unprecedented secrecy while negotiating trade deals-with the exception of sharing insider information with Wall Street and business executives."

Americans deserve to know what the Administration's negotiating priorities are and how industry perspectives and pressure from big corporations will affect the Administration's agenda."

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) wrote to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer urging him to publish a complete written report outlining the administration's objectives for U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) renegotiations.

"The Trump Administration should not be hiding its goals and agenda for this renegotiation behind closed doors…Congress and the public should have the opportunity to review the Administration's goals and understand which interests have influenced [your] approach," wrote the senators.

As Congress begins a statutorily required review of the USMCA, USTR is required to solicit input from stakeholders and the public through a comment period and public hearings, which it will use to develop its negotiating objectives. USTR is required to, by January 2, 2026, report these objectives to various Congressional committees. During NAFTA renegotiations that led to USMCA, the first Trump administration publicly posted its written negotiating objectives.

For this review, though, recent reporting suggests USTR plans to conduct an oral, closed door ninety-minute "briefing" for members of the Senate Finance Committee, instead of publishing a written report. The senators pushed back, arguing this briefing does not provide a thorough report and that the public has a right to know what USTR plans to prioritize in this USMCA renegotiation.

"This lack of transparency leaves Americans in the dark as to the Administration's goals in the renegotiation process-and exactly which voices have shaped USTR's thinking," said the senators.

In its public outreach, USTR received extensive input from labor groups on behalf of workers urging for reforms to more effectively address labor abuses under USMCA, and environmental groups advocated for stronger environmental protections and enforcement.

But corporate lobbyists and industry-aligned groups also advocated for policies that advance their corporate interests-often at the expense of workers and consumers. Big tech-funded groups hoping to advance their "digital trade agenda" called on USTR to use trade deals to stop common sense regulations promoting competition or consumer protections. While big corporations advocated for policies that enabled them to avoid paying taxes in other countries. This input is in addition to the undisclosed number of behind-closed-door meetings that USTR has taken with corporate lobbyists.

"In order to see whose interests USTR is prioritizing in its USMCA review, it must provide Congress and [the] public with a written report-enabling the public and Congress to advocate for policies that help Americans and, if necessary, fight back against corporate influence," wrote the senators.

"Americans deserve to know what the Administration's negotiating priorities are and how industry perspectives and pressure from big corporations will affect the Administration's agenda. We urge you to publish the report as soon as possible and allow for public comment," the senators concluded.

The coalition asked USTR Greer to, by December 30, 2025, commit to publicly posting the administration's negotiating objectives and explain which stakeholders were involved in shaping them.

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