The White House has estimated that only half of product exports from Mexico to the United States will be exempt from the new 25% tariff.
President Donald Trump signed executive orders on Thursday that exempt, until April 2, a significant portion of products imported from Mexico and Canada from the tariff.
In the case of Canada, the exemption would apply to approximately 38% of its exports to the US market, according to White House estimates.
This partial pause comes a day after Trump announced a one-month postponement for all automobile manufacturers operating in North America that comply with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (T-MEC), including the rules of origin.
With the tightening of the rules of origin during the T-MEC transition period, companies increased the number of cars sold between the three countries without complying with these rules. If these exports were headed to the United States, they only paid a 2.5% tariff.
Shortly before signing the executive orders, Trump announced on Truth Social that he would suspend tariffs on all USMCA products from Mexico, without mentioning Canada.
Index of questioned measures
In a first reaction, the National Council of the Export Manufacturing Industry (Index) questioned Trump’s tariff measures.
‘In these complex times, we reiterate our commitment to the industrial and business sector of our country and call for unity to face the threats that arise from abroad,’ it declared in a statement.
According to its self-definition, Index represents around 1,500 companies, more than 3.3 million direct jobs and more than 6 million indirect jobs.
‘For 30 years, since the beginning of NAFTA, Index has been a key factor in the growth of maquila and export manufacturing operations. Therefore, the United States government’s methodology of imposing tariffs month after month on products imported from our country represents a great risk, since it endangers thousands of jobs, destabilizes supply chains and generates uncertainty in the current scenario of business relocation,’ said the council.
@cdlmariwidepanamerican Según la Casa Blanca, solo la mitad de las exportaciones de México a Estados Unidos estarán exentas de aranceles. #noticias #CDLPanamerican #logistica ♬ sonido original – cdlpanamerican