US-Mexico Tariff Talks Stall as Commerce Secretary Lutnick Opposes Concessions
US-Mexico tariff agreement negotiations have stalled due to opposition from US Commerce Secretary Lutnick, marking the second time he has intervened and derailed talks with the North American partner that had already made substantial progress.
According to people familiar with the matter, the two sides had previously been close to reaching an agreement: the US would lower tariffs on steel, aluminum, and automobiles in exchange for a series of concessions from Mexico, paving the way for further negotiations on renewing the USMCA. At that time, Mexican officials and numerous enterprise executives expressed optimism that an agreement was about to be reached.
However, the sources noted that negotiations have slowed down noticeably in recent days. The disagreements center primarily on US tariffs on automobiles and metal products—Lutnick opposes significant cuts to tariffs on Mexican-made automobiles as well as tariffs on steel and aluminum products, and also opposes lowering tariffs on "derivative products" made from steel and aluminum.
In response, officials from both the US and Mexico stated that negotiations are still ongoing and denied that the talks have reached an impasse.