![Mexico’s top trade diplomat, Marcelo Ebrard, was in Washington for several days last week [from Aug. 24 to Aug. 26] but quietly left empty handed on Wednesday.](https://prosperousamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/claudia-sheinbaum-650x366.jpg "claudia-sheinbaum")
Mexico’s top trade diplomat, Marcelo Ebrard, was in Washington for several days last week [from Aug. 24 to Aug. 26] but quietly left empty handed on Wednesday.
The collapse of the U.S.-Canada trade negotiation on August 21 drew headlines and criticism aimed at Washington. What the criticism misses is that the deal on the table would have undercut a key plank of U.S. reindustrialization policy and a vital supply line for national security.
New data showing a sharp increase in Mexican heavy-duty truck production and exports to the United States underscores the importance of maintaining strong tariff protections that encourage commercial vehicle production and investment in the United States.
President Trump was right to strengthen the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, and the breakdown of these negotiations should put an end to proposals to weaken them.
If Canada wants a deal, there is no shortage of things Ottawa can put on the table — America’s national security tariffs on aluminum and steel are not among them
The report documents how goods subject to higher U.S. tariffs are routinely rerouted through lower-tariff countries, undermining both tariff enforcement and American manufacturing.
Today’s Section 232 proclamation secures that foundation, and the entire structure is built to reward one thing: manufacturing in America. Companies investing in U.S. polysilicon, wafer, and cell production are the clear winners, and companies that continue to rely on imports will be at a disadvantage.
Findings show that U.S. tariff policy leaves the aluminum industry’s largest employment base exposed, even as primary aluminum tariff costs are passed on to extruders and fabricators.
U.S. aluminum tariff policy must consider the full aluminum value chain. Downstream extruders and fabricators account for most aluminum manufacturing employment and are the key producers converting metal into critical products used in construction, transportation, machinery, electrical systems, packaging, defense, and other industrial markets.
Despite foreign currency gains against the dollar in top trading partners like Mexico, Vietnam and China, import values for goods came in at $309.01 billion. That is the second highest import value of the year following May’s $316.86 billion surge, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said on Tuesday.
