Ahead of the July 2026 “joint review” of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”), the United States, Mexico, and Canada have each launched public consultation processes to solicit input from stakeholders on the operation of the USMCA, and possible changes those governments should seek to the Agreement as part of the review. In the United States, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) will accept written comments and requests to testify through November 3, and will hold a hearing on November 17. In Mexico, the Ministry of the Economy (“Economía”) will also accept written comments through November 16. Global Affairs Canada will accept comments through November 3.

Companies doing business in North America or reliant on cross-border supply chains in the region may want to consider participating in these public consultations, which will help shape government negotiating positions as the United States, Mexico, and Canada consider updates and revisions to the USMCA as part of the 2026 review.

Click here to read the full alert on cov.com.

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Photo of Arun Venkataraman Arun Venkataraman

Arun Venkataraman leverages 20 plus years of government and private sector experience to provide legal, policy, and strategic advice to clients on a range of international trade matters.

Arun joined the firm after serving in senior roles at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Arun Venkataraman leverages 20 plus years of government and private sector experience to provide legal, policy, and strategic advice to clients on a range of international trade matters.

Arun joined the firm after serving in senior roles at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Most recently, he served as the Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service at the International Trade Administration (ITA) from 2022-2025. Arun led the federal government’s efforts to expand commercial opportunities for U.S. firms overseas and foreign firms in the United States, including by facilitating deals between U.S. and foreign companies, improving commercial policy environments, resolving barriers to trade and investment, and negotiating governmental agreements to promote commercial partnerships. He also served as Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce, advising the Secretary on all aspects of foreign economic policy within the Department. In this role, Arun led negotiations with foreign governments on technology policy, as well as Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs.

Before joining the Biden Administration, Arun was Senior Director, Global Government Engagement, at Visa. He developed and executed engagement strategy, in advocacy before the U.S. and foreign governments, as well as with trade associations, international organizations, and other stakeholder groups on a range of international policy issues including digital economy, trade, tax, and sanctions.

During the Obama Administration, Arun served as ITA’s first-ever Director of Policy, where he led efforts across the Commerce Department to remove global trade and investment barriers and strengthen the global competitiveness of U.S. industry, including in such markets as China and India. This included leading Department efforts to support Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, pass Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation, and secure improvements in China’s competition law and semiconductor policies.

Arun also served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) as the Director for India, where he led the development and implementation of U.S.-India trade policy, for which he received the agency’s Kelly Award for outstanding performance and extraordinary leadership. He also served as USTR’s Associate General Counsel, representing the United States in litigation before the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in bilateral and multilateral negotiations on international trade agreements.

Prior to USTR, Arun was a Legal Officer in the Appellate Body Secretariat at the WTO, where he advised on appeals in litigation between countries under WTO rules. He also served as a Law Clerk for Judge Jane A. Restani at the U.S. Court of International Trade.

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Photo of Marney Cheek Marney Cheek

Marney Cheek has advised companies, non-governmental organizations, and governments on high-stakes international disputes and legal strategy for more than 20 years.

Marney serves as both counsel and advocate before numerous international arbitral tribunals and courts, including the International Court of Justice, U.S. federal…

Marney Cheek has advised companies, non-governmental organizations, and governments on high-stakes international disputes and legal strategy for more than 20 years.

Marney serves as both counsel and advocate before numerous international arbitral tribunals and courts, including the International Court of Justice, U.S. federal court, and major arbitral institutions such as the AAA, ICSID, PCA, and SIAC. She represents clients in complex international commercial disputes, having successfully defended a client in a $1.8 billion claim filed by a collaboration partner. Marney serves as both counsel and arbitrator in numerous investment treaty arbitrations. She is an expert on public international law and currently represents the Government of Ukraine in its landmark cases before the International Court of Justice adverse to the Russian Federation, including Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation).

In addition to leading complex disputes, Marney routinely advises clients on public international law matters and issues arising under numerous multilateral treaties. Her pro bono work includes representation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and she serves on the Steering Committee of Covington’s Wimmer Initiative, a pro bono program that focuses on protecting and advancing media freedom. She also is at the forefront of business and human rights disputes, having represented global labor unions in the first binding arbitration brought under a business and human rights compact, the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety.

Drawing upon her experience as Associate General Counsel at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Marney also routinely counsels clients on international trade matters and is a member of the roster of arbitrators for several U.S. free trade agreements.

Marney is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves as a Vice President of the American Society of International Law. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Robert H. Jackson Center. She has previously taught investment law at Columbia University School of Law. She is recognized as an “extraordinarily thoughtful” and “creative” lawyer with a “wealth of knowledge” on international law matters in Chambers and Legal 500.

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Kate McNulty is a senior associate in the Washington office who helps clients navigate complex international trade and investment matters. She counsels companies, trade associations, and governments on U.S. trade and tariff measures, as well as implementation of responsive measures by foreign governments.

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Kate also focuses her trade practice on U.S. anti-forced labor laws as well as business-related human rights matters, advising clients on the application and enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and Withhold Release Orders (WROs) issued by the U.S. government. She helps clients develop and implement strategies to mitigate supply chain risks, including by building compliance programs, developing due diligence procedures, and conducting risk assessments. She also advises clients on conducting human rights-related investigations and implementing related findings.

Kate has represented corporate clients in both commercial and investment treaty arbitrations, including under ICSID, ICC, UNCITRAL, and ICDR rules, and also represents clients in proceedings before U.S. administrative bodies and U.S. courts, including in trade remedy proceedings (AD/CVD).

She also maintains an active pro bono practice focused on international human rights and public international law. She has represented U.S.-funded media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to secure the release of one of its journalists in a prisoner exchange with Russia. Her work also includes representation of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, and the Public International Law & Policy Group.

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Kimberly Breier has more than 20 years of experience in foreign policy, primarily focused on Western Hemisphere affairs. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Breier, a non-lawyer, was Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Kimberly Breier has more than 20 years of experience in foreign policy, primarily focused on Western Hemisphere affairs. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Breier, a non-lawyer, was Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She also served as the Western Hemisphere Member of the Policy Planning Staff.

Ms. Breier was previously the founder and Director of the U.S.-Mexico Futures Initiative, and the Deputy Director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She also was Vice President of a consulting firm, leading country risk assessment teams for private clients in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile.

In addition to her private sector and think tank experience, Ms. Breier served for more than a decade in the U.S. intelligence community as a political analyst and manager, primarily focused on Latin America.

From January 2005 to June 2006, Ms. Breier served at the White House in the National Security Council’s Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, first as Director for Brazil and the Southern Cone, then as Director for Mexico and Canada, and also as an interim Director for the Andean region.

Prior to her government service, Ms. Breier was a senior fellow and director of the National Policy Association’s North American Committee—a trilateral business and labor committee with members from the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

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Photo of Daniel Erikson Daniel Erikson

Daniel P. Erikson has more than twenty years of experience in international relations, foreign policy, national security, and defense policy, primarily focused on Western Hemisphere affairs. A non-lawyer, Dan’s experience includes serving at the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, the Office…

Daniel P. Erikson has more than twenty years of experience in international relations, foreign policy, national security, and defense policy, primarily focused on Western Hemisphere affairs. A non-lawyer, Dan’s experience includes serving at the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, the Office of the Vice President, and the Department of State, as well as work for think-tanks, universities, and private sector consultancies.

Prior to joining the firm, Dan was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council, where he served as the lead White House advisor on the hemisphere. His work covered all diplomatic, economic, and national security issues related to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and Canada.

Dan was previously the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere at the U.S. Department of Defense. At the Pentagon, he successfully advanced U.S. defense priorities as the Department’s senior policy official for the Western Hemisphere, with a focus on defense modernization, effective security cooperation, counter-narcotics, climate resilience, cyber, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. In this capacity, Dan served as a member of the Senior Executive Service and managed a team of civilian and military defense professionals to provide policy guidance to the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Northern Command, and U.S. Southern Command.

Dan also served in the White House as Special Advisor to the Vice President, where he covered foreign affairs, economic, and national security issues in the Western Hemisphere. Prior to this, Dan was Senior Advisor for Congressional and Inter-Governmental Affairs and Senior Advisor for Policy at the U.S. Department of State. His responsibilities included advising State Department leadership on complex diplomatic issues and key administration and congressional priorities.

In addition to his U.S. government experience, Dan has held senior positions in the private sector, think-tanks, and academia. He has published widely on a range of topics in international and Latin American and Caribbean affairs and testified before the U.S. Congress. He is the recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and the U.S. State Department’s Superior Honor Award.

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Lorena, a non-lawyer, has over a decade of experience in public policy and international trade. During this time, she has supported private sector companies and policymakers on a broad range of sectors such as energy, trade and investment, technology, policymaking and economic development.

In addition, Lorena has particular experience in supporting companies with complex cross border projects between the U.S. and Mexico.

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