PRESS RELEASE  ·  JUNE 29, 2026

New WCIT Analyses: USMCA Underpins Oregon and Idaho Economies as Statutory Review Begins

Trade with Canada and Mexico supports 170,000 Oregon jobs and 75,000 Idaho jobs; new reports find the agreement saved Oregon businesses an estimated $53 million and Idaho businesses $26 million in direct tariff costs over the past year.

● Oregon

● Idaho

SEATTLE — WCIT released two new analyses examining how the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) supports the economies of Oregon and Idaho. The reports, The Importance of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement for Oregon and The Importance of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement for Idaho, document how deeply both states rely on their two largest regional trading partners — and how the agreement has shielded Northwest businesses from a wave of new federal tariffs. They arrive as the USMCA enters its statutory six-year review.

In Oregon, Canada and Mexico account for roughly one-quarter of the state’s goods exports and support about 170,000 jobs. From April 2025 to March 2026, Oregon businesses shipped $2.3 billion in goods to Canada and $4.3 billion to Mexico — $6.5 billion combined — including $4.4 billion in exports for which the two markets account for at least 90% of all sales abroad, such as auto parts, engines, tires, and metal hardware. Over the past year, the USMCA saved Oregon importers an estimated $53 million in direct tariff costs and far more by exempting compliant goods from steep IEEPA tariffs.

In Idaho, the two markets account for 40% of goods exports — one of the highest shares of any state — and support about 75,000 jobs. Idaho businesses exported $1.6 billion in goods to Canada and $311 million to Mexico over the same period, including $1.4 billion in exports that depend on these markets for at least 90% of their sales abroad, such as lead concentrate, livestock, fertilizers, and clad precious metals. The USMCA saved Idaho importers an estimated $26 million in direct tariff costs over the past year.

“Oregon and Idaho have an enormous stake in getting this review right. These reports show how much rides on Canada and Mexico — hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions in exports that, in many cases, simply have nowhere else to go. Our message to negotiators is the same across the Northwest: continue the agreement, safeguard its tariff exemptions, and do no harm to the integrated supply chains our exporters, farmers, and manufacturers depend on.”

Lori Otto Punke — President, WCIT

Both reports also warn that these trade ties cannot be taken for granted. Oregon’s exports to Canada and Mexico each fell 28% year-over-year, dropping the state’s combined exports from $9 billion to $6.5 billion in a single year as engine and auto-parts shipments to Mexico declined by more than $1 billion. Idaho’s exports to Canada fell 12% and to Mexico 3% over the same period. WCIT cautions that overly strict rules of origin in the review could make it harder for exporters to qualify for USMCA benefits and accelerate the declines already underway.

The reliance runs in both directions. Oregon and Idaho depend on Canada and Mexico for products including fertilizers, oilseed meal, lumber, and bovine meat from Canada, and tractors, computers, and fresh produce from Mexico. Pending Section 232 investigations threaten tariffs on more than $1.4 billion in Oregon imports and $90 million in Idaho imports on the critical minerals list alone.

The Oregon and Idaho analyses follow WCIT’s earlier report on Washington state, which found that trade with Canada and Mexico supports about 320,000 Washington jobs and nearly $11 billion in exports. All three reports are available at wcit.org.