White House: Mexico to impose tariffs on U.S. after Congress ends cross-border trucking project

Mar 23, 2009

The Mexican government intends to take retaliatory action against U.S. exports in response to Congress's recent termination of a cross-border, long-distance trucking demonstration project, U.S. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said during a March 16 White House press briefing.

Gibbs said Mexico plans to impose tariffs on U.S. exports after members of Congress on March 10 voted to halt funding for the program as part of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009. President Barack Obama signed the bill March 11. 

The program, which began in 2007 under the Bush administration, allows Mexican carriers access on U.S. highways past commercial border zones as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement. An equal number of U.S. carriers were also allowed beyond Mexican border zones.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published a notice of the termination in the March 18 Federal Register.