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On March 6, 2025, President Donald Trump announced a limited reprieve from the new tariffs on Canada and Mexico: goods that claimed and qualified for duty-free treatment under the USMCA were exempt. It was not a blanket pause for every product from either country. Goods that did not qualify generally remained subject to a 25% tariff, while specified Canadian energy and potash faced a 10% rate.
What the March 2025 announcement changed
The tariff policy shifted several times in a little over a month. On February 1, the White House announced additional tariffs of 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico, with a lower 10% rate for Canadian energy resources. The administration said the measures responded to illegal migration and illicit drugs; that is its stated rationale, not an independently established finding about the tariffs’ effects. The White House’s February 1 fact sheet described the initial rates.
On February 3, an executive order paused the additional 25% duty on Mexican goods until March 4 at 12:01 a.m. Eastern, citing Mexico’s cooperative steps and the need to assess whether the stated threat had abated. The Congressional Research Service timeline records a parallel delay for Canada. The duties took effect March 4. On March 6, Trump announced the USMCA-based exception; CRS describes the relevant exceptions as effective March 7. The February 3 executive order set out the Mexican pause, while the CRS timeline tracks the sequence.
Which goods qualified for the exception?
The key test was not simply whether a product came from Canada or Mexico. The White House said goods had to claim and qualify for USMCA preference under the agreement’s rules of origin. A shipment’s country of export alone did not establish eligibility. The administration’s March 6 fact sheet stated the rates this way:
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| Goods under the March 6 announcement | Stated additional tariff treatment |
|---|---|
| Goods that claimed and qualified for USMCA preference | No tariff under this measure |
| Goods that did not satisfy USMCA rules of origin | 25% |
| Nonqualifying Canadian energy | 10% |
| Nonqualifying potash from Canada or Mexico | 10% |
These figures describe the additional tariffs in the 2025 action, not every duty, fee, or trade measure that might apply to a shipment. The announcement does not by itself determine a product’s tariff classification, whether it meets the origin rules, or its treatment under later policy.
Why “most tariffs paused” can be misleading
The announcement was publicly framed as a delay to April 2, but the practical exception was tied to USMCA eligibility. It did not suspend the new tariffs across the board for all imports from Canada and Mexico. Products that failed the origin test remained subject to the applicable rates in the table, including the special 10% categories.
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The share of trade covered by USMCA helps explain why the reprieve could be described as covering “most” goods while still leaving important exceptions. A White House official quoted by CBS News said USMCA covered 38% of 2024 Canadian imports and 49.6% of 2024 Mexican imports. Separately, CRS, citing U.S. Census Bureau data, reported that about 50% of Mexican goods by value entered the United States under USMCA in 2024. Those are attributed estimates with different descriptions; neither means that every shipment from either country qualified automatically. CBS News’ contemporaneous report contains the White House official’s figures.
What importers needed to check
For a particular shipment, the 2025 announcement alone is not enough to establish the duty. The relevant checks include:
- Origin: establish the product’s origin, rather than relying only on the country from which it ships.
- USMCA qualification: determine whether the good meets the agreement’s rules of origin and whether the importer claims preference.
- Product category: check whether the product falls within the stated Canadian energy or potash categories.
- Effective date and current rules: distinguish the March 2025 treatment from the rules in force for the shipment being entered.
Classification and origin evidence matter because tariff treatment is product-specific. The announcement is a historical description of a policy change, not a substitute for current official guidance or shipment-level customs analysis.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does the April 2 framing describe current tariffs?
No. The April 2 date belongs to the way the March 6, 2025 announcement was presented. The cited CRS timeline documents that episode, but it does not establish the complete tariff schedule or the duty on a specific shipment as of October 4, 2026. Anyone making a current purchasing, pricing, or import decision should verify the applicable official rules for the product and entry date rather than carry the 2025 exception forward.
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