WASHINGTON (AP)--The Mexican government plans to raise duties on U.S. commodities such as rice, beans, wheat and beef by $2.4 billion in retaliation for Congress denying Mexican longhaul trucks access to U.S. roads.
Republican members of the House Ways and Means Committee announced the increased duties March 16. Spokesmen for Democratic members and for the Mexican ambassador to the U.S. were not immediately available.
The 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement requires the U.S. to open its roads to Mexican trucks. A few trucks could drive far beyond the southern border through a pilot program. But Congress ended the program this month. Under the NAFTA accord, Mexico can retaliate.
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