Argentina Pressed by Washington to Ratify Its Trade Deal With Trump in Congress
ARGENTINA · ECONOMY
Key Facts
—What happened: A senior US trade official pressed Argentina’s government in Buenos Aires to ratify the February trade agreement with Washington.
—The deal: The agreement scraps tariffs on more than 1,600 Argentine products sold to the US and over 200 American goods going south.
—The real story: Seven months after the signing, President Javier Milei has not even sent the text to Congress for a vote.
—The catch: An agreed April deadline for ratification has already passed, and US courts have cast doubt on parts of Trump’s tariff scheme.
—What is at stake: Argentine exports to the United States reached almost US$6 billion from January to July, up 38% in a year.
—What comes next: The government must find room in a crowded Congress agenda, which includes a contested labor reform.
The Trump administration has directly asked Argentina to move its bilateral trade agreement through Congress, sending a deputy trade representative to Buenos Aires to press the case with President Javier Milei’s two most powerful economic officials.
A direct request, delivered in person
The message arrived on Friday 28 August, face to face. Jeff Goettman, a deputy US trade representative, sat down in Buenos Aires with Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno and Economy Minister Luis Caputo.
His ask was plain. Argentina should advance the ratification of the trade agreement the two countries signed in February, so it can formally enter into force.
The Office of the US Trade Representative underlined the point afterward. It stressed the importance of parliamentary approval and praised the economic and fiscal reforms of the Milei administration.
Goettman said ratification would deepen the bilateral economic relationship. It would also advance goals both governments say they share.
What the February agreement actually contains
The deal is known in Spanish as the ARTI, the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade and Investment. Milei and US President Donald Trump signed it on 5 February, after a framework announcement in November 2025.
Washington agreed to eliminate reciprocal tariffs on more than 1,600 Argentine products. Buenos Aires will scrap import tariffs on 221 American goods and cut them on others.
Tariff-free quotas cover beef, automobiles and cheeses. The beef quota alone rises to 100,000 tonnes, a fivefold increase that angered American cattle ranchers.
Argentina also agreed to admit live cattle and poultry from the United States under streamlined sanitary rules. Machinery, medical devices and pharmaceuticals get preferential access the other way.
The commercial backdrop is strong even without the deal in force. Argentine exports to the United States reached almost US$6 billion between January and July, a 38 percent jump from a year earlier, Quirno said.
Why a signed deal is still stuck
Under Argentina’s constitution, a trade agreement of this kind needs congressional approval. Seven months after the signing, the government has not yet sent the text to lawmakers.
An original timetable agreed by the two presidents called for ratification before 30 April. That deadline passed quietly on both sides.
Two things explain the delay. Argentina’s legislative machinery is overloaded, and American courts have questioned parts of the tariff scheme the agreement rests on.
Buenos Aires has also been waiting for Washington to confirm its own tariff commitments. The government froze a related patent-treaty vote in the lower house until that clarity arrives.
Washington, for its part, recently removed Argentina from its Priority Watch List for intellectual-property deficiencies. That was widely read as a goodwill gesture ahead of ratification.
Milei’s stretched legislative capital
The timing is awkward for the president. His party, La Libertad Avanza, holds a stronger position in Congress since the 2025 midterms, but its agenda is packed with fights.
A labor reform that loosens hiring and firing rules has consumed political energy and drawn union protests. Changes to glacier protection and a juvenile justice law also passed only after heavy debate.
The trade agreement should, in theory, be an easier sell. Argentina ratified the far larger European Union–Mercosur pact in February, with the Senate voting 69 to 3 in favor.
Milei himself promised in March that the US agreement would be ratified the same way. The fact that it has not been sent to Congress at all is what Washington is now publicly nudging.
What to watch from here
The first signal is procedural: whether the executive branch formally submits the bill in the coming weeks. Submission starts the committee clock.
The second is legal, and it sits in the United States. If American courts further unsettle the tariff architecture, Buenos Aires will keep hesitating before spending votes.
The third is political. Every week spent on the labor reform is a week the trade agreement waits, and Washington has now shown it is counting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the US–Argentina trade agreement?
It is a reciprocal trade and investment agreement, known in Spanish as the ARTI, signed by presidents Javier Milei and Donald Trump on 5 February 2026. It removes or cuts tariffs on hundreds of products in both directions.
What did Washington ask Argentina to do?
Deputy US Trade Representative Jeff Goettman met Argentina’s foreign minister and economy minister in Buenos Aires on 28 August 2026. He asked the government to advance congressional ratification so the agreement can enter into force.
Why has Argentina not ratified it yet?
The government has not sent the text to Congress, missing an agreed 30 April deadline. It cites an overloaded legislative agenda and uncertainty from US court cases over parts of Trump’s tariff scheme.
What does Argentina gain from the deal?
The United States agreed to eliminate reciprocal tariffs on more than 1,600 Argentine products, and the beef export quota rises fivefold to 100,000 tonnes. Argentine exports to the US already grew 38 percent in the first seven months of 2026.
Does the Argentine Congress have to approve the agreement?
Yes. Argentina’s constitution requires legislative approval for an agreement of this kind. The government ratified the EU–Mercosur pact the same way in February 2026, when the Senate voted 69 to 3 in favor.
Connected Coverage
We covered the country-risk backdrop in Milei’s re-election bid as country risk climbs, the wage fight in Argentina’s wage-council decree and the energy financing in YPF’s US$16 billion LNG loan. More from the country sits on our Argentina hub.
Sources: El Liberal (28 August 2026), MNews (28 August 2026), La Nación (7 July 2026), Buenos Aires Times (6 February 2026), The New York Times via GVWire (6 February 2026), Río Negro (2 March 2026), White House joint statement (13 November 2025).
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