Withdrawing approval of the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization.
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Would withdraw the congressional approval that underlies U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization — the 164-member body that sets global trade rules, adjudicates trade disputes, and oversees multilateral tariff agreements.
Pulling that approval would remove the legislative foundation for U.S. participation in a system the country helped create, with potential consequences for every sector of the economy that imports or exports goods and services.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The joint resolution would rescind the congressional approval of the WTO Agreement that Congress granted under section 101(a) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. That approval was the statutory basis for U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization, the international body that governs trade rules, tariff commitments, and dispute settlement among roughly 164 member countries. By withdrawing that approval, the resolution would undo the legislative foundation for U.S. participation in the WTO.
The bill is a single operative sentence and contains no transition provisions, agency directives, or implementation timeline. It does not specify what executive-branch steps would follow, what formal withdrawal procedures under the WTO Agreement itself would apply, or how existing domestic trade laws tied to WTO membership would be treated.
Key provisions
- 1Would withdraw congressional approval of the WTO Agreement, rescinding the approval provided under section 101(a) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act and removing the legislative basis for U.S. WTO membership.
Who would be affected
U.S. exporters and importers across goods and services industries who rely on WTO tariff commitments and dispute-settlement mechanisms; agricultural producers and manufacturers who benefit from negotiated market-access rules; U.S. trading partners bound by WTO agreements with the United States; and the Office of the United States Trade Representative, which manages WTO engagement.
Why it matters
If enacted, the United States would lose the legal basis for WTO membership, potentially exposing U.S. exports to higher tariffs abroad and stripping American businesses and the government of access to WTO dispute panels. Industries that depend on predictable, rules-based market access in over 160 countries would face immediate legal and commercial uncertainty about the terms of their trade.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Uruguay Round Agreements Act, section 101(a)
Withdraws the congressional approval of the WTO Agreement that this section provided, eliminating the statutory foundation for U.S. membership in the WTO.
How implementation would work
The resolution is a single operative sentence with no implementation machinery — no agency rulemaking, reporting requirements, or phase-in period is specified. The operative effect would be withdrawal of the statutory approval; any downstream steps (formal notification to the WTO, executive-branch action to unwind treaty obligations, or changes to domestic trade statutes linked to WTO membership) would be governed by separate law and the WTO Agreement's own withdrawal procedures, none of which the bill addresses.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 125.
Official CRS summary
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This joint resolution withdraws congressional approval of the World Trade Organization Agreement, which established the World Trade Organization.
Legislative subjects
Foreign Trade and International Finance