Presidential Memorandum Directs OMB and USTR to Remove Canadian-Origin Items From Federal Civil Procurement Where the Law Allows

What changed

The President signed a memorandum titled Restoring Reciprocity in Government Procurement on 16 September 2026. It was published in the Federal Register on 21 September (91 FR 59979, FR Doc. 2026-19336). It is a presidential memorandum, not a numbered executive order, addressed to the Secretary of War, the Trade Representative, the OMB Director, the Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, and the GSA and NASA Administrators.

Section 2(a) directs the OMB Director and the Trade Representative, in coordination with the FAR Council, to identify and take all steps permitted by law regarding Canadian-origin items in the federal civil procurement system that can, where warranted, be removed or made non-available for purchase. OMB is also to notify agencies of domestic alternatives. The Trade Representative is to keep monitoring Canada's treatment of U.S.-origin items and to report both when further action may be needed and when an item's availability should be restored. Agency heads are authorized and directed to implement it. The memo cites Canada's Buy Canadian policy and provincial restrictions, and states that Canadian firms have access to U.S. federal procurement covered under the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement, which the memo puts at over $280 billion a year.

Why it matters

There is nothing to comply with yet. The memo sets no deadline, names no items, and contains no FAR text. The operative actions will come later, as OMB and FAR Council steps, GSA catalog changes, or agency notices. The text refers to the federal civil procurement system and does not say how, or whether, it reaches Department of War buying, even though the Secretary of War is an addressee.

For a contractor selling to civilian agencies, the practical step now is to know where Canadian-origin end items or components sit in what you offer, especially on GSA Schedule and other catalog vehicles where an item can be made non-available without a new solicitation. For estimates, a sourcing assumption that relies on a Canadian supplier to a civilian customer carries a new risk that should be noted in the basis of estimate until implementing action clarifies scope.

Primary source

Memorandum of September 16, 2026, Restoring Reciprocity in Government Procurement, 91 FR 59979 (21 September 2026): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/21/2026-19336/restoring-reciprocity-in-government-procurement