WASHINGTON — The United States and Mexico are expected to release text of a bipartisan trade deal that the two countries reached last month, setting up a potential showdown with Canada and Congress over the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The Mexican government is planning to publish the agreement by 7 p.m. on Friday, according to a Mexican government official, and the United States trade representative is also expected to release the text. The bilateral agreement, which does not include Canada, would replace the 25-year old Nafta pact, which has stitched together the economies of Mexico, Canada and the United States.
President Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto are expected to sign the pact on Nov. 30 but the agreement faces an uncertain fate without Canada, which has been unable to resolve several big disagreements with the United States. Lawmakers have urged the White House to continue working to get Canada into a pact that has become critical to businesses, like automakers and farmers, across North America.
After trilateral talks between the United States, Mexico and Canada stalled earlier this year, the Trump administration began working directly with Mexico to reach a bilateral agreement before the new Mexican government takes office on Dec. 1. Mr. Trump announced the deal in August and said Canada, while not included in the agreement, could still join “if it is willing.”
But Canada and the United States have so far failed to reach agreement on several key issues and there is increasing rancor […]
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