President Donald Trump’s plans to rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement this year looked unattainable yesterday after negotiators appeared too far apart to strike a deal before a deadline this week, the Wall Street Journal reported. U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R) had set this Thursday as an informal deadline if the administration were to push a pact through the Republican-controlled Congress before a new slate of lawmakers arrives in Washington, D.C., next year, possibly led by Democrats. The U.S. and Mexican governments had hoped to reach at least the general terms of an agreement this week to allow enough time for legislative approval before year’s end. Negotiators had sought to avoid complications stemming from July 1 presidential and congressional elections in Mexico and U.S. congressional midterm elections in November. Canada, by contrast, faces little pressure to rush.
