Trump tells Congress to keep out of NAFTA talks

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump warned Congress on Saturday not to interfere with his plans for a new North American Free Trade Agreement, lest he cancel the deal entirely.

On Twitter, the president threatened to “terminate NAFTA entirely” if Congress balks at ratifying a revamped NAFTA that could go forward without Canada’s involvement if ongoing negotiations fail.

Trump notified Congress on Friday of his intent to sign a revamped deal in 90 days with Mexico — and Canada, too, if Ottawa chooses to join in.

But on Saturday, Trump said there was “no political necessity” to include Canada in a deal, and suggested he would scrap NAFTA entirely rather than allowing it to continue in its current form.

“If we don’t make a fair deal for the U.S. after decades of abuse, Canada will be out,” he wrote.

“Congress should not interfere with these negotiations or I will simply terminate NAFTA entirely and we will be far better off.”

But simply pulling out of NAFTA may not be as clear-cut as the president suggested, according to several trade experts.

Congress must approve any rewrite of the deal and could refuse to endorse an agreement that excludes Canada.

Talks to keep Canada in the trade bloc are to resume Wednesday as the two countries try to resolve thorny issues including Canada’s dairy market and U.S. efforts to shield drug companies from generic competition.