President plans to pull out of NAFTA

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced his intention late Saturday to quickly withdraw the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement, a move intended to force House Democrats to enact a revised version of the pact despite concerns that it fails to protect American workers.

“I will be formally terminating NAFTA shortly,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route from the Group of 20 conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a day after appearing at a ceremonial signing of the new deal with Canada and Mexico.

If the president follows through on his threat, congressional leaders will have six months to pass the measure. The agreement has been losing support in recent days as Democratic lawmakers, ready to take control of the House in January, reckon with fallout from the announcement last week that General Motors was planning to idle five plants in North America.

If no deal can be reached, both versions of the treaty would be void, which would result in far more restrictive trade that could have a severe impact on all three nations.

In other remarks to reporters on the presidential plane, Trump said he would consider signing a two-week extension of government funding to give lawmakers more time to negotiate a seven-bill spending package, as well as to accommodate memorial services honoring former President George Bush, who died Friday. Trump had told lawmakers he would veto any bill that did not include $5 billion for a border wall.