Trump steps up pressure on Democrats to replace Nafta - FT

The Financial Times is reporting that the US president Donald Trump has raised pressure on Democrats in Congress to approve the trade deal with Canada and Mexico which would replace Nafta, by signalling his intention to force a vote on the agreement.

• The move by the White House to send a so-called “draft statement of administrative action” to Congress on Thursday drew an immediate rebuke from Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House speaker, who has been seeking changes to the deal in exchange for passage and said this was “not a positive step”. In particular, Democrats have been insisting on stricter measures to enforce labour provisions in the text.
• “We all agree that we must replace Nafta, but without real enforcement mechanisms we would be locking American workers into another bad deal. A new trade agreement without enforcement is not progress for the American worker, just a press release for the president,” Ms Pelosi said.