White House on NAFTA: 'We still want to see something happen'

[May 16, 2018]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is pushing for a deal in negotiations on a revised North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and President Donald Trump is committed to getting a better agreement with Canada and Mexico, the White House said on Wednesday.

U.S. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. May 9, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

"We still want to see something happen and we're going to continue in those conversations. They're ongoing now and we're pushing forward and hopeful that we can get something done soon," press secretary Sarah Sanders told Fox News.

On Tuesday, Mexico's economy minister said he saw diminishing chances for a new NAFTA agreement before a Thursday deadline to present a deal that could be signed by the U.S. Congress.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan has said that the Republican-controlled Congress would need to be notified of a new deal by Thursday to give lawmakers a chance to approve it before a newly elected Congress takes over in January.

Sanders did not address the timeline.

"We've got to get a deal that works for everybody, but most importantly this president is going to make sure that we get a deal that works for America," she said. "He's not going to stop until he gets it."

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jeffrey Benkoe)

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