PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The Latest on the National Governors Association meeting in Rhode Island (all times local):
6:30 p.m.
Vice President Mike Pence and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have been talking trade on the sidelines of a meeting of governors in Rhode Island.
The White House says the two leaders have a shared commitment to updating and modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement. It also says the leaders also discussed the need to work together to “address lingering trade disagreements.”
President Donald Trump has called for renegotiating NAFTA, which he has called, the “worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere.”
The Trump administration formally told Congress in May that it intends to renegotiate NAFTA with Canada and Mexico. The White House had previously spread the word that Trump was ready to pull out of the pact entirely. But then Trump reversed course and said he would seek a better deal first.
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3:30 p.m.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told American governors that barriers to trade between the two countries do not help working families, but kill growth.
Trudeau spoke Friday at a meeting in Rhode Island of the National Governors Association.
During his address, Trudeau said the North American Free Trade Agreement should be “modernized,” as it has been in the past, and says he’s confident the deal’s renegotiation will be done to the benefit of all countries.
He called Canada America’s “biggest best customer” and said it buys more from the U.S. than China, Japan and the United Kingdom combined.
More than 75 percent of Canada’s exports and 98 percent of its oil exports go to the U.S.
Earlier in the day, he met privately with several governors.
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2:05 p.m.
Vice President Mike Pence has told governors of more than two dozen states that President Donald Trump believes the revised health care bill before the U.S. Senate is the “right bill at the right time to begin the end of Obamacare.”
Pence spoke Friday at a National Governors Association meeting in Rhode Island. He says he and Trump look forward to the Senate taking up the bill as soon as next week. He urged governors to support it.
Several Democratic governors said earlier Friday that they oppose the bill. Nevada Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval also said he’s told Pence he’s concerned about the bill’s cuts to Medicaid.
Pence is introducing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and says the Trump administration is looking forward to renegotiating NAFTA in a way that will equally benefit the U.S. and Canada.
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11 a.m.
Vice President Mike Pence will address U.S. governors in Rhode Island, and some of them say they’ll be looking to speak with him about the latest Republican health care overhaul.
Pence and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are scheduled to speak at the National Governors Association meeting in Providence on Friday.
Some Democratic governors publicly criticized the revised health care bill, which was released Thursday.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock says Republicans in Congress are “still trying to put lipstick on a pig, but guess what? It’s still a pig.”
Democratic Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo says she plans to voice strong opposition to Pence.
Nevada Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval says he’s already told Pence he’s concerned about protecting people newly eligible for Medicaid. He plans to reiterate those concerns.
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