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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy;font-weight:bold'>Rep.
Levin known as trade critic, but his record on the issue is more complicated<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>By Ian Swanson -
03/08/10 06:00 AM ET <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><a
href="http://thehill.com/homenews/house/85359-levin-known-as-trade-critic-but-his-record-is-complicated">http://thehill.com/homenews/house/85359-levin-known-as-trade-critic-but-his-record-is-complicated</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Rep. Sandy Levin
is known as a trade critic, but his record on the issue is more complicated.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Levin (D-Mich.),
who was named interim chairman of the Ways and Means Committee after Rep.
Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) stepped down under an ethics investigation, has been a
leader in the Democratic Caucus on trade for years.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>He’s
expressed skepticism of pending agreements with Colombia, Panama and South
Korea that were negotiated by the Bush administration, leading some to think
those deals are unlikely to be dislodged.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>But in 2000,
Levin voted for granting <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region></st1:place>
more favorable trade terms, which ushered that country into the global trading
system and the World Trade Organization.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Levin initially
opposed that legislation, but later lobbied members for support after winning
concessions from the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Clinton</st1:City></st1:place>
administration.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>More recently,
Levin helped negotiate changes to a trade deal with <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Peru</st1:country-region></st1:place> that allowed it to win
congressional approval in 2007.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Some business
lobbyists who’ve been hoping for action on the Bush
administration’s leftover trade agenda suggest things aren’t likely
to worsen for them with Levin at the helm of the committee instead of Rangel.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Others are
hopeful that Levin could deliver for them.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Cal Cohen,
president of the Emergency Committee for American Trade, sees Levin as someone
who could find middle ground. “Levin had issues he wanted to address on <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s
accession to the WTO, and it went forward,” he notes.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Others on K
Street still feel burned by the decision Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) took
to change House rules to prevent the Colombia deal from coming up under the
“fast-track” law. That law was supposed to ensure consideration of
the agreement under special rules. Both Rangel and Levin supported
Pelosi’s move.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Still,
Levin’s and Pelosi’s records on trade are hardly identical.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Pelosi voted
against <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region>’s entry
to the WTO, and the two also split on the other huge trade vote of the last two
decades, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region></st1:place> in 1993. Pelosi voted for
NAFTA, while Levin voted against it. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Rangel is
thought to be more business friendly than Levin, a point Rep. Paul Ryan
(R-Wis.) made to The Hill this week. He said Levin is “not nearly as
pro-business as Charlie was.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>But Rangel and
Levin voted identically on NAFTA and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">China</st1:country-region></st1:place>. Rangel also leaned on Levin
on trade policy in recent years, and gave Levin a full-throated blessing to
take over the committee in his absence.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Levin is dealing
with a divided caucus on trade, which makes moving anything through Congress
difficult.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>More than half
of the House Democratic Caucus has signed legislation sponsored by Rep. Mike
Michaud (D-Maine) that would force the administration to renegotiate the NAFTA
and other existing trade deals.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>At least one
sponsor of the Michaud bill though Levin’s elevated position was good for
that bill.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>“I think
that gives us a real fighting shot not only to get the bill on the floor, but
to get it passed,” said Rep. Phil Hare (D-Ill.) of Levin’s new
chairmanship.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>But the Michaud
bill is unpopular with the Ways and Means panel. Only one committee member is a
co-sponsor.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>President Barack
Obama in his State of the Union address said he wanted to double U.S. exports
over the next decade, and business groups have stressed that passage of the
trade deals would be a step in that direction.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>But the endless
healthcare debate has kept trade on the back burner, as the administration
didn’t need to pick more internal fights with Congress over trade while
it sought to unite it on healthcare.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>With healthcare
finally headed toward the home stretch, it’s possible that at least one
of the deals could be considered this year. Speculation has centered on the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Panama</st1:country-region></st1:place>
deal, which is the least controversial.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>Unions have
drawn a sharp line on the deal with <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region
w:st="on">Colombia</st1:country-region></st1:place>, which they argue has not
done enough to crack down on violence against labor organizers.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>The <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">South Korea</st1:country-region></st1:place>
deal, however, could be the toughest for Levin. It would by far have the
greatest economic impact on the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region>,
but could open the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place>
market further to Korean trucks by eliminating a tariff.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>The United Auto
Workers opposes the deal, as does the Ford Motor Co., the only Big Three
automaker that didn’t get a bailout from taxpayers.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";color:navy'>-- Jay Heflin
and Walter Alarkon contributed to this story<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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