<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class="">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;" class=""> Drobnyk, Josh <br class=""><b class="">Sent:</b> Thursday, April 16, 2015 4:01 PM<br class=""><b class="">To:</b> Drobnyk, Josh<br class=""><b class="">Subject:</b> W&M Press -- Levin: TPA Bill is a Major Step Backwards on TPP Negotiations<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div align="center" class=""><table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><tbody class=""><tr style="height: 76.5pt;" class=""><td width="638" colspan="2" valign="top" style="width: 6.65in; padding: 0in 5.4pt; height: 76.5pt;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="E3F8EBD7-4B53-4847-9A15-26311770AF5D" height="86" width="89" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:image006.png@01D04488.966DBE80" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 28pt;" class="">C</span></b><b class=""><span style="font-size: 22.5pt;" class="">OMMITTEE ON </span></b><b class=""><span style="font-size: 28pt;" class="">W</span></b><b class=""><span style="font-size: 22.5pt;" class="">AYS AND </span></b><b class=""><span style="font-size: 28pt;" class="">M</span></b><b class=""><span style="font-size: 22.5pt;" class="">EANS</span></b><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="">Sander M. Levin (D-MI), Ranking Member</span></b><o:p class=""></o:p></div></td></tr><tr class=""><td width="319" valign="top" style="width: 239.4pt; border-style: none none solid; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">April 16, 2015<o:p class=""></o:p></div></td><td width="319" valign="top" style="width: 239.4pt; border-style: none none solid; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: right;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: right;" class="">CONTACT<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: right;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class=""><a href="mailto:caroline.behringer@gmail.com" style="color: purple;" class="">Caroline Behringer</a></span>, (202) 226-1007<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div></td></tr><tr style="height: 49.4pt;" class=""><td width="638" colspan="2" valign="top" style="width: 6.65in; padding: 0in 5.4pt; height: 49.4pt;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""> <o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 18pt;" class="">Levin: TPA Bill is a Major Step Backwards on TPP Negotiations<o:p class=""></o:p></span></b></div></td></tr><tr class=""><td width="638" colspan="2" valign="top" style="width: 6.65in; border-style: none none solid; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-width: 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">WASHINGTON<b class=""> </b>– Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) today responded to the House-Senate introduction of TPA legislation by releasing a document detailing how the bill falls short. It can be found <a href="http://democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/sites/democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/files/LEVIN%20--%20TPA%20--%20A%20Major%20Step%20Back%20on%20TPP%20Negotiations.pdf" style="color: purple;" class="">here</a>. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">“Unfortunately, the Hatch-Wyden-Ryan Trade Promotion Authority does not move us toward a stronger TPP agreement that will garner broad, bipartisan support in Congress,” <b class="">Rep. Levin said in the document</b>. “TPP is not where it needs to be right now, and Hatch-Wyden-Ryan does nothing to change that. On all of the major issues in the negotiations, the negotiating objectives are obsolete or woefully inadequate. We can’t expect to get the best deal if we are not asking for the right things. The Hatch-Wyden-Ryan TPA gives up Congressional leverage at the exact wrong time. Instead of pressing USTR to get a better agreement or signaling to our negotiating partners that Congress will only accept a strong agreement, the Hatch-Wyden-Ryan TPA puts Congress in the back seat and greases the skids for an up-or-down vote after the fact. Real Congressional power is not at the end of the process, it is right now when the critical outstanding issues are being negotiated.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="">###</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div></td></tr><tr class=""><td width="638" colspan="2" valign="top" style="width: 6.65in; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><span style="font-size: 9pt;" class=""> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><span style="font-size: 9pt;" class="">1106 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515</span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><span style="font-size: 9pt;" class=""> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;" class=""><a href="http://democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/" target="_blank" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;" class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="03FE2227-89C3-4BE7-B147-335D6696E2FB" height="35" width="36" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:image007.png@01D04488.966DBE80" class=""></span></a><span style="color: white;" class="">-</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/waysandmeanscommitteedems" target="_blank" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: white; text-decoration: none;" class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="342047B0-D9B6-45A4-A79C-EDC2A42F8024" height="32" width="32" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:image008.png@01D04488.966DBE80" class=""></span></a><span style="color: white;" class="">-</span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/waysmeanscmte" target="_blank" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: white; text-decoration: none;" class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="7AB8879F-BD21-49A3-91EA-B8C0CB9948FB" height="32" width="32" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:image009.png@01D04488.966DBE80" class=""></span></a><span style="color: white;" class="">.</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/waysandmeansdems" target="_blank" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;" class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="A92C9D47-1771-4646-95DC-F9DC03FCAD5D" height="32" width="32" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:image010.png@01D04488.966DBE80" class=""></span></a><o:p class=""></o:p></div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;" class=""> </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></body></html>