<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=""><a href="http://democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/press-release/levin-ways-and-means-democrats-announce-intensive-transparent-tpp-review" class="">http://democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/press-release/levin-ways-and-means-democrats-announce-intensive-transparent-tpp-review</a><br class=""><div class=""><h1 id="page-title-no-line" style="margin: 0px; padding: 15px 0px 5px; font-size: 2.667em; background-image: none; color: rgb(132, 7, 28); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.02em;" class="">Levin, Ways and Means Democrats Announce Intensive, Transparent TPP Review </h1><div class="date-tag" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="date" style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(122, 118, 109); font-size: 1.167em; text-transform: uppercase;">NOV 4, 2015</span></div><div class="clear" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; clear: both; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></div><div class="divide-double-line" style="margin: 10px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; background-image: url(http://democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/profiles/house/themes/committee/images/line-double.gif); height: 5px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background-position: 50% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat;"></div><div id="inner-content" style="margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class=""><div class="region region-content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div id="block-house-optional-blocks-house-addthis" class="block block-house-optional-blocks" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="share-area" style="margin: 20px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; float: right;"><a class="addthis_button" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=xa-4cdc6bb46f89d3f7" target="_blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(44, 72, 116);"><img width="125" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px;" apple-inline="yes" id="F778D0BC-6860-41DD-8A50-59C9906B7851" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:731CACEF-0ECF-485C-ABBB-07E11E765085" class=""></a></div></div></div><div id="node-4067" class="node-press-release node clearfix" about="/press-release/levin-ways-and-means-democrats-announce-intensive-transparent-tpp-review" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="field-label-hidden field-name-body field field-type-text-with-summary" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="field-items" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><p class="align-center" style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1.167em; text-align: center; line-height: 1.5em;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class="">Hearings: “Trading Views: Real Debates on Key Issues in TPP”</strong></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1.167em; line-height: 1.5em;" class=""><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class="">WASHINGTON, DC – </strong>Today, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) announced that the Committee’s Democratic Members in the coming weeks will host “Trading Views: Real Debates on Key Issues in TPP” – a series of in-depth hearings on the key issues in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1.167em; line-height: 1.5em;" class=""><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class="">“The upcoming 90-day period was established to facilitate an intensive and informed debate over the merits of TPP as negotiated, as well as the necessity for any modifications to the agreement, before the agreement is signed,” </strong>said Rep. Levin.<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class=""> “Ways and Means Democrats look forward to engaging fully and meaningfully with stakeholders, the public, our colleagues and the Administration during this period. As part of that engagement, we are organizing a series of in-depth public hearings to assess the merits of the proposed agreement, zeroing in on those issues that are of particular importance or concern to us and our fellow Democratic colleagues. These sessions will help to build a full foundation of information and transparency before Congress votes on the agreement.”</strong></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1.167em; line-height: 1.5em;" class="">TPP countries account for 40 percent of global GDP, and include economies ranging from some of the world’s largest, most developed, and market-oriented economies to some of the smallest, least-developed, and command economies. The range of subjects covered by the agreement goes far beyond those negotiated in any previous multilateral trade agreement.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1.167em; line-height: 1.5em;" class=""><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class=""><u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: normal;" class="">What</u></strong><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class="">:</strong> “Trading Views: Real Debates on Key Issues in TPP” hosted by Ways and Means Democrats</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1.167em; line-height: 1.5em;" class=""><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class=""><u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: normal;" class="">When</u></strong><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class="">:</strong> Beginning the week of November 16th (assuming the agreement is public by that time). Multiple sessions will be held weekly. </p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1.167em; line-height: 1.5em;" class=""><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class=""><u style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-weight: normal;" class="">How</u></strong><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" class="">:</strong> The discussions will be a review of the pros and cons of the agreement and will include stakeholders and expert witnesses with differing views. They will cover areas including the environment, worker rights, investment (including tobacco), automotive and agricultural market access, rules of origin, state-owned enterprises, access to medicines, currency manipulation, and the potential impact on American jobs and the economy. Members will be invited to ask questions and engage in the discussion.</p><p align="center" style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; font-size: 1.167em; line-height: 1.5em;" class="">###</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>