<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=""><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" class="">INSIDE US TRADE</span><br class=""><h1 style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Finance panel reaches agreement on waiver, sets markup of Lighthizer nomination for Tuesday<o:p class=""></o:p></h1><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">April 24, 2017 <o:p class=""></o:p></div><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">The Senate Finance Committee will reconvene on Tuesday to consider the nomination of Robert Lighthizer for U.S. Trade Representative after coming to an agreement on how to handle <a href="https://insidetrade.com/sites/insidetrade.com/files/documents/apr2017/USTR%20Nominee%20Waiver%20Language.pdf" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class="">a waiver that would allow him to serve</a>.<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">The executive session, set for 10:00 a.m., will include “a separate vote on consideration of a waiver for Lighthizer,” the panel said in a statement.<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Democrats believe Lighthizer needs a congressional waiver to serve as USTR because of work he did as a trade attorney for foreign governments.<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">“After months of delays and unprecedented demands, I am pleased to announce an agreement has been reached to consider Bob Lighthizer to serve as USTR at a Committee level,” Hatch said in the statement. “While I have said throughout this process that I do not believe a waiver is necessary for this nominee, I have, at the same time, pledged my support to working with our Committee colleagues on the issue so long as it was kept separate from unrelated demands.”<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Today, Hatch added, “we have found a path forward to consider the wavier and the nominee. It’s past time. Congress and the American people need one official to hold responsible for U.S. trade policy. Once Bob Lighthizer is confirmed, we will have that official. I look forward to advancing his nomination through the Committee for full Senate consideration.”</p></body></html>