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Rep. Sander Levin, a Michigan Democrat, explains in an interview why hes insisting currency-manipulation language be included in a Pacific trade deal

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) Rep. Sander Levin says he respects Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen, but on one particular issue, shes wrong.

We need to face up to this basic issue, Levin, a Michigan Democrat, says about including currency obligations in trade deals specifically, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim nations are now trying to agree to the final terms of that trade partnership.

Currency impacts jobs, Levin told MarketWatch in an interview. Currency should not be the tool of one country against another.

Levin, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, spoke with MarketWatch on Thursday about Yellens opposition to currency-manipulation language in trade agreements; the status of talks on both trade promotion authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership; and why he believes Congress needs leverage over the contents of trade deals. Trade promotion authority, or fast track, would let the president negotiate trade deals Congress could not amend.

Here is a condensed and edited Q&A between Levin and MarketWatch:

MarketWatch: There have been reports negotiators are getting close to a deal on trade promotion authority. What do you know about the status of a TPA deal and also, how much work remains on the Trans-Pacific Partnership?

Levin: I dont know the status; you hear different stories every day. I think the key is whats being negotiated in TPP. Thats the real issue. It would cover 40% of the GDP of the world and include, now, Japan. It would include new economies with whom weve never negotiated a trade agreement. And there are issues that have never really been seriously considered in multilateral agreements for example, state-owned enterprises. And also, while there have been through our efforts basic labor and environmental provisions the May 10 standard that essentially was written by some House Democrats while that is now in the negotiation mix, how it would be implemented is also critical.

This is an important negotiation and its really vital to get it right. Negotiations can go both ways in trade; it isnt automatic that trade is a plus. It can be a plus if its shaped the correct way; it can be a minus if it isnt. So I think the appropriate focus at this point needs to be on the contents of TPP, where it is, where its short, and where it can be made better and involving in a meaningful way Congress as a partner.

MarketWatch: Looking back at past trade deals, critics say NAFTA, for example, allowed American jobs to be shipped overseas. So how do you make the case that deals like the TPP would be good for the middle class?

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Capitol Report: U.S. must face up and include currency in trade deal, Levin says

February 25, 2015 Updated Feb 25, 2015 at 5:40 PM EST

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (21ALIVE) --- A Democrat who filed to run for Fort Wayne city clerk gets his name tossed off the May Primary ballot.

It serves as a reminder that you don't go anywhere in local politics if you don't learn to play by the system's rules and regulations.

There are candidates who lose on Election Day, and others who never make it to Election Day.

The latter applies to Brian Thornton, who will not be a choice available to voters in the clerk's race.

Thornton made arguments Wednesday before the Allen County Election Board, seeking to have a challenge to his candidacy thrown out.

But the election board wasn't buying, instead pulling his name from the Democratic ticket in May.

Results from a check of local voting records were presented to the board, and were a big reason why Thornton got tossed.

For Thornton to have qualified to run, he needed to have voted in the Democratic Primary in the last election.

If he didnt meet that standard, he had to demonstrate he was in good standing with the party's leadership.

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City Clerk Candidate Stripped Of Right To Run In May Primary

A New York state senator Velmanette Montgomery, a black Democrat walked back comments she made about the eating habits of white people versus those of minority races, saying she misspoke and could have been a bit more articulate.

Ms. Montgomery, who represents Clinton Hill, was criticizing the closing of a Brooklyn grocery store to The Brooklyn Paper when she said white people dont eat the way we do. When asked about the comments, and whether they were racist, Ms. Montgomery said she had been unfortunately very inarticulate, the New York Daily Newsreported.

She also said to the newspaper that she really meant to convey an economic point: that groceries in neighborhoods populated by senior-age adults and lower-income families dont need specialty shops like Trader Joes and Whole Foods.

It wasnt meant to be a racial phrase, she said, explaining how she was shocked by $5 tomatoes at Trader Joes, the New York Daily News reported. You cant feed a family in a store like that.

She went on, the newspaper said: There are some communities where Trader Joes is the hottest thing in town but not for this particular community. We need a supermarket that continues to be affordable, that is of sufficient size and variety, that serves the whole community.

The grocery at issue is the Key Food and is reportedly being shuttered to make way for a housing facility that could eventually include a new food shop, the New York Daily News reported.

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Velmanette Montgomery, black Democrat: 'White people don't eat the way we do'

February 12, 2015 House Democrat Leadership Press Conference
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi discussed an Islamic State AUMF, a Department of Homeland Security funding bill and Voting Rights Act legislation at her weekly news conference on Feb. 12....

By: Roll Call

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February 12, 2015 House Democrat Leadership Press Conference - Video

Democrat Ted Strickland says his run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Rob Portman will focus on expanding job and educational opportunities that he believes have been denied to average people by GOP policies in Washington and Ohio.

Strickland's formal announcement Wednesday led to escalating attacks on his record as Ohio's governor and at a liberal Washington think tank. His entry adds a formidable statewide name to what is expected to be one of the most watched and expensive of next year's Senate races.

The 73-year-old Strickland said his campaign will focus on going back to basics, such as creating living-wage jobs, investing in job-creating local infrastructure projects and making college accessible and affordable.

"The average family in Ohio understands that Washington and Wall Street are really doing very well while they are just struggling to keep their noses above water," he said in an Associated Press interview. "I want to go to the Senate and be a strong, outspoken, aggressive advocate for working people. I don't see Sen. Portman doing that. In fact, I think he's been rather passive."

Portman fired back that voting for Strickland in 2016 would represent a step backward for the state, which had heavy job losses during Strickland's time as governor, which ended with his defeat to Republican John Kasich in 2010.

"The coming months will give Ohioans an opportunity to contrast my vision for a better future for Ohio workers with his past tenure as governor when hundreds of thousands of jobs disappeared from our state," Portman said in a statement. "I'll continue fighting every day to expand opportunities for all Ohioans, working with both parties to reduce barriers to job growth and to create better paying jobs."

Portman, 59, was elected to Congress seven times and is a former White House budget chief and U.S. trade representative. He won the 2010 election with 57 percent of the vote and, as of December, reported $5.8 million on hand. He's already lined up endorsements from some 250 Republicans across the state, including Kasich and U.S. House Speaker John Boehner.

Some conservatives want to see Portman draw a primary opponent after he announced in 2013 that he now supports same-sex marriage.

Portman's campaign on Wednesday launched a website called "Retread Ted," which focuses on the negative economic news from Strickland's governorship. The Ohio Republican Party was also prepared for the announcement, activating a site called "Ted Failed Ohio."

Strickland, an ordained Methodist minister who spent a decade in Congress, defended his record as governor. He said the Ohio job losses came amid a deep recession that rocked not only Ohio but also the entire country, and the state's economy was in an upturn when he left office.

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Ohio's Strickland to Focus US Senate Bid on Opportunity