WASHINGTON — House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released the following statement on the first-quarter GDP report that showed just 0.2 percent growth and a 7.2 percent drop in American exports.

“Families can’t get ahead with an economy stuck in place. This report is all the more reason we need to keep making real reforms that will unleash economic activity and create new jobs, like fixing our tax code.

“This report also shows that if we’re not moving ahead on trade, we’re falling behind. Other nations are always working together to lower their trade barriers. With America on the sidelines, our exports have fallen and our has economy suffered as a result. This is why we must move quickly to advance trade legislation that will level the playing field for American workers and allow American job creators to reach more customers abroad. We cannot settle for this slow growth, and the Ways and Means Committee is hard at work to move America forward.”