WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ways and Means Members Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Pete Stark (D-CA), Sander M. Levin (D-MI), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Michael R. McNulty (D-NY), William J. Jefferson (D-LA), Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH), and Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) today joined Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) and 66 other House Democrats in introducing the Trade Adjustment Assistance Improvement Act, legislation that will help provide improved job training, healthcare benefits and other support to trade-displaced workers. 

Originally created in 1962, the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program was designed to help trade-displaced workers learn new skills and respond to changing realities in the global economy.  Unfortunately, TAA has failed to live up to those expectations.
   
“This bill would help workers who, through no fault of their own, lose their jobs due to the changes in the economy caused by trade.  Unfortunately, the Bush Administration has ignored the needs of those hit hardest by trade – failing to help hard-working Americans transition to the global economy.  It is just another example of this Administration’s misplaced priorities.  Rather than rewarding companies that take their businesses abroad, we should be supporting workers here at home,” said Rep. Rangel, the top Democrat on the Committee on Ways and Means.

The TAA Improvement Act is designed to fix the major problems with the current TAA program – from the underfunding of job training to the lack of coverage for service workers.  The bill triples resources for job training, extends TAA to services workers, allows the Secretary of Labor to certify workers as eligible for TAA on an industry-wide basis (rather than a plant-by-plant basis), improves the Health Care Tax Credit, and eliminates unnecessary and burdensome eligibility requirements. 

"It is critical that we help those hurt by trade make a new start.  Currently, TAA funding is so inadequate that workers are being told that they cannot enroll in the training programs for which they are eligible.  This is wrong – no hard-working American who loses their job due to our trade policies should be denied the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to compete in the global economy,” said Rep. Cardin, Ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee.

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