Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (38th District of CA)
WASHINGTON – Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) today introduced the Trade Adjustment Assistance Modernization Act, a bill to renew the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which Congress allowed to lapse in 2022.
Video of today’s bill introduction press conference is available HERE.
Trade Adjustment Assistance provides displaced U.S. workers with critical support, including job training, income support, health care assistance and reemployment services. Workers who went through the program earned, on average, $50,000 more over a 10-year period than those who did not access the program.
Since the program expired, nearly 200,000 workers have filed petitions to receive assistance through the program, but their cases are still pending due to the lapse in congressional authorization.
“Every day Congress fails to act, American workers and their families are left to struggle,” said Ranking Member Sánchez. “They are not economic statistics. They are our friends and neighbors who unfairly lost their jobs to outsourcing. Trade Adjustment Assistance is a lifeline to them, helping them rebuild their careers, protect their families and hold on to hope. Congress cannot abandon them any longer.”
The TAA Modernization Act would:
- Reauthorize TAA for Workers, TAA for Firms and TAA for Farmers programs for seven years.
- Address shortcomings in the program by expanding eligibility, increasing funding and improving benefits (such as providing for childcare expenses).
- Establish a new TAA Communities program and reinject funding into the popular and successful TAA for Community Colleges program.
In addition to Sánchez, the bill is cosponsored by Representatives Richard Neal (D-Mass.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), John Larson (D-Conn.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Don Beyer (D-Va.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.), Thomas Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.).
The bill is endorsed by the AFL-CIO, Communication Workers of America (CWA); International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM); International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE); International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW); and United Steelworkers (USW).
“For years, the Trade Adjustment Assistance program has acted as a lifeline for workers who have had their jobs stolen by unfair trade policies or corporate outsourcing that seeks to exploit low wages and poor conditions abroad,” said Jody Calemine, director of advocacy at the AFL-CIO. “But right now nearly 200,000 workers who may be eligible for training opportunities, transition support and other tools they need to get back on their feet cannot access these benefits because Congress has failed to act. The AFL-CIO applauds Representative Linda Sánchez for introducing the Trade Adjustment Assistance Modernization Act, leading the fight to support workers and communities across our country who have been hurt by unfair trade policies, and we call on Congress to support this legislation and renew this critical program.”
“The IAM knows firsthand how critical the TAA program is to workers who lost their jobs as a result of outsourcing and unfair trade practices,” said President Brian Bryant, IAM International. “When Caterpillar shuttered its Joliet, Ill., facility in 2018 and 2019 and moved roughly 600 IAM jobs to Mexico, TAA was there. When Truck-Lite closed its Falconer, N.Y., plant in early 2020 and shipped more than 150 jobs to Mexico and China, TAA was there. Now, nearly 400 Whirlpool workers in Amana, Iowa, are losing their jobs to Mexico, with hundreds more cuts expected later this year. Without TAA reauthorization, these workers lose not just their paychecks, but the job training and financial support they need to rebuild their lives. That’s not just a blow to workers, it’s a blow to their families and their communities.”
“The working class shouldn’t be the collateral damage of a broken system that rigs trade to benefit corporations and billionaires while shipping jobs overseas,” said President Shawn Fain, UAW. “Congress must prioritize keeping work here at home and ensure that workers – not CEOs or shareholders – are at the front end of trade discussions, not an afterthought after the rich have divvied up their share. Every worker deserves real support when companies shutter plants and abandon domestic production. It’s past time to fix a system that leaves workers behind and restore even the bare minimum protections through an updated Trade Adjustment Assistance program.”
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