WASHINGTON - Today, Congressmen Sander Levin (D-MI) and Adam Smith (D-WA) welcomed the extension of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program in the federal funding omnibus passed by the Senate on Saturday. The omnibus extended the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers program through FY 2015, and the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms program through Dec. 31, 2015.
“These vital programs help our workers and firms regain footing lost due increased global competition," said Reps. Levin and Smith. “Unfortunately, because part of the program lapsed in 2013, service workers are still not eligible to receive benefits. Nor are workers who lose their jobs due to competition with some of our key partners, such as China. We look forward to working with our colleagues next year to fully restore, and strengthen, these critical programs."
Background: Congress created the Trade Adjustment Assistance program in 1962 in response to the loss of jobs among hard-working Americans as a result of increasing global competition, as well as to promote American competitiveness. Trade Adjustment Assistance benefits have several components, including training assistance, income support while in training, and job search and relocation assistance. The program assists workers dislocated by the elimination of tariffs and other barriers to trade. Additional programs assist farmers, fishermen, and firms with the development and implementation of business plans to enable them to regain a competitive foothold.
TAA by the numbers:
* 2,192,910: The number of workers served by TAA since it was created in 1974
* 104,158: The number of workers eligible to apply for TAA in 2013
* 50: The number of states with workers eligible for TAA benefits in 2013
* 75%: The percentage of TAA workers who got a job within six months of finishing the program
* 90%: The percentage of those TAA workers who remained employed at the end of the year
