Trade Adjustment Assistance: Key Facts

Since the bipartisan reforms overhauling TAA were implemented in May 2009, hundreds of thousands of Americans have benefited from the program, which is specifically tailored to address the unique challenges TAA participants face…

• More than 435,000 workers have been certified as eligible for TAA since May 2009.

• More than 185,000 additional trade-impacted workers who may not have been certified under the “old” 2002 TAA for Workers program have become eligible for training opportunities and benefits.

• In FY2010 alone, more than 227,000 workers took advantage of TAA and participated in the program, receiving case management, training and/or income support. 

What the studies have shown….

• TAA participants face additional challenges to successfully transition to new employment at comparable wages not experienced by those on traditional unemployment insurance, according to a 2010 Mathematica study. TAA is specifically designed to address the unique challenges that these workers face. 

What key Republicans were saying about TAA just two years ago…..

Both Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp and former Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley praised the passage of the 2009 TAA reforms, with Grassley saying the measure would benefit “American workers in Iowa and across the United States for years to come.”

• Chairman Camp: “This important package provides a coherent, rational, accountable, and cost-effective system for training trade-affected workers and putting them back to work quickly and at better jobs. The expansion to cover services workers adversely affected by trade is a particularly important part of this deal, as well as the expanded and more flexible training opportunities designed to help workers obtain the skills they need to start new careers.”

• Then-Chairman Grassley: “…today's achievement is the result of the dedication, hard work, and commitment of many individuals. It is the culmination of years of effort, and I am confident that the result will serve to benefit American workers in Iowa and across the United States for years to come.” 

What TAA recipients will tell you about how the program has impacted their lives….

• Meet Steven Churchill of Roseville, MI, who worked for EDS/HP for 13 years before losing his job. “What TAA is doing is helping us to improve our skills to where we can be employable.” 

   

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