Senator Coons joined 40 of his colleagues Monday in signing onto a letter to President Obama supporting his decision to insist that Congress agree to extend Trade Adjustment Assistance, including a long term extension of the 2009 bipartisan reforms, before submitting the pending trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama.
“Trade Adjustment Assistance has been a core pillar of U.S. trade policy,” the Senators wrote. “The program ensures that workers who lose their jobs and financial security as a result of globalization have an opportunity to transition to new jobs and emerging sectors of the economy. Important reforms were made to TAA in 2009, which have helped streamline the program and make it more efficient for beneficiaries. In 2009, Congress also expanded eligibility to all workers whose jobs have been moved offshore, regardless of whether the United States has a trade agreement with the particular country. It also recognized the important role of the service industry in the U.S. economy by bringing service workers into TAA.”
In February 2011, the 2009 bipartisan reforms expired. The letter supports the President’s goal to create a broader trade and competitiveness strategy that creates jobs and builds the middle class, and supports his decision to seek a long-term TAA extension.
The full letter can be read below.