Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is a program with an obscure name but an important purpose.
The 21st century economy is driven by an ever-changing global marketplace, with new industries redefining consumer demand and reshaping our workforce. That means that, to outcompete other countries, America’s workforce needs all the job training and support needed to tap into new opportunities that the 21st century can present.
That is what TAA was created to do. It provides job training. It provides income support for workers in training programs. It has provided much-needed support to 2.2 million workers since it was created, including more than 23,000 veterans since October 2009 alone.
But here’s the problem, it will expire soon.
This week, Congress has the chance to reauthorize TAA, the vital program that millions of hardworking Americans have relied on. Major expansions in the program that the President fought for lapsed in 2014, and because major extensions and changes to TAA usually happen alongside other trade-related bills, passing TAA now is our best chance to get a bigger, better version of the program back in place. That's why the president is fighting so hard for it.
Here are just a few of the stories of workers who have benefited from TAA: