BlueGreen Alliance calls for Reauthorization of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program
As the Senate and House focuses on the final work period of this Congress, the BlueGreen Alliance urged House and Senate leadership to swiftly bring up the reauthorization of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. Trade Adjustment Assistance is a lifeline for workers displaced from their jobs by unfair trade policies, offering trade-impacted workers a variety of supports including income support, a health coverage tax credit, and training, education, and job search assistance.
Congress allowed this crucial program to lapse on June 30, 2022. Until Congress reauthorizes the program, the Department of Labor cannot process any additional petitions for TAA assistance. This means that thousands of workers do not have access to the program’s support. In 2021 alone, the Department of Labor certified 801 petitions for trade adjustment assistance, covering an estimated 107,000 workers. Over 40,000 workers have missed out on TAA benefits since the program lapsed, a number that will continue to grow if Congress does not reauthorize TAA.