Trade Adjustment Assistance Program
TAA
In June 2015, President Obama secured a six-year extension of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program. The extension improves on prior programs by supporting workers in the service sector and those affected by trade with countries with whom we do not have Free Trade Agreements, including China and India. In 2016, the number of estimated workers eligible for benefits and services was over 100,000. In fiscal year 2015, 74% of TAA participants found new jobs, and over 92% retained their jobs.
According to the White House, “The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers program is a streamlined federal program that provides opportunities to U.S. workers who have lost their jobs as a result of foreign trade. Programs like TAA are important to winning the future and keeping America’s middle class strong. The TAA program includes training services for workers to learn 21st-century job skills, as well as assistance for job search and relocation, a tax credit to maintain health coverage, and Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) that provide critical support during training.”
The Trade Adjustment Assistance program was launched in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy.
Special Message to Congress on Foreign Policy, January 25, 1962
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Its Role in U.S. Trade Policy
Congressional Research Report, July 20, 2011