[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 143 (Friday, September 23, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5942-S5943]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, the job market these days is tough. I 
have heard from countless Rhode Islanders who have worked all their 
life, but who have lost their jobs and are now struggling to make ends 
meet. Sadly, many of these jobs have been lost because big companies 
are taking advantage of cheaper labor overseas.
  We should take action to stop this pattern, and I have introduced 
legislation to end tax giveaways to companies that ship jobs overseas 
that I hope we will pass. In the meantime, we need to do everything we 
can to help those displaced workers get back on their feet.
  Therefore, I am pleased that the Senate has acted to extend the Trade 
Adjustment Assistance Program for American workers who have lost their

[[Page S5943]]

jobs due to the effects of international trade. TAA benefits are 
designed to help displaced workers transition back into the job market, 
and that is precisely what we need during this prolonged period of high 
unemployment. In my State of Rhode Island, the unemployment rate has 
been over 10 percent for 30 straight months and currently stands at 
10.6 percent.
  TAA benefits will help advance our economic recovery and get 
Americans back to work. In the past 2 years, over 1,400 Rhode Islanders 
have been helped by the job training services provided through, and the 
readjustment allowances have offered those workers a modest bridge 
until they can get back on their feet.
  I have said throughout the economic downturn that we need to stand up 
for people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, and 
this is especially true for trade-displaced workers. President Kennedy 
made this point when he signed TAA into law in 1962. He said then, 
regarding the effects of U.S. trade policy on our workers, that ``those 
injured . . . should not be required to bear the full brunt of the 
impact. Rather, the burden of economic adjustment should be borne in 
part by the federal government.''
  I know that American workers can compete and succeed in the global 
markets when given a level playing field. But for too long, our policy 
has been to encourage cheaper imports from countries with lax 
environmental standards and few protections for their workers.
  TAA benefits help workers in the manufacturing and service sectors to 
adjust to a rapidly changing global economy. This legislation will 
ensure that this help remains available, especially with so many people 
still out of work in Rhode Island and throughout the country.

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