[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 147 (Friday, September 20, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5545-H5546]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Trade Adjustment 
Assistance program, or TAA, which provides a lifeline to workers who 
have lost their jobs due to outsourcing or other trade-related business 
decisions.
  TAA provides up to 2 years of robust job training benefits, and 
according to the U.S. Census, recipients increase their earnings by an 
average of over $50,000 over a 10-year period.
  This is not just an economically sound thing to do, it is the right 
thing to do. We cannot realize the full benefits of trade if we are 
leaving our friends and our neighbors behind.
  In my home State of Connecticut alone, over a thousand people have 
been helped by this program to find new jobs and to improve their 
skills, according to the Department of Labor.
  Unfortunately, the program expired 2 years ago, and Congress has 
failed to

[[Page H5546]]

reauthorize it. That means over 121,00 workers who have submitted 
petitions seeking resources to improve their job skills have been 
ignored.

  Elected officials on both sides of the aisle like to talk about 
supporting American workers. It is time that we put our money where our 
mouth is.
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor the American Worker and Trade 
Competitiveness Act and demand that it be brought to a vote.
  The American people are watching. They want to know if we have their 
back. We cannot afford to wait any longer.

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