“After a series of contentious debates regarding the future of trade, the U.S. House of Representatives failed to pass the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Act but passed the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) Act. Despite yesterday’s passage of the Trade Preference Extension Act, which provided an alternative finance mechanism to ensure that no cuts to Medicare would result from the passage of TAA, the House failed to muster support for this critical piece of legislation that would have provided much needed protection for American workers.
To be clear, throughout this entire trade policy debate, I have been vehemently opposed to any cuts to Medicare, but the passage of TPA without TAA leaves displaced workers with no safety net. The Trade Adjustment Assistance Act would have provided wide-ranging benefits for our nation’s economy by providing employment and training services to increase the skills of displaced workers and boost their future earning potential. After today’s vote, they are left with no protections.
I urge my colleagues to protect America’s workforce and pass the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act when the House reconsiders the trade package next week.
Moving forward, I will continue to support trade policies that aim to ensure sustained economic growth and job creation for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the state of Texas and the United States of America.” - Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson
