Brown Secures Critical Extension of Retraining Benefits for Workers Who Lose Their Job to Foreign Trade

Press Release

Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) secured a critical win for Ohio workers to extend critical Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for workers who lose their job due to foreign trade. After asking for unanimous consent, Brown was able to secure a bipartisan agreement to extend this program by one month, and vowed to keep fighting for a longer-term extension and overall expansion of the TAA program.

These crucial benefits were set to expire in just one week -- on July 1. TAA has provided retraining assistance and assistance to tens of thousands of Ohio workers since 2009, but the current program left out workers who lost their jobs to countries like China.

"We know corporations won't stop outsourcing jobs on July 1st. We know China isn't going to stop cheating and undermining American industries on July 1st. And we know our manufacturers will still have to compete against governments that prop up their competitors on July 1st," Brown said. "We owe it to workers who have their lives upended through no fault of their own, because of unfair trade, to do everything we can to ease the transition."

Brown has been a long-time advocate for the TAA program and efforts to ensure that workers have the training and tools they need to fill jobs in high-growth industries. In February 2011, Brown led 13 senators in urging House leadership to extend TAA. As one of the last acts before the 111th Congress adjourned, Brown secured a six-week extension of the TAA program. In November 2014, Brown successfully led a group of 14 senators in calling on the Senate Appropriations Committee to maintain funding for the TAA program so workers could continue to receive benefits through September 2015. In 2015, Brown fought to extend this program again.

Administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), TAA is a federal program that identifies workers who lose their jobs or have their hours or wages reduced as a result of increased imports, and helps them prepare for new careers. The program extends benefits including training for employment in another job or career, income support, job search allowances, and relocation allowances. Qualified workers may quickly return to work through a combination of these services. Since 1975, millions of workers nationwide have relied on TAA to make ends meet and receive training necessary to find a new job.

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