Senate Dem: Far right’s disregard for unemployed workers ‘morally reprehensible’

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) blasted the “far right of the Republican party” on Tuesday for blocking the extension of a program that helps U.S. workers who need assistance after losing their jobs as a result of trade agreements.

“I can't believe that the far right of the Republican party doesn’t seem to think that we have any responsibility for people who lose their jobs because of our actions here in this town,” Brown said. “That’s morally reprehensible.”

Brown was speaking with Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) in a briefing for reporters in which they expressed their support for renewing the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, which is a package of training and employment services for American workers who have lost their jobs as a result of foreign trade.

The Hill’s On The Money blog reported on Wednesday that the lawmakers in Congress and the Obama administration could move forward as early as next week on three pending trade deals and a reauthorization of the TAA.