House Democrats press for action on trade assistance program

House Democrats expressed disappointment Wednesday that action hasn't been taken to extend the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, after postponing a scheduled vote on Tuesday. 

"TAA has been a good-faith effort for nearly 50 years to assist workers who have lost their jobs through trade and globalization," House Ways and Means ranking member Sandy Levin (D-Mich.) said during today's hearing on trade issues.  

Changes to TAA made in 2009 provide protections for additional 170,000 workers, he said. 

"Tens of thousands of displaced workers in our country will be affected, and I strenuously urge my Republican colleagues not to let this vital program lapse."

The House had scheduled a Tuesday vote but that was postponed after conservative Republicans raised several issues with the measure including that "these programs were either created or greatly expanded by Democrats 'stimulus.' "

The Republican Study Committee said the bill would cost $620 million for the remainder of 2011 and $6.5 billion over 10 years and that money would be better spent on deficit reduction, according to a policy analysis. 

The move could also provide Republicans with more leverage for the Obama administration to send all three pending free trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia to Congress for approval. The South Korean agreement is expected to reach Capitol Hill within the next few weeks, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told the Ways and Means panel on Wednesday. 

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka urged House Republicans to schedule a vote on an extension before it lapses on Feb. 12. 

"Yesterday’s abrupt refusal by the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives to schedule a vote" to extend TAA "shows a blatant lack of concern for American workers who have lost jobs because of unfair trade deals."

Trumka blasted Republicans for not helping workers "who lose their jobs through no fault of their own due to trade deals are living too high on the hog." 

"Now it’s up to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to show what their priorities are, helping workers and businesses alike or stalling proven, much-needed help that will keep our economy from tumbling back into a tailspin," he said.

Last week, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) joined 13 other senators in sending a letter to House leadership urging an extension to TAA.

“Over 360,000 Americans have been certified for TAA assistance over the past two years, and over 40 percent of them were certified because of the improvements to TAA that were enacted in 2006," Brown said. "It is critical that we preserve all these improvements to TAA.”

The House passed an 18-month extension in December by voice vote but the Senate shortened the bill and bickered over other trade issues that halted the bill's clearance by Congress. The program's reauthorization must originate in the House.

Instead, a six-week extension was passed, giving lawmakers until next week to determine the fate of TAA. 

Sen. Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) has said he will block TAA until the White House vows to move the free-trade agreement with Colombia.