WALLY HERGER: “I rise in support of this extension of the Trade Adjustment Assistance, or TAA program, for 3 months beyond its…”

“I rise in support of this extension of the Trade Adjustment Assistance, or TAA program, for 3 months beyond its expiration of December 31. The TAA program provides important training, health care, and other benefits to American workers adversely affected by trade. While this bill will continue the program for 3 months, I believe 6 months would be better and would allow the Senate sufficient time to pass the TAA reauthorization bill. Also, the Senate and House must work together to develop what I hope will be truly bipartisan legislation that helps workers affected by trade and globalization get retrained and back to work sooner. Unfortunately, the House-passed Democrat bill was not the product of a bipartisan approach as I had hoped and did not include key Republican reform proposals. In contrast, a TAA reauthorization bill that committee Republicans offered in an alternative on the floor was supported by 95 percent of all House Republicans and 11 Democrats. This strong support reflects the meaningful reforms in our 5-year TAA reauthorization, such as an increased health coverage tax credit.”