Nancy Kassebaum: “if I may put a little different perspective on this issue, recognizing, as has been eloquently stated by the Senator…”

“if I may put a little different perspective on this issue, recognizing, as has been eloquently stated by the Senator from New York, Senator Moynihan, and the ranking member of the Labor Committee, that there has been, through both Republican and Democratic administrations, a commitment regarding trade adjustment assistance. But let me make clear how the TAA is handled in the work force development bill. While the training part of the trade adjustment assistance is consolidated into the bill, the entitlement to income support for dislocated workers under TAA is not repealed. This, of course, is something that remains under the Finance Committee. This means our commitment to workers who lose their jobs because of a trade agreement is maintained, it is not eliminated. That is why I believe S. 143 is important in the context of helping all workers. Workers who may have been affected by any trade agreement will still receive the assistance for job training but, I suggest, in a far more effective way. It makes no sense to keep separate and distinct programs for workers who are laid off for one reason or another. All workers who lose their jobs should have access to job training. All workers who need assistance should be able to enter the system with the kind of quality assistance that is their due. Dislocated workers who need good training linked to real jobs have been ill-served by existing programs, including TAA.”