John Kerry: “last October I received a letter from a Mrs. Myra Hoey of Blandford, MA. Mrs. Hoey detailed a problem that her husband…”

“last October I received a letter from a Mrs. Myra Hoey of Blandford, MA. Mrs. Hoey detailed a problem that her husband, David, was having with the Trade Adjustment Assistance program which oversees the benefits provided to workers displaced by the North American Free-Trade Agreement. David Hoey was an employee at the Westfield River Paper Co. in Massachusetts. Along with over 100 other employees, David lost his job when the paper company moved to Canada after Congress approved NAFTA. When we passed NAFTA in 1993, we recognized the importance of assisting those working families, like the Hoeys, who might be displaced by this agreement in obtaining gainful employment in another field through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program. For many years the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program has been very helpful to the citizens of this Nation by helping them to seize an opportunity for a second chance--for another career or further education. However, Mr. President, occasionally some Federal guidelines fall behind the times and need to be adjusted in order to continue to be effective.”