Max Baucus: “today I introduce the Trade Adjustment Assistance Equity for Service Workers Act. Frankly, I am disappointed to be here…”

“today I introduce the Trade Adjustment Assistance Equity for Service Workers Act. Frankly, I am disappointed to be here introducing this bill yet again. Just last week, the substance of the bill was adopted by a majority of members of the Finance Committee as an amendment to the implementing legislation for the United States-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement. But today, the administration sent us the final implementing bill with the amendment stripped out. President Bush likes to say that trade is for everyone. That we all share the benefits, including workers. And he claims to care a lot about having a skilled workforce that can keep American businesses competitive in global markets. This amendment presented the President with the perfect opportunity to put his money where his mouth is. He could have said to the American people--as President Clinton did when Congress considered the NAFTA--that just as all Americans share in the benefits of trade, we all bear a responsibility for its costs. Trade liberalization and trade adjustment go hand in hand. And then he could have provided America's service sector workers with access to the one program designed to make that happen--Trade Adjustment Assistance. But by submitting the CAFTA implementing bill stripped of the Trade Adjustment Assistance amendment passed by the Finance Committee, he chose not to.…”