Max Baucus: “I might say, early in the debate we were able to forge a historic compromise on trade adjustment assistance which…”

“I might say, early in the debate we were able to forge a historic compromise on trade adjustment assistance which expanded the program to deserving groups of workers and, for the first time, provided health care adjustment to TAA recipients. That is an extremely important development. Currently, trade adjustment assistance--that is, assistance to workers displaced because of trade--is paltry. It doesn't help workers very much. It only applies to primary workers anyway. We made huge, significant improvements to help develop a consensus on trade; that is, so more people get in on the benefits of trade or at least are not harmed when there is natural change in our economy because of globalism and economic readjustment. This trade adjustment assistance part of it, it should be understood, I might say unpretentiously, is an extremely important part of this bill. As it stands now, I believe this bill is the most forward-looking and significant trade legislation to be considered by this body in over 15 years.”