Bill Pascrell: “This bill only talks about construction. Retaining and creating jobs, the TAA, has generated Federal and State revenues…”

“This bill only talks about construction. Retaining and creating jobs, the TAA, has generated Federal and State revenues, tax revenues, at a ratio of $12 for every dollar appropriated by this Congress. It has been a bipartisan program. We know the errors of NAFTA as well as the other trade agreements. To me, the American worker and the American working family is more important, if I have to make a priority. Now, when we have all priorities, we have no priority. All we are asking for is a few dollars in the TAA program, which the gentleman knows has worked and has been successful, to help the workers in America that have been displaced by our trade agreements. Mr. Chairman, our manufacturers and fabricators and dye shops all over America ask for our support. Will we turn our backs on them? We have an opportunity in this legislation with this amendment for a few dollars to help those dislocated workers. Otherwise, we will be into the empty words of the trade debate in a few weeks, and what will we have accomplished?”