Legislation Introduced to Add Workers Harmed by Tariff Retaliation to Trade Adjustment Assistance

Trade Adjustment Assistance -- the retraining and wage support program designed to help workers whose jobs were eliminated by offshoring and surges of imports -- should be expanded to cover those who were laid off because their export markets were lost, some Congress members say. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., along with three other Democrats, introduced a bill July 17 that would make these people eligible for the program, which pays tuition and extends unemployment insurance for up to two years. "Nobody wins in a trade war, and the biggest casualties are hardworking Americans," DelBene said. "While the President plays games with our economy, we will continue to fight for good jobs and good wages."