May 18,2009

Baucus Applauds Full Implementation of Trade Adjustment Assistance

Finance Chairman says new TAA programs will help more workers and businesses succeed as the economy recovers

Washington, DC – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) welcomed
today’s implementation of the Trade and Globalization Adjustment Assistance Act of 2009,
which was included in the American Recovery and Revitalization Act of 2009 (ARRA). The Trade
and Globalization Adjustment Assistance Act of 2009 represented the most significant expansion
of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) programs since 1974. The new TAA law expands
eligibility to service workers and firms, provides increased funding for worker retraining, and
makes health care more available and affordable for covered workers, among other
improvements. These expanded benefits are available to workers and firms covered by
applications submitted on or after today, May 18, 2009.

“I have worked hard to provide America’s workers and entrepreneurs the tools and resources
they need to compete in the global marketplace. Today’s implementation of the Trade and
Globalization Adjustment Assistance Act demonstrates that continued commitment. The new
and improved TAA will help more workers retrain and will help small businesses improve their
global competitiveness,” said Baucus. “I look forward to working with the Administration to
ensure proper implementation and rapid delivery of these improved benefits.”

Chairman Baucus worked closely with Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), House Ways
and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y) and Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-Mich) to
include these important TAA reforms in the ARRA. The new law improves and expands Trade
Adjustment Assistance in significant ways. TAA will now be available to trade-affected workers
in the services sector – which comprise 80 percent of the U.S. workforce – as well as to workers
whose jobs shift to all countries, not just those with which the United States has trade
agreements. Training funds available to these workers will increase by 160 percent. The
measure also allows for automatic TAA eligibility for workers suffering from import surges and
unfair trade, makes training, healthcare and reemployment TAA benefits more accessible and
flexible, and improves the TAA for Farmers program. And the law increases assistance available
to American businesses seeking to avoid trade-related layoffs by retooling for the global
marketplace. All TAA programs are now authorized through December 31, 2010.

More information on these programs can be obtained from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL),
the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the
Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. DOL administers the
TAA for Workers program and is now accepting petitions for the new TAA for Workers program.
Petitions can be obtained via the DOL website:

http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/DownloadPetitions.cfm. EDA administers the TAA for Firms
program. Information and petitions may be obtained through regional Trade Adjustment
Assistance Centers: http://www.taacenters.org/. And the FAS administers the TAA for Farmers
program. Information may be obtained via the USDA website:
http://www.fas.usda.gov/ITP/TAA/taa.asp.

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