Senate Lets Expire Program For Those Losing Jobs Because Of Foreign Competition

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate on Wednesday failed to reauthorize a four-decades-old program giving financial and retraining help to people who lose their jobs because of foreign competition, with senators disagreeing on the potential effect.

The Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which was initiated in 1962, expires on Dec. 31. The House passed a three-month extension on Dec. 11, but the Senate could not agree on a bill before they adjourned for the year on Wednesday.

Democratic officials said the bill was held up over an argument about whether to extend Federal Aviation Administration trust fund taxes until the end of February or the end of March.

"It is deeply regrettable to me that as we enter this holiday season, the Senate Republican leadership would let a handful of senators hold an extension of TAA benefits hostage to a completely unrelated issue,'' said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Senate Democrats said the benefits and training are not guaranteed to continue if TAA is not reauthorized. But Republicans and the Labor Department said the TAA program will continue unabated, even though it was not reauthorized. Money for TAA in the omnibus appropriation bill passed by Congress on Wednesday, Republicans said.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.com/News/200712190899

[Triana]

1. Typical Repuglican RUSE - they do this kind of crap all the time (n/t)

[OHdem10]

2. Republican Policy but how many Democrats voted with them.

[Triana]

5. Good point...(n/t)

[Kolesar]

9. Why don't you look it up before you proceed with your Democrat-bashing?

[Dr.Phool]

3. A lotta fucking good that program did.

I lost my job, officially in February of 2002, and was certified as eligible for TAA assistance. I applied immediately, and was told that my chosen course of study was ineligible for funding.

I re-applied and was told in May that the program had run out of funding, and to re-apply the following year. In the mean-time, I moved to Florida, and re-applied. I was told that the money was given to Florida, aka Jeb Bush, in a block grant, and that he had decided not to fund a federally funded program.

[harmonicon]

4. sorry, man

I can't imagine that I'm the only one who thinks this money would be better used funding universal healthcare, which would allow US companies to be more competitive internationally.... naw, that would be crazy!

[Captain Angry]

6. The program didn't do me any good either.

My job left for India in 2006.

But as a tech support type, my job didn't fit those terms anyway.

I'm glad I had saved so much in expectation of watching the job leave.

[SlingBlade]

7. More Bull Shit From Harry

These programs have been prety much worthless from the start due to funding anyway.

Notice to that they are almost always coupled with some RE-PUG big business
package that never expires. The America Works was an example.
When I lost my job they stuck me in that program, Wasnt two months before it
fell apart, No money for retraining, Staff, etc. Yet the Corporations got
buko tax incentives out of it which continue to this day.

ITS FRIGGIN BULL SHIT plain and simple.

[Kolesar]

8. My father taught HUNDREDS of students who had TAA funding

And they found jobs in fields that were in demand despite the high unemployment rates in Ohio and PA.

Why are you bashing the Democrats "Harry" for letting the program die if you say it was ineffective, anyway?

[Tyler Durden]

10. Want to hear another good one?

Something we desperately need in Michigan is NURSES. There's a State Program that gives $5000 toward a nursing education, but it's never been funded. Why?

The Republican dominated legislature in Michigan never puts any money in it. Boy, THAT'S a shock, hey?