Cárdenas Statement on TAA Vote
Cárdenas Statement on TAA Vote
(Washington, DC) -- U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-San Fernando Valley, Calif.) issued a statement today, following his vote to approve an extension of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for American workers impacted by current and future international trade agreements.
“Above all else, we must protect the American worker,” said Cárdenas. “Too many Americans are still out of work and too many families are suffering for Congress to ignore workers who have been, and will be, displaced by international trade treaties. I introduced the American Worker Mobility Act to help put these men and women back to work, and I will continue to stand with them through the trade negotiation process. This legislation is woefully underfunded and fails to include public sector workers, which I do not approve of. Like the workers I represent, if opposing TAA could have stopped fast track and potentially flawed trade bills, I would have opposed it.
“However, since the fast-track legislation I opposed has already passed the House and Senate, continuing to stand against TAA would have only meant standing against those American workers. That is why I cast my vote to approve TAA.”
Cárdenas, a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, reintroduced the American Worker Mobility Act recently, which will allow long-term unemployed Americans to move from high unemployment areas to regions of their state, or of the nation, where unemployment is lower and companies are seeking qualified applicants for open jobs.
The Act will create a program within the Department of Labor to provide vouchers to the long-term unemployed to relocate for the purpose of attaining or accepting employment.