Letter from Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and others to President George Bush.
Re: trade promotion authority and H.R. 3670.
Date: April 12, 2002.
Source: Office of Rep. Eshoo.

Congress of the United States
House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

April 12, 2002

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Bush,

In your April 4th speech urging the passage of trade promotion authority (TPA) we were disappointed not to hear you indicate your support for reforming trade adjustment assistance (TAA).

While we strongly support trade, we understand that there are inevitable shifts in our economy that can result in displaced workers who need assistance and retraining to re-enter the job market. When TAA was established in 1962 the federal government committed itself to assisting workers dislocated by international trade.  TAA throughout its history has consistently garnered bipartisan support and has assisted millions of workers. 

As cosponsors of H.R. 3670, we urge you to embrace fundamental changes to TAA.  Our bill would broaden TAA eligibility to include coverage for secondary workers. It is also necessary to provide displaced workers with healthcare and increase funding for job training.  These provisions are essential provisions of our TAA legislation.

We believe expanding assistance to the thousands of displaced workers who are not currently covered by TAA would in fact benefit our economy by providing better trained workers with new jobs quicker than if they had not been eligible for TAA. 

We believe that a robust and successful TAA program is absolutely critical to building a national consensus on trade.  Furthermore, we believe that reforming TAA should be a priority for the Administration and we urge your support for including TAA in a package with TPA.

Sincerely,

Reps. Eshoo, Bentsen, Adam Smith, Dooley, Jim Davis, Farr, Visclosky, Moran, George Miller, Harold Ford, Harman, Lofgren, Thurman, Roybal-Allard, Robert Brady, Barcia, Reyes, Honda, Corrinne Brown, Wu, Tauscher, Kind, Price, Kildee and Hill.