Question

Based on your own Internet research, provide an argument for or against the continued use of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program.

Answer 1

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) provides job training, relocation compensation, income support and medical plan assistance and other benefits for U.S. employees who have lost jobs due to the effects of increased imports.
The program of government, run by a U.S. office. Department of Labor, as part of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, began unofficially. It formally began in 1974, with notable changes in the years that followed. The current program, redesigned in 2015, runs through 2021, unless it is renewed again by Congress.

Some strongly oppose Trade Adjustment Assistance and see it as a way for free trade supporters to win over those destined to lose out when shipping their jobs overseas. Likewise, some critics of liberalized trade, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, call trade reform assistance "burial coverage" for dead workers that result from trade agreements. We also point out that the program costs hundreds of millions of dollars and only benefits a small percentage of the staff impacted.

Proponents argue more generally that, with a few notable exceptions, free trade reduces consumer prices, benefiting almost everyone. Furthermore, the trade deficit is mainly due to increased wealth in the U.S. and the net effect of more money from U.S. consumers to buy overseas goods. Some proponents say that at the previous income level, it is impossible to replace all jobs lost as a result of free trade. A job in a new industry, however, even one that pays less than before, may be significantly better than what workers might find without the benefits of aid for trade adjustment.