Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization Act would restore job training, income support, and relocation help for displaced workers through 2031
Washington, D.C. – On April 11, U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D‑PA) joined Senators Gary Peters (D‑MI), Ron Wyden (D‑OR), Chuck Schumer (D‑NY), Tammy Baldwin (D‑WI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D‑NY), Amy Klobuchar (D‑MN), Ed Markey (D‑MA), Jack Reed (D‑RI), Bernie Sanders (I‑VT), Tina Smith (D‑MN), and Elizabeth Warren (D‑MA) to introduce the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Reauthorization Act of 2025.
“You can’t call yourself pro‑worker while shipping American jobs overseas,” said Senator Fetterman. “For 50 years TAA kept our manufacturing backbone strong—helping laid‑off steelworkers in Johnstown, machinists in Erie, and thousands more learn new skills and land new jobs. It didn’t do everything it should have, but it helped. Letting it die was a gut punch. This bill brings TAA back stronger and longer, because when trade deals go sideways, workers deserve a real shot at the next job—not a sad smile and a pink slip.”
Since its creation in 1974, more than five million Americans have used TAA, with over 75 percent landing new jobs within six months. Extending the program through 2031 will give manufacturers and communities the certainty they need to plan long‑term investments and keep skilled talent on the factory floor.
TAA’s authority expired in 2022. Since then, 200,000 laid‑off workers have applied for help but received none, and benefits for those still enrolled will disappear entirely in 2026 unless Congress acts. The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Reauthorization Act of 2025 would renew the TAA program through 2031, giving workers who lose their jobs, hours, or wages because of unfair foreign trade access to:
- Skills training and apprenticeships
- Job‑search and relocation assistance
- Extended income support while they train
- Health‑coverage tax credits and other wrap‑around services
Senator Fetterman was an original cosponsor of the bill last Congress, when it cleared the Senate Finance Committee with bipartisan support but stalled before final passage. The senators brought the bill to the floor in early April and hope to see it move through committee once the Senate returns from recess.
The Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2025 is endorsed by the United Auto Workers (UAW), United Steelworkers (USW), AFL‑CIO, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).
Read the full text of the bill here.
