WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) released the following statement today after the Senate approved a six-week extension to help out-of-work Americans receive health coverage through the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) and retraining assistance through the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program. Brown fought to extend the program for 18 months, but the Senate only cleared a six-week extension, leaving it up to the new Congress convening in January to reconsider the issue.

“Without this extension, more than 50,000 Americans would have lost affordable health coverage with the expiration of the health coverage tax credit. These are American workers—former employees of companies like Delphi and Delta Airlines—whose pensions have been cut and whose employee-sponsored health care has been eliminated. And displaced workers would no longer receive retraining assistance they need to find new jobs,” Brown said. “This short-term extension will get these Americans through the holiday season. But I’m disappointed and frustrated that the Senate couldn’t approve more than a six-week extension. In six weeks, it will be up to a new Congress to extend these programs again—and I won’t quit fighting to make sure that American workers continue to get the vital assistance they need to afford health insurance and get retrained for new jobs.”

The HCTC helps trade-affected workers and retirees purchase private health coverage to replace the employer-sponsored coverage they lost. This provision would assist Delphi retirees that have yet to receive pension or healthcare benefits from their former employer, General Motors.  TAA provides critical services to American workers who have been displaced from their jobs as a result of international trade.

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