Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today called on the Senate to fully fund an important initiative that helps communities affected by the struggling economy.

In February, Congress approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- an economic recovery package that contained a Bingaman-backed initiative called Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Communities.  TAA for Communities will aid cities and towns hurt by trade by providing them with economic analysis and advice, help with formulating a recovery plan, and assistance in carrying out the plan.  Bingaman wrote the initial legislation creating TAA for Communities in 2002, and pressed to include the idea in the economic recovery package. ,

In a letter to the two top members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee who are writing portions of the spending bills that fund the federal government, Bingaman urged that the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Communities program be fully funded at $150 million for FY2010. 

"While the benefits of international trade are spread broadly across the country, the negative effects are concentrated in smaller areas.  A community can be hollowed out when jobs at the local factory are moved overseas, or when businesses shut down because of a rise in cheaper imports.  The people in these communities are often unable to find other work because there are simply no other jobs to be had.  As businesses struggle to cut costs in this recession, more communities will need assistance to revitalize their economies.

“TAA for Communities helps these towns and cities create and carry out local economic recovery plans suited to their resources and the talents of their residents.  For example, a town whose appliance factory has shut down could attract new businesses that make solar panels.  A rural community that once depended on mining could leverage its mountains and forests to build a tourism industry.  TAA for Communities enables the Economic Development Agency (EDA) to provide these towns and cities with technical expertise to develop economic recovery plans.  Communities could then apply for grants to implement these plans.  EDA would coordinate the federal response so that resources are used efficiently,” Bingaman wrote.

TAA for Communities is modeled on the Defense Economic Adjustment Program that promoted economic development in areas where military bases were closed under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.   This successful program helped over 100 counties in over 38 states recover from the effect of base closures.