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Published: 2001

Total Pages: 85

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The rapid pace of economic change due to the globalization of national economies has heightened concerns about the efficacy of federal trade adjustment assistance. While the transition to the new economy has meant an increase in technology and service sector jobs, it has also resulted in the loss of many manufacturing jobs as companies that cannot compete with lower-priced imports close or relocate to lower-wage countries abroad. The federal government recognizes that while the benefits of free trade are widely dispersed across the economy, the costs of worker dislocation effects are more localized. Accordingly, federal trade adjustment assistance programs are designed to target aid to dislocated workers through the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and North American Free Trade Agreement Transitional Adjustment Assistance (NAFTA-TAA) programs. There are also assistance programs to mitigate the adverse impacts of trade for businesses, the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms program, and for communities, the Community Adjustment and Investment Program. At the Committee s request, we completed evaluations of these programs in 2000.