President Donald Trump’s attempt to create U.S. jobs by taxing solar panel imports could backfire.
That’s according to the CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association trade group, who says it’s domestic workers that will feel the pain.
“We have been the fastest growing form of new energy...and this is putting the brakes on that crazy growth,” Abigail Ross Hopper told Cheddar in an interview. “These are not people who are looking for what nationality the company they work for is. They just want to feed their families and pay their mortgages. And those are the people whose jobs are at risk.”
Earlier this week President Trump signed a law that would impose a 30 percent tariff on imported solar panel and sells, a move the administration says will encourage domestic manufacturing.
But the SEIA says the vast majority of the 260,000 Americans employed in the industry work in peripheral industries like installation. Ross Hopper says the bill will result in 23,000 layoffs this year and delay or cancel billions of dollars of investment in the sector.
She also says it might dissuade U.S. consumers from going green.
“Most [businesses and consumers] want to choose solar because it saves them money,” she said. “This decision changes that calculus.”
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/solar-power-in-america).
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill. 9th District) and Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio 5th District) joined Cheddar to discuss what Congress might do about the Big Tech companies following the latest hearing on misinformation and disinformation online.
On Thursday, March 25, Congress will hold a remote hearing with testimony from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai on the "misinformation and disinformation" that some argue continue to plague online platforms.
The law passed Thursday places new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative oversight of elections. Democrats and voting rights groups say the law will disproportionately disenfranchise voters of color.
President Joe Biden is leaving the door open to backing fundamental changes in Senate procedure to muscle key parts of his agenda past Republican opposition.
The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to 684,000, the fewest since the pandemic erupted a year ago and a sign the economy is improving.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) spoke to Cheddar about how his GOP colleagues should back universal background checks for gun purchasers while avoiding taking a hard stance on changes to the filibuster.
More than three months into the U.S. vaccination drive, many of the numbers paint an increasingly encouraging picture.
Cheddar previews the Thursday, March 25, Congressional hearing to feature Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
In an interview with Cheddar, New York State Senator Liz Krueger (D) said that there is now one bill on the table that is almost complete and is agreed upon by all legislative bodies in the state.
Prince Harry has joined the corporate world as employee coaching and mental health firm BetterUp Inc.’s Chief Impact Officer.
