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).
Gov. Cuomo revealed that there are now 950 confirmed cases in New York with 158 hospitalizations and seven death, along with a coordinated effort between New York and its neighboring states, New Jersey and Connecticut, in order to stem the increased spread of the COVID-19 disease.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, March 16, 2020.
The Supreme Court is postponing courtroom arguments, including those over subpoenas for President Donald Trump’s financial records.
Stocks are down 9 percent after trading resumed on Wall Street Monday following a temporary halt Monday morning.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Trump declares a national emergency.
Democratic Rep. Ami Bera of California expressed hopes that President Trump is about to declare a national emergency.
President Donald Trump's administration announced Friday it is awarding $1.3 million to two companies trying to develop rapid COVID-19 tests that could detect whether a person is positive for the new coronavirus within an hour.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, March 13, 2020.
Bernie Sanders, who trails former Vice President Joe Biden in the delegate race to the nomination, used his speech to contrast with his rivals. He called for the Trump administration to declare a national emergency and appoint an "emergency bipartisan authority of experts" to determine the next steps in the crisis.
