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).
Mike Bloomberg's senior advisor Tim O'Brien told Cheddar Friday that the former mayor's time governing a major metropolis will help him moving forward in the race.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, December 20, 2019.
Democratic presidential candidates offered two very different debates during their final forum of 2019. In the first half, they spent much of their time making the case for their electability in a contest with President Donald Trump. The second half was filled with friction over money in politics, Afghanistan and experience.
Chuck Rocha, a senior advisor to Sen. Sanders, told Cheddar that the impeachment of President Trump will likely come up, but he expects his candidate to stay focused on other issues.
Rep. Maxine Waters, an early critic of President Trump, dismissed Republican objections to the impeachment process.
The Senate Majority Leader decried the Democratically-controlled House of Representatives vote on impeaching the president.
Ash Carter, former secretary of defense under President Obama, expressed his concerns for the nation's standing among its allies and adversaries under the Trump administration.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, December 19, 2019.
The House of Representatives has voted to impeach the 45th president of the United States almost entirely on partisan lines.
We at Cheddar decided to take a look at a few of the president's most popular pronouncements on the platform this year.
