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).
You can't have a discussion about equality for women without discussing the wage gap. According to the Census Bureau, on average, women earned just 80 cents to a man's dollar last year, but that figure only tells part of the story. MomsRising CEO Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner explains.
A record-breaking number of female candidates ran for office in this week's Texas state primaries, and will go head-to-head in three runoff races across the state. Cosmopolitan's Jessica Pels explains why this trend is so historic.
Wyoming lawmakers want to bring in blockchain related businesses. This week the state legislature voted on a bill that exempts certain types of cryptocurrency assets from securities laws. State Representative Tyler Lindholm (R-District 1) and State Senator Tara Nethercott (R-District 4) explain how they create opportunities for businesses in their districts.
Ben Dreyfuss, senior editor for Mother Jones, discusses new allegations that President Trump asked witnesses about what they told Special Counsel Robert Mueller in interviews.
A major deal in insurance, and Uber's ex-CEO has a new gig. Plus is President Trump tampering with witnesses? And how much are Uber drivers actually getting paid? And the debut of our "Crypto Craze" show powered by TradeStation!
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) wants the SEC to investigate possible insider trading by Carl Icahn, President Trump's friend and former adviser, who sold shares in industrial company Manitowoc days before tariffs were announced.
The White House is considering excepting Canada and Mexico from steel and aluminum tariffs. California lawmakers fight back as the Justice Department sues the state over sanctuary city rules. The SEC is requiring crypto exchanges to file with the agency.
George Gascón joined Cheddar to discuss the Justice Department's lawsuit against the state of California over sanctuary laws.
Attorney General Sessions cracking down on sanctuary cities in California. UC Berkeley Sohpmore Bradley Devlin, who is a contribute for the Lone Conservative site, shares his reaction to the lawsuit filed by Sessions against the state.
The Trump administration is cracking down on California over its sanctuary city laws. Attorney General Jeff Session visited Sacramento, and formally announced a lawsuit against the state over its failure to comply with federal immigration rules. Cheddar's Brad Smith speaks with San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón to get his reaction.
