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).
The state representative from Coral Gables, Fla., says now is the time for President Trump to prove he's a leader who can do things differently by banning bump stocks and improving background checks. And if he can't get Congress on board, he should sign an executive order.
The teenage survivors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are genuinely motivated to change gun control laws, says State Representative Jared Moskowitz. The Democrat from Coral Gables, Fla., says that if adults aren't able to get anything done, then we have to listen to our children.
Students across Florida -- and the nation -- held walkouts in solidarity with Parkland, Fla., Wednesday. The protests come one day after Florida House Republicans blocked a move by Democrats to debate a ban on assault weapons in the state. State Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-Coral Springs) explains the response inside Florida's Capitol to the student protests for more gun control.
On Between Bells: Talking to kids about gun violence, Dallas Mavericks under fire, restaurant servers fight tip-pooling laws, and more. With Eater, Parents Magazine, and Popular Science.
The way restaurant workers get paid could be changing. The Department of Labor has proposed making tip-pooling legal again.
The Parkland shootings are forcing parents to grapple with how to talk to their children about gun violence. Parents Magazine's Liz Vaccariello joins Cheddar to discuss how to approach these challenging conversations.
Gersh Kuntzman, deputy politics editor at Newsweek, discusses President Trump's request for the Justice Department to ban bump stocks, devices that turn legal guns into machine guns.
In the aftermath of the Parkland mass shooting that left 17 dead and many more wounded, lawmakers are seeking solutions to prevent further tragedies. Cheddar spoke with RNC spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany about how Republicans plan to handle the controversial issue.
The actor and producer's new documentary "Survivors Guide To Prison" looks at the system through the eyes of wrongly-convicted prisoners. Arquette hopes the documentary will inspire change.
Marijuana advocates are awaiting a federal judge's decision on its challenge against federal marijuana laws. Five plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the DEA and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. It challenges the listing of marijuana as a schedule I drug, which classifies the drug as having no medical use and it cannot be legally prescribed. Jose Belen, U.S. Army combat veteran and one of the plaintiffs on this case, and attorney Joseph Bondy explain why they were inspired to fight for this cause.
