AMAC Exclusive – By Claire Brighn
In TV ads and public speeches, Democrats have historically portrayed themselves as the “party of working people.” But as Americans celebrate Labor Day this year – which many also consider to be the official start of the midterm campaign season – it has become increasingly clear just how devastating Democrat rule has been for American workers. Weeks from now, Americans will have the opportunity to make their frustration clear at the ballot box. Here are just a few of the anti-worker votes that conservatives should ensure are at the top of Americans’ minds.
Massive Spending Leading to Spiraling Inflation and Declining Wage Growth
Last March, Democrats voted on party lines to pass $1.9 trillion in federal “stimulus” spending despite warnings from economists that it would fuel historic inflation. In addition, federal stimulus checks incentivized people to stay home rather than returning to work, hamstringing businesses trying to reopen and slowing the economic recovery.
Predictably, the U.S. labor force kept adding fewer jobs than economists expected month after month. Biden kept saying workers had the upper hand to demand better pay from employers. Yet inflation was already eating away any supposed wage gains. Then, in November 2021, Democrats and a few rogue Republicans voted on and passed the $1 trillion “Bipartisan” infrastructure bill, heaping more fuel on the inflation fire.
But Democrats weren’t done yet. Just a few weeks ago, they passed the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022” – a bill that does nothing to lower inflation and will actually cause it to increase further. To top it off, President Joe Biden recently announced a federal student loan forgiveness scheme that will put the country hundreds of billions more in the hole and further exacerbate inflation.
The results of these policies have been predictably toxic for the American workforce. Last Friday’s BLS jobs report showed that the number of long-term unemployed Americans increased by 70,000 in August. Other recent data also shows U.S. labor force productivity is falling – in other words, “businesses appear to be paying workers more to produce less.”
Implementing A Made-In-America Tax That Will Devastate Domestic Investment
In jamming through their “Inflation Reduction Act,” every Democrat voted against a Republican-led effort to prevent “trillions in job-killing taxes.” Thus, it’s not surprising that the IRA has what Republicans have rightly termed a “Made in America Tax” – also known as a “book tax” – that promises to devastate the competitiveness of American businesses and reward companies that outsource jobs overseas.
While Biden and Democrats claim the tax exists to close tax “loopholes,” business owners know all too well that in practice it targets carried interest – a measure companies use to reinvest capital in their labor force, innovation, and growth. It’s predicted that as a result of this policy, GDP will be cut by $68 billion, and 218,000 jobs will be lost as companies look abroad for a better business environment.
Attacks on American Energy, Killing Jobs and Pushing Companies Overseas
According to industry estimates, the $6.5 billion natural gas tax in Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act will threaten as many as 100,000 jobs. Democrats also voted against an amendment to the bill that would have opened up more oil and gas leases to boost domestic energy production, juice manufacturing, and bring down costs – in essence doubling down on Biden’s disastrous decision to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline and end oil and gas leases on federal lands. According to the recently released U.S. Energy and Employment Jobs Report, 29,270 jobs were lost in the fuels sector between 2020 and 2021 alone – a decline that is likely to continue as a result of Democrat policies.
Moreover, many factories in the United States are simply shutting down because energy costs have been driven so high. As just one example among many, the second-largest aluminum mill in the United States is closing, costing 600 Americans their jobs, because of “elevated energy prices,” according to its CEO.
Perhaps even more egregiously, the subsidies the IRA include funding to subsidize electric vehicle production in Canada and Mexico, while ignoring the needs of U.S. automakers. And when it comes to essential parts and pieces for making electric vehicles, China dominates the market, undermining not only U.S. markets and workers but also U.S. national security.
Advancing Open Borders Policies that Decimate the Labor Market
Since Biden took office in January 2021, millions of illegal aliens have crossed over into the United States from all around the world as a result of Democrats’ open borders policies. That influx is bad for American labor generally by the basic principle of supply and demand: a 10% increase in the number of workers lowers wages by at least 3%, according to George Borjas, a renowned Harvard labor economics professor specializing in immigration. Data backs this up: between 1996 and 2016, immigrants without high school diplomas grew the low-skilled workforce in the U.S. by a whopping 25 percent. As a result, earnings for that group decreased on average between $800 and $1,500 each year. This is particularly devastating for minority Americans, who occupy up a disproportionate number of low-skill jobs.
Destroying Worker Agency
Included in the failed Build Back Better Act was the PRO Act, a far-left bill that would “enact sweeping changes to the employment landscape” by ending “Right to Work” laws in 27 states. The bill would rip away agency from workers – especially contractors – and sock businesses with an extra $47 billion in costs per year that will inevitably result in lower wages. The PRO Act remains a top Democrat priority, and expanded majorities in November would almost assure its passage into law.
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All of these policies have directly harmed the lives and livelihoods of American workers. Despite liberal pandering, the record shows that Democrats are a party far more concerned with the interests of left-wing activists, not hard-working families. Come November, voters will finally have their chance to make that statement loud and clear.
Claire Brighn is the pen name of a conservative researcher and writer with previous domestic and foreign policy experience in the Executive Branch.