Wasserman Schultz Says Republicans Will Kill Blue Collar Jobs

Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) is striking back at Republicans over their proposed budget cuts. Wasserman Schultz argues that it could result in killing blue collar jobs.

On social media, Rep. Wasserman Schultz shared an exchange from a hearing with Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. During the hearing, Wasserman Schultz questioned Secretary Granholm over budget cuts that Republicans are proposing. In response, Granholm argued that not only would the cuts affect blue-collar jobs, but it would also negatively impact the United States' "warhead arsenal."

"Our friends on the other side of the aisle are always talking about how they really support blue collar workers for lack of a better term. But... their proposals clearly, and just some of the things you've described, would lay off thousands of construction workers nationwide," Wasserman Schultz explained.

"Negative impacts seem to not be limited to job losses. Our national security and defense capabilities would also be hampered," she added, questioning how the cuts would "affect our Nuclear Warhead Modernization Program, including the Doe nuclear labs if we roll back, cut back, to FY22 levels."

Granholm then explained that there'd be over 5000 people cut from our labs who do this work every day, and the Warhead Modernization Program would be significantly hampered, delayed one to two years, which would pose major impacts on cost eventually." "If you delay it, you're going to be delaying the impacts, you're going to have to raise prices," she added, noting that "it's just a huge problem from both warhead point of view as well as the labs themselves and the employees of those labs who are doing that work."

The discussion comes at a time when the United States is in a tense relationship with both Russia and China, and North Korea has also threatened to take action against the U.S.