Before the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Haaland told Sen. Josh Hawley, “
Senator, I know that there’s like 1.9 jobs for every American in the country right now. So, I know there’s a lot of jobs,” which was her explanation for canceling cobalt mining permits for Twin Metals Minnesota, an underground mine proposed for the northeastern part of the state. America won’t need those jobs, she was saying.
Let’s unpack the Haaland job fantasy.
First, the secretary doesn’t get the jobs numbers even close to correct. There are not 1.9 jobs for every American. That would be an absurd level of available jobs, along the order of 629 million open positions.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports there are
9.6 million job openings and roughly 6 million unemployed people in America.
The job openings rate was 5.8 percent in March, down by 1 percentage point since December, according to the bureau.
Sen. Hawley wasn’t buying what Haaland was selling. During the past 20 years, Hawley responded, over 3 million jobs have been lost to China, and they are coming from blue-collar towns across America. “And you’re telling me we have too many jobs in this country. Are you serious?”
Facts, stubborn as they are, are not the secretary’s strong suit.
Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the quiet part out loud last week.
dailycaller.com