President Trump's Broken Promises on Jobs, Outsourcing, and Trade
As a candidate, President Trump made dozens of promises to the American worker, pledging to hold China accountable for its unfair trade practices, to get us out of bad trade deals, to stop companies from shipping American jobs overseas, and to create jobs and opportunity like we’ve never seen before.
One hundred days into his presidency, President Trump has broken each and every one of these promises. In fact, he’s made life worse for the American worker.
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S BROKEN PROMISES: JOB CREATION AND WORKER PROTECTIONS
From “Buy American, Hire American” to protecting and fighting for American workers, President Trump has made a lot of promises to be on the side of working people. But 100 days into his presidency, President Trump has already broken many of these promises. He allowed the Keystone XL pipeline to be built with foreign steel, reduced funding for job training programs, and cut worker safety regulations.
PROMISE: CANDIDATE TRUMP SAID HIS POLICY IS BUY AMERICAN AND HIRE AMERICAN
President Donald Trump: “We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American.” [Inaugural Address, 1/20/17]
BROKEN: PRESIDENT TRUMP ALLOWS BIG OIL TO BUILD PIPELINES WITH FOREIGN STEEL
AP: “The Keystone XL oil pipeline won’t use American steel in its construction, despite what President Donald Trump says.” [AP, 3/4/17]
PROMISE: FIX OUR BROKEN INFRASTRUCTURE
President Donald Trump: “Infrastructure — we're going to start spending on infrastructure big. Not like we have a choice. It's not like, oh gee, let's hold it off.” [CNBC, 2/27/17]
BROKEN: TRUMP BUDGET WOULD FORCE MASSIVE CUTS ON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
The Hill: “The Department of Transportation (DOT) faces a $2.4 billion cut under President Trump's proposed federal budget blueprint — a surprising figure given Trump's pledges to improve U.S. infrastructure.” [The Hill, 3/16/17]
PROMISE: EXPAND JOB TRAINING AND EDUCATION “BIG LEAGUE”
Then-Candidate Donald Trump: “Vocational training for our country is so, so, so important. And just in closing -- and they loved it. They loved it. They didn't want to be doing what I was doing. They loved it. They were so good at it and they loved it. So vocational training, we're going to start it up big league.” [Campaign Remarks in Valley Forge, PA, 11/1/16]
BROKEN: TRUMP BUDGET WOULD “SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE” FUNDING FOR JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS
Washington Post: “The Trump administration proposed $2.5 billion in cuts for the Labor Department in a plan that would significantly reduce funding for job training programs for seniors and disadvantaged youth.” [WaPo, 3/16/17]
PROMISE: PROTECT AMERICAN WORKERS
Then-Candidate Donald Trump: “Under a Trump presidency, the American worker will finally have a president who will protect them and fight for them.” [Campaign Remarks at Monessen, Pennsylvania, 6/28/16]
BROKEN: PRESIDENT TRUMP ROLLED BACK REGULATIONS TO HELP WORKERS REPORT WORKPLACE INJURIES
Huffington Post: “President Donald Trump signed legislation late Monday loosening the reporting requirements that employers face when workers get hurt or sick due to their jobs. By scuttling a rule issued by former President Barack Obama, Trump and Republicans in Congress have effectively shortened the amount of time that employers in dangerous industries can be required to keep accurate records of worker injuries ? from five years to just six months.” [Huffington Post, 4/4/17]
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S BROKEN PROMISES: OUTSOURCING
When he was on the campaign trail, President Trump pledged to stop jobs from leaving our country—on “day one.” Yet nearly 100 days into his term, President Trump has failed to do anything legislatively to stop outsourcing.
PROMISE: Stop Companies from Shipping Jobs Overseas
Then-Candidate Donald Trump: “We are living through the greatest jobs theft in the history of our world. Look, no country has ever lost jobs like us. They're sucked out of our country, the companies leave, they fire everybody, they go to Mexico and many other countries. It never happened before like this. And we're going to stop it day one. It's so easy to stop. It's so easy. So easy to stop. A Trump administration will stop the jobs from leaving America and we will stop the jobs from leaving Florida. Promise.” [Campaign Remarks in Sarasota, Florida, 11/7/16]
Trump Contract with the American Voter: “I will work with Congress to introduce the following broader legislative measures and fight for their passage within the first 100 days of my Administration: End the Offshoring Act[:] Establishes tariffs to discourage companies from laying off their workers in order to relocate in other countries and ship their products back to the U.S. tax-free.” [Trump Contract with the American Voter, accessed 11/9/16]
BROKEN: NO EFFORTS TO PASS END THE OFFSHORING ACT
Axios: “Tariffs: Trump promised to work with Congress to introduce the ‘End the Offshoring Act’ during his first 100 days to keep companies from moving jobs overseas and ship products back to the U.S. tax-free. That hasn't happened.” [Axios, 4/12/17]
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S BROKEN PROMISES: TRADE
President Trump talked tough on China and trade when he was a candidate. One hundred days in his term, he has broken promise after promise on trade—even reversing himself on naming China a currency manipulator.
PROMISE: HOLD CHINA ACCOUNTABLE BY LABELING IT A CURRENCY MANIPULATOR
Then-Candidate Donald Trump: “On day one of a Trump administration, the U.S. Treasury Department will designate China a currency manipulator.” [WSJ Op-Ed, 11/9/15]
BROKEN: PRESIDENT TRUMP REFUSES TO LABEL CHINA A CURRENCY MANIPULATOR
Wall Street Journal: Mr. Trump, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, also said his administration won’t label China a currency manipulator in a report due this week. … “They’re not currency manipulators,” Mr. Trump said. [WSJ, 4/12/17]
PROMISE: Renegotiate NAFTA ON DAY ONE
Then-Candidate Donald Trump: “If I win, day one, we are going to announce our plans to renegotiate NAFTA.” [Campaign Event in Greensboro, NC Remarks, 10/14/16]
BROKEN: NO “REAL” NEGOTIATIONS ON NAFTA
Bloomberg: “The U.S. government probably won’t begin ‘real’ negotiations to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement until later this year, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said. ‘I would like the results tomorrow, but that is not the way the world works,’ Ross said Wednesday in an interview with Bloomberg Television. He said it probably will be ‘the latter part of this year before real negotiations get under way.’” [Bloomberg, 3/8/17]
PROMISE: WITHDRAW FROM THE TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP
Then-Candidate Donald Trump: Here are 7 steps I would pursue right away to bring back our jobs. One: I am going to withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which has not yet been ratified.” [Donald Trump’s Jobs Plan Speech, 6/28/16]
BROKEN: THE REALITY IS, THE TPP WAS “DEAD ON ARRIVAL” LONG BEFORE TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY
Washington Post: “And [President Obama’s] bid to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, the centerpiece of a foreign-policy ‘pivot to Asia,’ now appears dead on arrival thanks to grass-roots revolts in both parties.” [Washington Post, 8/16/16]
