Bill Samuel, AFL-CIO Director of Government Affairs, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and shared his assessment on the first two years of policy under President Joe Biden and his thoughts on the reintroduction of the PRO Act.
With the new Congress in place, Samuel acknowledged the PRO Act will be reintroduced as the Richard J. Trumka PRO Act. The only major change to the PRO Act was the name, and Samuel is hopeful there is enough support to pass through Congress. Unfortunately, he does not believe House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will allow it to go to a vote on the House floor.
Samuel then discussed the debt ceiling fight currently happening in Washington, D.C. With the President backing Republicans into a corner over Social Security and Medicare, the biggest question is what will be cut instead? Samuel is unsure there are possible cuts to balance the budget.
He also believes the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio could have been avoided had the previous Presidential administration not repealed the train safety laws. Samuel thinks Biden’s biggest task over the next two years will be to ensure proper implementation of the newly enacted legislation.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.