Update on the U.S. political and economic landscape with Bill Samuel

Bill Samuel, Director of Government Affairs for the AFL-CIO joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the increase of misinformation being shared with American citizens about the economy. Samuel also talked about the shift away from the debt ceiling agreement by Republicans in the House of Representatives and an update on Julie Su’s confirmation battle.

Many American citizens are suffering from an abundance of misinformation being thrown at them about the state of the economy. Samuel discussed how the information distributed to the masses differs from the information provided by the non-affiliated studies. This has created a dangerous situation, with people living in different realities based on the information they receive. He believes that if we don’t educate the citizens on how to know facts from fiction, we won’t be able to find a solution. 

After agreeing with President Biden about raising the debt ceiling, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and several members of the Republican Party have been moving away from the agreement. Samuel discussed new proposed cuts that they previously agreed to avoid cutting. Now, as they are beginning to pass annual appropriation bills, they are proposing major cuts. Included in the cuts would be the Department of Education and the National Labor Relations Board being cut by a third each, he said. 

Finally, Samuel provided an update on Julie Su’s battle for confirmation as the new Secretary of Labor. President Biden’s office has announced that Julie Su will continue to serve as acting secretary for as long as it takes to get her confirmed. This avoids restarting the process of getting a new appointment approved and confirmed, which usually takes six months. Samuel finds it surprising that her confirmation is such a struggle considering she received votes from both sides of the aisle during her confirmation as deputy secretary of labor.

Listen to the entire episode to learn more.