"It's Not Right"— Marjorie Taylor Greene Attacks Creation of High Paying Jobs in Her District
In comments uncovered by MeidasTouch from Marjorie Taylor Greene's August 31st town hall, the MAGA Republican blasted using incentives to attract high paying jobs to her district. During the question and answer portion of the town hall, Greene read off a question about jobs:
"What can you do about the worker shortage...?"
Greene at her Floyd Country town hall
Greene responded by attacking efforts to recruit factories to her district:
"I'll tell you what I think about this. It's not right for the government, state or federal, to fund companies to move into an area to compete with existing companies and steal workers away. And that's something Joe Biden bragged about. Oh, he's bragging big about the battery plant that's being built and solar panel plant. And I'm not against any company, but I'll tell you what I am against. I'm against the federal government and the state government giving tax credits and giving all this taxpayer money help to plant a company somewhere when there's already not enough workers. And then that company with all the federal and state tax help, gets to steal workers away from these existing home grown, small businesses or big businesses, but Georgia based companies where they are stealing these workers away. That's wrong, but Joe Biden thinks that he's done something great. And I just let him brag about it and go, 'Bless his heart.' He's just so pitiful."
Governor Brian Kemp at SK Innovations battery plant
In her response, Greene attacked federal and state of Georgia officials for attracting business and high paying jobs to her district using incentives. Greene then accused these green energy businesses of stealing workers. Apparently, Greene doesn't want workers to have better options for employment.
Greene also specifically attacked battery and solar plants lauded by Joe Biden. These plants are also supported by Republican state and local leaders who see them as beneficial to the economy. Greene has previously made statement implying she doesn't understand how solar energy works.
An AJC opinion article published in 2021 touted the success of these green energy jobs in Greene's district. In the article, Senator Jon Osoff said, "An overwhelming, bipartisan majority of Georgians see the construction and operation of a plant like this one as an opportunity to generate wealth and create jobs and grow our economy.”
In January, a White House statement welcomed Q-Cells' investment in Georgia. The Biden administration has been supportive of creating high paying green energy jobs around the country and recently toured a wind energy factory in Lauren Boebert's Colorado district.
Statement from White House
While House
There's some hypocrisy in Greene's town hall comments from August 31st. Greene toured the Q-CELLS plant in early August, noting the plant employs over 1,500 people, and in an article published one month before, Greene told E&E News that the solar factory in her district is "fantastic."
Greene at Q-CELLS solar plant
These resurfaced comments, opposing incentives to attract solar and battery plants and accusing those companies of stealing workers, reveal how Greene truly feels about these high paying jobs in Georgia and her willingness to placate to those who are upset about the workers in her district having more options.
