| A local labor leader is calling out vulnerable Republican Congresswoman Jen Kiggans for repeatedly voting against working Virginians.
Writing in The Virginian-Pilot, they criticize Kiggans for voting to gut commonsense energy tax credits that have created good-paying union jobs in Virginia. They write: “When push came to shove, Kiggans did what she always does: toe the party line and prioritize billionaire tax cuts over her constituents.”
Read key points from the column for yourself:
The Virginian-Pilot: Column: 2nd District needs a leader who cares about workers
By Josh Boyd, business manager for Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 110 in Norfolk
- U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans and her colleagues in Congress have repeatedly cast votes that harm working families in Virginia. She and the GOP claim to be working hard, but they certainly aren’t working for working people.
- They’ve repealed energy and infrastructure investments that kept energy prices affordable and supported manufacturing and construction jobs across the country and in Hampton Roads; cut back on affordable healthcare and Medicaid benefits for the most vulnerable Americans; and reduced food assistance just when grocery prices are sky-high.
- Kiggans had every chance to stand up for her constituents. She talked a big game about supporting clean energy and clean manufacturing. However, she has mostly remained silent or ineffective as the Trump administration continues to undermine energy deployment and halt project construction. When push came to shove, Kiggans did what she always does: toe the party line and prioritize billionaire tax cuts over her constituents.
- Thanks to the clean energy and manufacturing tax credits passed under the previous administration, companies invested more than $13 billion in Virginia’s 2nd District for new supply chain facilities and clean energy projects. Kiggans voted to repeal those tax credits, directly undermining this private investment. We’ve already seen how these repeals caused mass layoffs in other parts of the country, and it’s not a future we want for the commonwealth.
- Clean energy is set to play a major role in Virginia’s 2nd District economy, but due to the Republican budget bill and President Donald Trump’s vendetta against offshore wind, one of the country’s largest clean energy projects — the Central Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project off Virginia Beach — faced uncertainty. This wind farm creates numerous jobs for the local community and is expected to supply 2,600 megawatts to the grid, enough to power 600,000 homes. With the rising energy demands from Virginia’s booming data center industry, this power is urgently needed now.
- CVOW should be celebrated by our leaders. Although Kiggans is a vocal supporter of the project, she has done little to shield it from the federal government’s ongoing attacks. Recently, the Trump administration attempted to halt construction on CVOW over false national security fears, but the courts ultimately issued an injunction allowing the project to proceed.
- We are lacking the leadership that makes projects like these — ones that improve the quality of life for Virginians — possible.
- Kiggans claims she supported the clean energy tax credits that heavily benefited the commonwealth and likes to position herself as a bipartisan fixer, but her votes don’t match her words. She doesn’t advocate for her district on the floor of the U.S. House, and backpedaling in the news won’t lower electricity bills. Where are the leaders who truly care about working Virginians? Because Kiggans proves countless times that she isn’t one of them.
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