“We’ve Got Too Many Jobs”: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Defends Closure Of Critical Mine With Out-Of-Touch Gaffe

May 3, 2023

For Americans struggling to pay the bill amid sky-high inflation and energy prices, the Biden Administration has a new out-of-touch talking point for you: “we’ve got too many jobs.” Yesterday, during a Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee hearing on the Department of Interior’s 2024 budget requests, Secretary Haaland defended the decision to shut down the critical mineral mine, Twin Metals, in Minnesota by bizarrely claiming there are too many jobs available across the country. 

Fox News reports on the heated exchange,  

“Senator, I know that there’s like 1.9 jobs for every American in the country right now. So, I know there’s a lot of jobs,” Haaland told Hawley.

“Wait a minute. … You’re telling me we’ve got too many jobs in the country?” Hawley asked.

“Well, I’m saying that we don’t have enough people,” the interior secretary responded. “That’s why we are having a hard time finding folks to work at our department.”

This wasn’t the Interior Secretary’s only gaffe of the hearing. She also revealed that she did not know that China is leading the world in producing critical minerals used in electric vehicles. 

“Your decision to trade off our energy security in favor of a radical climate change agenda is making us more and more dependent on China. And, at the same time, you are blocking permits for mines in this country,” Hawley said. “The jobs for blue-collar workers in this nation are valuable resources. The livelihood and well-being of American families are valuable resources,” the senator continued. “The ability of America to have our own industry and not be dependent on China is a valuable resource. Why should those things for millions of Americans be sacrificed in favor of your agenda for radical climate change?”

These ignorant comments are a slap in the face to the thousands of energy workers who have lost their jobs due to Biden’s war on fossil fuels. We need reliable, safe, and affordable energy that will create countless jobs. This can be achieved through our energy sector and resources—the sooner this administration realizes that, the better for everyone.