Biden will 'wreck' US economy by failing to intervene in dockworkers' port strike, GOP leader warns

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., slammed President Biden for failing to intervene successful the dockworkers' larboard strike, expressing interest implicit the interaction it volition person connected American families who are already struggling with crippling inflation. 

Scalise accused Biden of perchance allowing the onslaught to "wreck" the U.S. system during "Fox & Friends," arguing that consumers volition conflict adjacent much with rising costs arsenic the International Longshoremen's Association's (ILA) onslaught drags on. 

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"The president said we're conscionable going to fto it spell connected and wreck the economy," Scalise told Lawrence Jones. "We're losing implicit $5 cardinal a time and costs are going to commencement going up adjacent higher connected families who are already struggling nether the Biden-Harris ostentation economy. Food connected the shelves is going to go much scarce."

Although Biden could invoke the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act to intervene successful the strike, helium has insisted against taking action. Under that law, Biden could enact an 80-day "cooling off" play for negotiations to resume portion workers are backmost astatine work.

The ILA, which represents 45,000 dockworkers, began its archetypal onslaught since 1977 aft its six-year declaration with the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents port employers, expired Monday night.

TOPSHOT - Dockworkers stitchery astatine the Bayport Container Terminal successful Seabrook, Texas, connected October 1, 2024. Officials astatine 14 ports on the US East and Gulf Coasts were making last-minute preparations connected September 30 for a apt labour onslaught that could resistance connected the US system conscionable up of a statesmanlike predetermination -- contempt last-minute talks. (Photo by Mark Felix / AFP) (Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images)

The 36 ports impacted by the onslaught connected the Gulf and East coasts grip 55% of each U.S. instrumentality postulation and ample volumes of exports, including astir fractional of U.S. pork and astir three-quarters of U.S. poultry. About fractional of each imported fruits and vegetables travel done these ports arsenic well. In pharmaceuticals, 9 retired of 10 imports and 7 retired of 10 exports are being disrupted.

Negotiations betwixt the ILA and USMX person been deadlocked frankincense acold implicit the union's demands related to wage hikes and compensation, arsenic good arsenic extortion from automation astatine ports. 

Scalise argued that Congress would not enactment a prohibition connected automation contempt demands from the ILA. 

"When we're competing globally, we're not conscionable competing 1 metropolis against another," helium said. "You've got ports each astir the satellite that are heavy automated, and they inactive person humans, by the way, who really tally the devices. These automated devices aren't moving themselves, but they're already making with overtime implicit $200,000 a year, successful immoderate cases, and they privation to unopen the system down to get more."

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"Who pays for this? And this volition adhd adjacent much to inflation," helium continued. "There are a batch of families making 50,000 a twelvemonth that are saying delight halt adding to the costs, and Biden and Harris won't bash thing due to the fact that they privation to spot those prices support going."

Meanwhile, the president has faced fierce scrutiny for spending galore days astatine the formation portion the federation faces implications of the onslaught on with assorted different crises – the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and surging unit successful the Middle East. 

"We spot Joe Biden connected the beach. He comes to the White House whenever helium wants to," Jones said. "Kamala Harris is connected the run trail. The Cabinet members are conscionable connected the Sunday shows arsenic allies of Kamala Harris. You're successful enactment of our government, but who's moving the state close now?"

"It's a truly scary thought," Scalise responded. "When you look astatine immoderate of the bills we passed, we passed bills to unafraid the confederate border. Joe Biden came out, said he's against it. Kamala Harris said she's against it. We person bills to nutrient our ain American energy, truthful we don't request to springiness Iran and Russia billions of dollars a month. President Biden and Kamala Harris reason that, so… you spot a wide divide. The state is going to talk truly loudly connected this."

"I deliberation JD Vance said it champion astatine the statement the different night," helium continued. "Kamala Harris talks astir what you bash connected the archetypal day. Kamala Harris's archetypal time was 1,400 days ago, and look astatine the results. The world's connected fire. Americans can't thrust to spell to the market store, fto unsocial enactment nutrient connected the table."

FOX Business' Eric Revell and Fox News' E.J. Antoni contributed to this report. 

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