The International Longshoremen’s Association strike, which is impacting ports along the East and Gulf coasts, could be deterred if the president chooses to use the federal Taft-Hartley Act to force workers back to work for 80 days. Biden, a pro-union president, has stated he will not use this act, with Scalise blaming the president and union members for choosing to “destroy the economy” with this strike.

“But they’re already making, in some cases, more than $200,000 a year with overtime, and they want to shut down the economy to get more,” Scalise said on Fox News. Fox and friends. “Who pays for this? And this will increase inflation even further. There are a lot of families making $50,000 a year saying please stop raising costs, and Biden and Harris won’t do anything because they want those prices to keep rising.

When asked whether Congress can do anything to soften the blow this port strike could have on the United States, Scalise expressed doubt about how Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will not want to deal with Republicans in Congress to collaborate. Scalise also said he would not support any legislation that would ban automation for longshoremen, claiming workers want to “go back to the future.” Flints.”

The House Majority Leader was also critical of Biden’s handling of containing Iran even after the country launched about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. While the latter country’s military was able to stop most of the attack thanks to US help, Scalise argued that Biden’s approach to Iran has been much weaker than that of former President Donald Trump, blaming the current president for lifting the sanctions imposed by Trump. about Iran.

Scalise concluded that current US leadership at this point is “a very frightening thought.”

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Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA) has also been critical of Biden for not getting involved in the strike at the port. He said the government’s inaction “will only worsen the economic pain” residents have felt under its leadership.

Like Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris has spoken out in favor of the port strike, saying workers “deserve a fair share” of what the shipping companies have earned. She also criticized former President Donald Trump, her opponent in the 2024 presidential election, for never keeping the “empty promises” he made to union members.