Our skilled labor shortage is a national security threat |
Our skilled labor shortage is a national security threat
Last month, the Navy canceled a planned restoration of the USS Boise, a Los Angeles class attack submarine, citing the need to free up “scarce shipyard labor and engineering talent.” According to the White House, this labor shortage will likely get worse over the next decade, with the annual shortage of skilled tradesmen expected to rise to “close to half a million — and grow as the years go by.”
This should be alarming. For years, leaders in government, finance and the military have warned that the shortage in skilled trades posed an acute threat to our nation’s economic prosperity and national security. Yet, Congress’s response has consistently missed the mark.
That’s because very few policymakers who are seeking to solve this problem have firsthand experience working blue collar jobs. The proposed solutions often fall short in addressing the very real hurdles Americans face when trying to enter the trades or open a trades-related business, including start-up costs that can exceed $100,000. The cost is simply too high.
That’s exactly why I introduced the Jumpstart Savings Act — legislation that would create tax-advantaged savings accounts for tools and equipment, modeled after 529 college savings plans — because I experienced this problem firsthand.
Roughly 20 years ago, after graduating high school in West Virginia, I became a welder on a mining operation. After nearly a decade, I wanted to branch out and start my own business. But between a work truck, industrial welding equipment, and liability insurance, the costs were too daunting. I walked away from the trade entirely.
My story isn’t unusual. In 2024, a DeWalt survey found that 78 percent of tradesmen believe that “the initial buy-in cost........