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The Number of Jobs the Inflation Reduction Act Could Create in Mississippi | Mississippi

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square – 2023-07-27 09:09:29

After narrowly passing through a Democratically controlled Congress along party lines, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law on Aug. 16, 2022. The law allocates $500 billion in new spending. While it may marginally reduce inflation over the long term, its largest impact will likely be on the U.S. energy grid, as most of the money in it is slated for clean energy initiatives.

Through a range of federal subsidies, including rebates, loans, and tax credits, the IRA provides incentives to households, businesses, and state and local governments to invest in clean energy while moving away from fossil fuels. With nearly $370 billion in clean energy funding, the act marks the most significant action the U.S. has ever taken toward addressing climate change.

Not only could the IRA result in a 40% to 50% reduction in America’s greenhouse gas emissions, as Democrats in Washington have argued, but it could also be a boon for the job market — particularly in hard-hit sectors, like manufacturing. According to the independent, nonprofit clean energy advocacy group, Rocky Mountain Institute, the IRA could create over 1.3 million new jobs in 2030 alone.

Based on data from the Rocky Mountain Institute, Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act could create as many as 9,628 jobs in Mississippi in 2030 — or one job for every 307 people, the second fewest among the 48 contiguous states.

As of 2022, 49,142 Mississippi residents were unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Based on these most recent annual unemployment figures, the number of potential new jobs the IRA could bring in 2030 would reduce joblessness by 19.6% in the state.

All data on the number of potential new jobs created by the IRA in 2030 is from the Rocky Mountain Institute’s report, The Economic Tides Just Turned for States. Alaska and Hawaii were not included in this analysis.

 

Rank State Num. of state residents per job created by the IRA in 2030 Potential new jobs created by the IRA in 2030 New jobs in 2030 as pct. of 2022 unemployed pop. (%)
1 Utah 251.3 13,423 33.2
2 Idaho 253.9 7,457 29.5
3 Texas 257.5 116,280 20.4
4 North Dakota 257.7 3,106 35.6
5 Nevada 260.0 12,251 14.6
6 Colorado 260.4 22,742 23.4
7 Washington 261.0 30,273 18.0
8 Florida 261.1 84,592 27.0
9 Arizona 268.4 27,209 19.7
10 South Carolina 271.9 19,187 24.9
11 Oregon 272.1 15,873 17.5
12 Georgia 272.2 40,112 25.2
13 Delaware 273.1 3,692 16.5
14 Montana 275.1 4,011 26.8
15 North Carolina 275.4 38,568 20.5
16 South Dakota 277.1 3,252 33.1
17 Tennessee 277.1 25,348 22.3
18 Virginia 280.2 31,255 24.6
19 Minnesota 281.1 20,588 24.9
20 Nebraska 281.7 7,060 28.4
21 Massachusetts 281.8 25,290 18.0
22 Maryland 282.9 22,117 21.5
23 California 285.7 140,005 17.3
24 New Jersey 287.2 32,689 18.6
25 Oklahoma 287.6 13,914 24.4
26 Alabama 288.9 17,557 29.6
27 Iowa 290.2 11,092 23.6
28 Indiana 290.5 23,568 23.1
29 New Hampshire 290.5 4,784 24.7
30 Rhode Island 291.8 3,792 20.8
31 New York 291.8 69,790 17.0
32 Kentucky 293.2 15,482 19.4
33 Wisconsin 293.9 20,196 22.4
34 Arkansas 295.1 10,271 22.6
35 Kansas 296.1 9,978 24.9
36 New Mexico 296.6 7,179 18.8
37 Missouri 296.8 20,848 27.1
38 Vermont 296.8 2,178 24.1
39 Louisiana 296.9 15,771 20.7
40 Maine 297.6 4,601 23.1
41 Pennsylvania 298.2 43,801 15.5
42 Wyoming 298.3 1,943 18.7
43 Ohio 298.5 39,702 17.2
44 Michigan 299.6 33,761 16.6
45 Connecticut 303.4 11,904 14.8
46 Illinois 307.2 41,694 14.1
47 Mississippi 307.4 9,628 19.6
48 West Virginia 318.9 5,587 18.2

 

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White House says Trump’s tariffs will be ‘perfect deal’ for U.S. | National

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www.thecentersquare.com – Brett Rowland – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-01 15:42:00

(The Center Square) – The White House said Tuesday that President Donald Trump and his tariff team are preparing to roll out a “perfect deal” for Americans on Wednesday, when Trump is expected to announce his plans.

Trump plans to unveil reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday on all nations that put duties on U.S. imports, which the president has been calling “Liberation Day” for American trade. Trump’s plans have roiled U.S. and global markets, but the president has yet to get into specifics ahead of Wednesday’s planned announcement. 

“The president said last night he has made a decision and a determination,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. “He is going to announce that decision tomorrow.”

Leavitt said Trump was working with his trade and tariff team to finalize the deal, which she said would be a “perfect deal for the American people.”

The tariffs Trump is expected to announce Wednesday will go into effect immediately, Leavitt said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Trump steered the U.S. economy to new heights in his term and plans to the same this time. 

“You have to trust the president’s instincts on the economy. Why? This isn’t blind faith. Remember what he accomplished in the first administration. Before COVID, we had the greatest economy in the history of the world. Not the U.S, the whole world,” Johnson said. “Every demographic was doing better because we cut taxes, cut regulations and we made a better economic environment for everyone to succeed.”

Johnson said Trump’s proposed reciprocal tariff policy “is one that makes a lot of common sense.” Johnson said he ultimately expects other countries to reduce tariffs on American products

“This is a different world, it’s a much more integrated, complex economy. And the president’s absolutely right when he says we have to think about America’s interest first because if we don’t, we’re not going to maintain our status as the great super power,” Johnson said. “If we raise and match their tariff policy, I think ultimately what happens is you get back to a free trade agreement. These countries that engaged in this disparity – this raw deal for Americans for so long – it’ll get their attention and they’ll, I think, reduce their tariffs on us.”

Johnson said Trump’s plans for “Liberation Day” on April 2 could include challenges.

“It may be rocky in the beginning, but I think that this will make sense for Americans and it will help all Americans,” the House Speaker said.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Trump’s tariff plan will help U.S. workers.

“No American President in modern history has recognized the wide-ranging and harmful foreign trade barriers American exporters face more than President Trump,” said Greer. “Under his leadership, this administration is working diligently to address these unfair and non-reciprocal practices, helping restore fairness and put hardworking American businesses and workers first in the global market.”

Last week, Trump announced a 25% tariff on imported automobiles, duties that he said would be “permanent.” The White House said it expects the auto tariffs on cars and light-duty trucks will generate up to $100 billion in federal revenue.

Trump said eventually he hopes to bring in $600 billion to $1 trillion in tariff revenue in the next year or two. Trump also said the tariffs would lead to a manufacturing boom in the U.S., with auto companies building new plants, expanding existing plants and adding jobs.

Trump predicts his protectionist trade policies will create jobs, make the nation rich and help reduce both trade deficits and the federal government’s persistent deficits.

The “Liberation Day” tariffs come after months of talk since Trump took office in January. On the campaign trail, Trump frequently called “tariff” the most beautiful word in the English language.

Some economists have predicted Trump’s tariffs could mean higher prices for U.S. consumers. The Budget Lab at Yale modeled a broad 20%, but noted “it is highly uncertain whether this is the policy that will be announced April 2.” The model suggests that prices would by 2.1% to 2.6% in the short run, the equivalent of an average per household consumer cost of $3,400 to 4,200 in 2024 dollars.

Leavitt said Tuesday that Trump’s tariff plan was long-term when asked how they could affect senior citizens living on a fixed income.

“Tomorrow’s announcement is to protect future generations of the senior citizens you mentioned,” she said. “It’s for their kids and their grandkids. To ensure that there are jobs here in the United States of America for their children to live the American dream.”

Last week, S&P Global said U.S. consumers could reduce spending in the near-term.

“We think Americans will soon pull back on purchases, dealing a blow to the world’s biggest economy, which is largely fueled by consumer spending,” the credit-rating agency said, noting a recession was possible in the next year.

Business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Farm Bureau Federation, have urged Trump to back off tariff threats.

Trump has promised that his tariffs would shift the tax burden away from Americans and onto foreign countries, but tariffs are generally paid by the people who import the foreign products. Those importers then have a choice: Absorb the loss or pass it on to consumers through higher prices. The president also promised tariffs would make America “rich as hell.”

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Republicans introduce bill to repeal gun control rule on pistol braces | National

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Thérèse Boudreaux | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-01 14:18:00

(The Center Square) – A Biden-era rule placing greater constraints on millions of legal American gun owners could be struck down if newly introduced Republican legislation becomes law.

Companion bills introduced by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., would undo a 2023 ruling by the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that classified pistols modified with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles and thus placed them under the National Firearms Act.

The action required all owners of pistols modified with stabilizing braces to pay a $200 fee, register their name with the U.S. Department of Justice and obtain federal approval to construct or transfer a short-barreled rifle or short-barreled shotgun.

“‘Shall not be infringed’ is crystal clear – and the Biden-era abuses of the Constitutionally protected rights of gun owners across the country need to be undone,” Marshall said in a statement Tuesday. “The SHORT Act takes a step toward rolling back nonsensical regulations that the National Firearms Act has placed upon gun owners.”

A 2021 report by the Congressional Research Service estimated that between 10 and 40 million stabilizing braces and similar components are in civilian hands. Supporters of the rule say it will increase safety.

Both the Gun Owners of America and the National Association of Gun Rights, who called the Biden-era rule unconstitutional when it was implemented, expressed support for the legislation.

“The SHORT Act is a long overdue step toward restoring the rights of Americans, freeing gun owners from the burdensome and outdated regulations of the National Firearms Act,” NAGR political affairs director Hunter King said. “By removing short-barreled rifles, shotguns, and similar firearms from egregious federal regulations, gun owners would be able to exercise their Second Amendment freedoms without oppressive government interference.”

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Sex education bill proposed in North Carolina House | North Carolina

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-01 13:32:00

(The Center Square) – Directions on curriculum measured age appropriate and access in public libraries to materials considered harmful to minors are in a proposal at the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Parental Rights for Curriculum and Books, also known as House Bill 595, adds to state law a section for age-appropriate instruction for students; a human growth and development program for fourth and fifth graders; and says reproductive health and safety education shall not happen before seventh grade.



Rep. John A. Torbett, R-Gaston




The bill authored by Rep. John Torbett, R-Gaston, and filed Monday additionally has sections on instructional materials and clarification of “defenses for material harmful to minors.” Public library access for minors is in a fourth section.

Gender identity instruction, a buzzword of recent election cycles, is prohibited prior to students entering the fifth grade. The proposal extends that to prior to the entering seventh grade.

The bill would require parental consent to learn about some elements associated with sex education – infections, contraception, assault and human trafficking.

State law allows schools the option to adopt local policies on parental consent for the reproductive health education.

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