U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said today (August 22): "Starting immediately, we will suspend the issuance of work visas to all commercial truck drivers. An increasing number of foreign drivers are driving large tractor-trailers on American roads, which not only endangers the lives of Americans but also harms the livelihoods of American truck drivers."
Comment: The long-term shortage of American truck drivers has remained around 80,000, with the core reason being that the hourly wage and working conditions for long-haul transportation have lost their appeal. Young locals would rather deliver food than drive heavy trucks. Foreign drivers have precisely filled this structural gap; now closing the tap, the cost of containers stranded at ports will eventually be passed on to every American household in the form of rising prices for food, gasoline, and building materials.
Portraying foreign truck drivers as scapegoats for traffic accidents and unemployment among American drivers, yet lacking data, and remaining silent about how these people helped America withstand the supply chain crisis over the past two years. At the approaching election period, such "protecting domestic interests" statements are often strategies to attract specific voters. The truck driver group is an important part of the American blue-collar workforce. By portraying foreign drivers as a "threat to local livelihoods," it can cater to some people's anxiety about "foreign competition" and create a political image of "speaking for the local population," thus gaining voter support.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841129197331524/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.