A top Senate Democrat was mobbed by striking Boeing workers in Seattle on Tuesday after he disparaged former President Trump and blamed him for the housing shortage.
“Housing everywhere in the United States of America is getting more expensive as everyone moves out. We haven’t released enough space,” Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told striking members of the International Association. of Machinist and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751.
“I was in key negotiations five years ago to get a bipartisan bill that would have built millions, hundreds of thousands, up to a million units now, but Donald Trump came in and destroyed that deal.”
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Senator Maria Cantwell erupted in anger after she mentioned the housing shortage and blamed former President Trump during a union meeting with striking workers. (Reuters)
He was drowned out by the roar of the crowd above the inaudible voices.
“My point is this,” the senator began again after being unable to speak through the interruption. “Everywhere in America we need affordable housing.”
“When you first hear that audio clip, it sounds like they’re bashing anything Donald Trump has done. The exact opposite is true,” said IAM 751 union member Dan Zahlman in an interview Tuesday with “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH Seattle. .
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Boeing workers from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 attend a meeting at their union hall during the ongoing strike in Seattle Oct. 15, 2024. (Reuters)
“He was trying to meddle in the renegade politics of the left to be a rare career opportunity for IAM members to be able to try to get real value out of their retirement benefits. And that’s not what we were there for. He didn’t have that. friendly audience to spit that out.
“I don’t think you realize … but there is a huge amount of support for Donald Trump in the union membership,” he added. “All anyone has to do is drive past the union parking lot at the Boeing plant, and you’ll see a lot of Trump bumper stickers.”
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Boeing factory workers gather in a picket line on the first day of a strike near the entrance to a manufacturing plant in Renton, Wash., Sept. 13, 2024. (Reuters)
The senator is up for re-election in blue Washington next month. Democrats are more likely to hold on to government.
Cantwell’s office and campaign did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.
The union voted last month to go on strike, rejecting a contract that would have raised wages for members by 25% over four years. The IAM 751 union has about 33,000 members.
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Supporters of former President Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, hold signs during a campaign rally at the North Carolina Aviation Museum & Hall of Fame in Asheboro, NC, Aug. 21, 2024. (Peter Zay/AFP via Getty Images)
“This is about respect, this is about the past and this is about fighting for our future,” IAM District 751 President Jon Holden said at the time.
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In its statement regarding the strike announcement, Boeing said, “The message was clear that the agreement we reached with IAM leadership is not acceptable to the members. We are committed to rebuilding our relationship with our workers and the union, and we are ready to return to the table to reach a new agreement.”
The company revealed in a regulatory filing this week that it expects to use its stock and debt offering to raise about $25 billion, while also starting a $10 billion debt settlement to offset strike losses as debt repayments escalate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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