John Jefferson
A top Senate Democrat was booed by striking Boeing workers in Seattle on Tuesday after she disparaged former President Trump and blamed him for housing shortages.
“Housing everywhere in the United States of America is expensive as all get out. We haven’t built enough supply,” Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told striking members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751.
“I was in a key negotiation five years ago to get a bipartisan bill that would have built millions, hundreds of thousands, up to a million units by now, but Donald Trump came in and squashed that deal.”
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She was drowned out by booing from the crowd in addition to some inaudible remarks.
“My point is this,” the senator began again after being unable to speak over the disruption. “Everywhere in America we need more affordable housing.”
“When you first hear that audio clip, it appears that they’re booing whatever Donald Trump had done. The exact opposite is true,” IAM 751 union member Dan Zahlman said in an interview Tuesday with “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH Seattle.
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“She was trying to interject some left-wing radical politics into what is a very rare labor opportunity for IAM members to be able to try to make real gains in their retirement benefits. And that’s not what we were there for. She did not have a friendly audience to spew that at.
“I don’t think she realizes… but there is a tremendous amount of Donald Trump support from union membership,” he added. “All anybody has to do is go through a union parking lot at a Boeing plant, and you’ll see a lot of Trump stickers on bumpers.”
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The senator is up for re-election in blue Washington next month. Democrats are heavily favored to hold onto the seat in the state.
Cantwell’s office and campaign did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.
The union voted last month to begin striking, rejecting a contract that would have raised pay for members 25% over a period of four years. The IAM 751 union has about 33,000 members.
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“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.
In its own statement on the strike announcement, Boeing said, “The message was clear that the tentative agreement we reached with IAM leadership was not acceptable to the members. We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our employees and the union, and we are ready to get back to the table to reach a new agreement.”
The company indicated in a regulatory filing this week it expects to use a stock and debt offering to raise about $25 billion, while also beginning a $10 billion credit agreement to offset losses from the strike as debt payments loom.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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