U.S. Manufacturing and Trade Policy

CBS News reports that about 350 workers at Whirlpool’s 80‑year‑old Amana, Iowa plant will lose their jobs on March 9, highlighting ongoing U.S. manufacturing job losses despite President Trump’s pledge that tariffs would bring 'jobs and factories roaring back.' The International Association of Machinists, which represents roughly 1,300 workers at the facility, wrote Trump on February 24 asking him to demand Whirlpool halt the cuts, saying his 'America First' manufacturing promises are not being felt on the ground; the White House responded that he was elected to address concerns of workers left behind by 'America Last' trade deals. Whirlpool attributes the cuts to a 'multi‑year modernization plan' and remains profitable, posting $318 million in net income on $15.5 billion in 2025 sales, while economists interviewed cite automation, low‑wage foreign competition and higher input costs and uncertainty from Trump’s tariffs as key pressures. Nationally, manufacturers shed 83,000 jobs in Trump’s first year in office and the U.S. has lost about 4.5 million manufacturing jobs since 2000, even as global manufacturing employment grew by about 71 million workers, mostly in China, India and Vietnam, according to a 2025 Cleveland Fed brief. The story underscores a widening gap between political promises about reshoring and the slow, uncertain reality of factory investment and employment in many U.S. industrial towns.