Former Trump economic adviser urges Biden to ‘put the economy first’

Former Trump economic advisor Steve Moore urged President Joe Biden to “put the economy first” during his first 100 days in office amid the pandemic. 

“My advice to Joe Biden is put the economy first. C’mon! Put the economy first. Put the health crisis first,” Moore said Sunday in an interview with John Catsimatidis on his radio show on WABC 770 AM. 

“There has not been an appropriate focus on getting Americans back to work,” Moore continued.

Unemployment has skyrocketed during the pandemic due after businesses large and small were forced to shut down in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. On Friday, weekly unemployment dropped to a seasonally adjusted total of 847,000 for the week ending Jan. 23.

Though the number is lower than experts expected, the continuing level of unemployment claims shows that there is weakness in the economy. 

Biden on Friday, during a meeting with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called for Congress to act swiftly on a $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package and warned of the costs of inaction in the long run. Democrats in general have expressed enthusiasm for more aid, but Republicans have balked at the prospect, stating that they would like to see the effects of the last stimulus bill passed. 

Moore also criticized Biden’s move to halt work on the Keystone XL pipeline.

“I don’t get it. I don’t get why we’re canceling the XL pipeline. That’s jobs. … Those are not $15-an-hour jobs, folks,” Moore said. “Those are $60, $70, $80 an-hour-jobs.… Those [jobs] have been destroyed.”

Biden signed an executive order that revokes a key permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, among other environmental measures. The action reverses a move by his predecessor, Trump, to allow the pipeline to move across the Canadian border. 

A Canadian firm announced that it would be laying off 1,000 workers due to Biden’s actions. 

Moore said that halting the pipeline is only causing Americans to lose jobs and for the U.S. to fall behind other countries in energy production. 

“The problem is if … we’re not pumping it here and in Canada, then we’re going to have to import it from countries like Saudi Arabia,” Moore continued. 

However, the Biden administration has said in the past that it is committed making the U.S. a leader in green energy and has vowed to bring jobs to those who have lost their positions due to the transition. 

Proponents for halting the pipeline work say that the project was hurting the environment and invaded tribal lands. 

John Catsimatidis is an investor in The Hill.