Former Trump Economic Adviser Says Biden Should ‘Put the Economy First’

Former Trump Economic Adviser Says Biden Should ‘Put the Economy First’
President Joe Biden prepares to sign executive orders in the White House in Washington on Jan. 28, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Zachary Stieber
1/31/2021
Updated:
1/31/2021

A former economic adviser during the Trump administration said Sunday that President Joe Biden should “put the economy first” amid concerns over the impact of some of his executive orders.

“My advice to Joe Biden is put the economy first. C’mon! Put the economy first. Put the health crisis first,” Stephen Moore said on WABC radio.

Moore knocked orders dealing with climate change, asking, “Why is it that they’re focusing on climate change when we’re in the middle of an economic and health crisis?”

Biden also signed an order canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, which axed approximately 1,000 jobs and another approximately 12,000 future positions.

“Those are good jobs we need,” Moore said, saying the wages for the workers are $60 to $80 an hour. “There has not been an appropriate focus on getting Americans back to work.”

Stephen Moore speaks in Washington on May 14, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
Stephen Moore speaks in Washington on May 14, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Another order halted drilling for gas on federal lands, as Biden pushes for more alternative energy, which Moore argued will boost other countries.

“President Biden, if you’re listening to the show, please let us use American energy, we should use it all—oil, gas, coal, nuclear power, wind, solar. Let it all work to where we’re the energy dominator of the world,” Moore said.

According to data released earlier this month, unemployment stands at 6.7 percent. Unemployment was at a historic low early last year but shot up when state and federal officials began implementing harsh restrictions to try to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden has called for Congress to pass a $1.9 trillion relief package that features stimulus checks and other measures he and economic advisers say will boost the economy.

Getting the package into place would help the United States return to full employment sooner, Biden asserted Friday as he met with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, citing a Moody’s analysis.

“The price of doing nothing is much higher than the price of doing something, and doing something big,” Yellen added. “We need to act now, and the benefits of acting now and acting big will far outweigh the costs in the long run.”