Sanders: Carrier took Trump hostage and won

President-elect Donald Trump broke his campaign promises and caved into corporate greed with his deal with Carrier, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says. 

{mosads}Trump on Thursday will announce a deal with United Technologies, the corporation that owns Carrier, to keep nearly 1,000 jobs in Indiana. Carrier had announced in March it would shut down an Indianapolis plant and move it to Mexico. 

“Just a short few months ago, Trump was pledging to force United Technologies to ‘pay a damn tax.’ He was insisting on very steep tariffs for companies like Carrier that left the United States and wanted to sell their foreign-made products back in the United States,” Sanders said in a Washington Post op-ed.

“Instead of a damn tax, the company will be rewarded with a damn tax cut. Wow! How’s that for standing up to corporate greed? How’s that for punishing corporations that shut down in the United States and move abroad?”

The details of the deal have not been announced yet, but Carrier on Wednesday said Indiana state incentives “were an important consideration” to staying. 

In essence, Sanders wrote, “United Technologies took Trump hostage and won.

“And that should send a shock wave of fear through all workers across the country.”

Trump is sending a message to corporations that if they threaten to take jobs offshore, they will receive business-friendly tax benefits and incentives, Sanders said. 

“Even corporations that weren’t thinking of offshoring jobs will most probably be re-evaluating their stance this morning. And who would pay for the high cost for tax cuts that go to the richest businessmen in America? The working class of America.”

Sanders called the deal a “Band-Aid solution” that will only create more wealth inequality. 

“He wants to treat corporate irresponsibility with kid gloves. The problem with our rigged economy is not that our policies have been too tough on corporations; it’s that we haven’t been tough enough,” Sanders said. 

“We need to send a very loud and clear message to corporate America: The era of outsourcing is over. Instead of offshoring jobs, the time has come for you to start bringing good-paying jobs back to America.”