Although Donald Trump has pledged to bring jobs back to the United States during his presidency, one of his cabinet nominees has recently come under scrutiny for sending jobs offshore. Wilbur Ross, a billionaire who heads an investment empire, has reportedly outsourced thousands of jobs. Trump has picked Ross to serve as Commerce Secretary.
The report, which was conducted by Reuters, examined public documents about WL Ross and Co, which Ross controls. They found that he had shipped jobs from textile, finance, and auto-parts companies a number of countries, including Mexico, India, and China. In total, around 2,700 jobs in the U.S. vanished because of his actions.
If appointed Commerce Secretary, Ross would be heading efforts to bring manufacturing positions back to the United States. Ross also serves as the vice chairman of the Bank of Cyprus, which has heavy ties to Russia. He declined to give Reuters a comment on the report.
These activities will likely be an issue raised during Ross’s upcoming nomination hearing before the Senate. It’s unclear what approach he would take to increasing jobs in the United States, and some have concerns about whether members of the Trump administration will simply be looking out for their own financial gain.
Last year, Ross penned an editorial for the Washington Post calling Trump’s economic proposals “Trumponmics”. He claimed that jobs were being outsourced to other countries due to a dramatic increase in regulations. The Washington Post later pointed out that this was factually incorrect. Like Ross, Trump has a history of sending jobs to other countries.