INTERVIEW – STEVE MOORE – former campaign economic advisor to President Trump, economist at The Heritage Foundation and author of book “Trumponomics: Inside the America First Plan to Revive Our Economy”
- Buoyed by the success of activists and policymakers in NY, a coalition of community and advocacy groups alongside a handful of local politicians in VA are calling on policymakers to reject Amazon’s plans to build a second headquarters in Arlington.
- Amazon could be facing a New York-style backlash in response to its plans for a massive second headquarters in Virginia. The activists are decrying the negative impact of displacement and rising housing costs on low-income and minority communities in the region, along with Amazon’s anti-union stance, all of which New York opponents of Amazon had also brought up. Roshan Abraham, an organizer with Our Revolution Arlington, said during a recent meeting of “For Us, Not Amazon” that the county should vote the deal down, according to Washington Business Journal. “If Amazon chooses not to come to Arlington over $23 million, good riddance.”
- A December poll showed 68 percent of Virginians approve of the Amazon deal, while 30 percent disapprove.
- Amazon’s plans for the Crystal City neighborhood would see 25,000 jobs created over the course of 12 years with average wages of over $150,000. The tech giant, which has said that its tax payments in Virginia will reach $3.2 billion over two decades, would receive $573 million in state and local incentives from Virginia as part of the deal. If the Arlington County Board approves the package, Arlington would give Amazon $23 million over the next 15 years. (source: Fox News)
- Amazon speculators are swallowing up real estate in Northern Virginia, says a Long & Foster executive. Median prices are up across the board, with inventory dropping