BURSTSen.-elect Jim Banks (R-Ind.) advocated for government reforms favoring working-class Americans in a Wednesday policy document outlining his approach to improving the country’s economy and global standing.
“Nobody has suffered more because of bad trade and economic policymaking than America’s working and middle classes,” Banks, who is finishing his fourth term in the House, wrote in his proposal.
“Our policies should focus on doing right by them, especially those working in manufacturing, the trades, and other skilled fields that don’t require a four-year degree. Republicans must not take their vote for granted.”
Banks won his first Senate campaign last month. He has pushed for the Republican Party to become the party of working- and middle-class Americans, as the son of a factory worker and a nurse. He was the first in his family to go to college, which he has said distanced him from self-funded politicians.
“I grew up in a trailer park. That’s where I came from. And what’s incredible about that, is that working-class background is the same background as most people from Indiana,” Banks told Politico after launching his campaign.
“I come from a place where I can represent the people who elected me to serve them and I think that’s a powerful asset to take to the Senate.”
He grew in popularity following the release of a detailed memo in 2021 that offered solutions to the Republican Party on issues like immigration, trade and opposing "wokeness.”
Banks's new document unveils his approach to solving citizens' financial crises by boosting industries through apprenticeships and technical training to bolster defense-based manufacturing.
“We need to restore our capacity to make ships, munitions, and other materiel in America,” the incoming senator wrote.
“By boosting innovation and supporting sectors with high growth potential, we will secure America’s position at the forefront of global manufacturing.”
Banks, a strong supporter of secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, argued that the nation has regressed due to “wokeness,” which he referenced as a “poison” in military sectors preventing the armed forces from advancing.
“As federal policymakers have allowed the defense-industrial base to wither, so too has the Department of Defense prioritized trendy progressive politics over the lethality and wellbeing of American service-members,” Banks, a former service member, stated.
“Over the last four years, our top military brass has been more focused on DEI than it has recruitment, leaving us understaffed and unprepared to counter adversaries like China and Iran. We need to immediately remove divisive, leftwing politics from the Pentagon and refocus on merit, so we can return to identifying and rewarding excellence across the U.S. Armed Forces.”
He said the GOP has a chance to solidify a successful economy under President-elect Trump.
“We must build on President Trump’s leadership on tariffs and trade remedies, take bold steps to protect our industries from predatory practices, strengthen U.S. manufacturing, and expand the export of American-made goods and commodities,” he wrote.
“We will level the playing field, giving our workers and businesses a fair shot to succeed.”