To say Sen. Heidi Heitkamp didn’t like the answer she received from Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen on the issue of automation taking away jobs is a bit of an understatement.
Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, asked Yellen at a hearing Tuesday about whether the central bank has studied the issue —
she referenced a Bank of England study that showed up to 80 million U.S. jobs at risk — and how to draw attention to it. Heitkamp said automation, more than trade, has hurt the American worker, despite a presidential campaign that zeroed in on the latter issue.
The Federal Reserve chairwoman admitted the central bank hasn’t really studied the issue and suggested that more training is needed for U.S. workers.