Why America needs to tax-incentivize tradesmen, not just college graduates
Mike Sarraille and Kirk Offel
October 11, 2025
Aggressive tax breaks for tradesmen needed as skilled worker shortage threatens national security
Walk onto any construction site in America, and you’ll hear the same story: We can’t find enough skilled workers. Electricians, welders, HVAC technicians, plumbers and heavy-equipment operators are in dangerously short supply, and the gap is widening.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently warned that building America’s artificial intelligence infrastructure will require an army of electricians. The demand for data centers — both cloud and AI — is expected to double year over year. Mike Rowe has been sounding the alarm for years: The most “essential” jobs are the ones our culture stopped celebrating.
Here’s the truth: Without skilled tradesmen, America grinds to a halt. No power. No housing. No data centers. No cloud. No AI.
