Rep. Richard Hudson talks about creating jobs but consistently votes against the investments that bring them to North Carolina. He voted against the CHIPS and Science Act — the law funding a $5 billion Wolfspeed semiconductor plant and 1,800 jobs in his own district in Chatham County — and voted against the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that funded roads, bridges, and broadband across the state. He voted against raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 and against the PRO Act to protect workers' right to organize.
He backed a tax law that CBO says cuts income for the poorest Americans by $1,200 a year while handing the richest a $13,600 windfall, and he voted to keep tariffs that an NC State University report projects will cost North Carolina farmers $695 million and 8,000 jobs. Meanwhile, North Carolina lost 7,200 manufacturing jobs in 2025, and a textile mill in Hudson's own district — Parkdale Mills in Sanford — shut down, eliminating 74 jobs. Hudson promised the 2017 tax cuts would deliver jobs and growth to North Carolina; instead, the law's individual provisions expired while its corporate rate cuts were made permanent.
Hudson Voted Against The CHIPS And Science Act, Which Invested $280 Billion In Semiconductor Manufacturing And Scientific Research. According to GovTrack, Hudson voted "Nay" on H.R. 4346, the CHIPS and Science Act, which passed the House 243-187 on July 28, 2022. The law provided $52 billion in subsidies for domestic semiconductor manufacturing and $200 billion for scientific research. [GovTrack, 7/28/22]
The CHIPS Act Funded A $750 Million Grant For A $5 Billion Wolfspeed Semiconductor Plant In Chatham County — In Hudson's Own District. According to WRAL, the Biden administration signed a preliminary agreement to provide up to $750 million in CHIPS Act funding to Wolfspeed for its silicon carbide wafer manufacturing facility in Siler City, Chatham County. The project is expected to create more than 1,800 manufacturing jobs with an average salary of $77,753 — nearly double Chatham County's average wage. [WRAL, Viewed 2/16/26]
Trump Called For Repealing The CHIPS Act, Threatening The Wolfspeed Plant's Federal Funding. According to Axios Raleigh, Wolfspeed cut jobs as Trump called the CHIPS Act "'horrible'" and pushed for its repeal. Wolfspeed was still negotiating with the Trump administration to finalize its $750 million grant as the company faced financial pressures. [Axios Raleigh, 3/7/25]
Hudson Voted Against The $1.2 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law That Funded Roads, Bridges, Broadband, And Water Systems. According to GovTrack, Hudson voted "Nay" on H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed the House 228-206 on November 5, 2021. The law invested $110 billion in roads and bridges, $65 billion in broadband, and $55 billion in clean water infrastructure. [GovTrack, 11/5/21]
Hudson Voted Against Raising The Federal Minimum Wage To $15 An Hour. According to GovTrack, Hudson voted "No" on H.R. 582, the Raise the Wage Act, which passed the House 231-199 on July 18, 2019. The bill would have gradually raised the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 by 2025. [GovTrack, 7/18/19]
Hudson Voted Against The PRO Act, Which Would Have Strengthened Workers' Right To Join A Union. According to NPR, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act passed the House 225-206 on March 9, 2021. The bill would have made it easier for workers to organize, prohibited employers from holding mandatory anti-union meetings, and overridden state 'right-to-work' laws. Only five House Republicans voted for it; Hudson was not among them. [NPR, 3/9/21]
Hudson Promised The 2017 Tax Cuts Would Deliver Jobs And Growth To North Carolina. According to a press release from Hudson's office, he called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act "'historic'" and promised it would deliver "'more jobs, bigger paychecks, a simpler and fairer tax code, and economic growth for all Americans.'" [Hudson.house.gov, 12/19/17]
Hudson Called The One Big Beautiful Bill Act 'The Most Pro-Worker, Pro-Family' Legislation 'In Decades.' According to a press release from Hudson's office, he stated, "'The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is the most pro-worker, pro-family, and pro-America legislation we've seen in decades. It means bigger paychecks for middle class families, stronger borders, a stronger military, and more freedom for every North Carolinian.'" [Hudson.house.gov, 7/4/25]
CBO Found The Law Would Cut Income For The Poorest Americans By $1,200 A Year While Increasing Income For The Richest By $13,600. According to NBC News, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the lowest 10% of earners would lose roughly $1,200 annually due to restrictions on government programs including Medicaid and food assistance, while the wealthiest 10% would see their income increase by $13,600 from tax cuts. [NBC News, Viewed 2/16/26]
The Law Made The Top Tax Rate Of 37% Permanent And Let Business Owners Deduct Private Jets In Year One. According to NPR, the law made permanent the 37% top marginal tax rate — down from 39.6% — and restored 100% bonus depreciation allowing businesses to immediately deduct the full cost of assets including private jets. EY Private's Tony Nitti noted, "'Not everybody can go out and buy a private jet — but if you can, now that private jet is deductible in year one.'" [NPR, 11/5/25]
Hudson Voted Against A Bipartisan Resolution To End Trump's Tariffs On Canada. According to GovTrack, Hudson voted "Nay" on H.J.Res. 72, a resolution to terminate the national emergency declaration and tariffs on Canada, which passed 219-211 on February 11, 2026. Only six Republicans broke with their party to support the resolution; Hudson was not among them. [GovTrack, 2/11/26]
Tariffs Were Projected To Cost North Carolina Farmers $695 Million And 8,000 Jobs. According to Carolina Journal, an NC State University report warned that retaliatory tariffs could cost North Carolina farmers $695 million, with pork producers alone facing a conservative estimate of $430 million in losses. The report projected 8,000 jobs at risk: 3,000 in agricultural production and 5,000 in food processing and related manufacturing. [Carolina Journal, Viewed 2/16/26]
Total Economic Losses From Tariff Retaliation Were Estimated At $1.9 Billion — More Than 2% Of North Carolina's GDP. According to Carolina Journal, the NC State University report estimated potential statewide economic losses exceeding $1.9 billion, representing more than 2% of the state's gross domestic product. [Carolina Journal, Viewed 2/16/26]
An Economist Said Tariffs Would Continue Driving Manufacturing Job Losses In North Carolina. According to Carolina Journal, John Locke Foundation senior vice president of research Brian Balfour warned, "'As long as these tariffs are taking place, net impact will be negative in the manufacturing job sector.'" [Carolina Journal, 2/12/26]
North Carolina Lost 7,200 Manufacturing Jobs In 2025 — One Of Only Two Job Sectors To Report Losses. According to Carolina Journal, North Carolina lost 7,200 manufacturing positions in 2025, representing a 1.6% decline. Manufacturing was one of only two job sectors to report annual losses, with the decline disproportionately affecting rural communities where factories provide a significant portion of employment. [Carolina Journal, 2/12/26]
Parkdale Mills Closed Its Sanford Plant In Hudson's District, Eliminating 74 Jobs. According to Business North Carolina, Gastonia-based Parkdale Mills permanently closed its Sanford facility in Lee County in November 2024, laying off 74 workers. The textile manufacturer filed a WARN notice with the state and cited "significant economic challenges" for the closure. [Business North Carolina, Viewed 2/16/26]
Hudson Voted For The One Big Beautiful Bill, Which Included A 20% Cut To SNAP — The Largest In The Program's History. According to the Harvard Kennedy School analysis cited by NCIOM, the plan to cut SNAP funding by 20% represented the largest cut to the program ever. Over the next decade, the program faces a $187 billion cut, with projections estimating that up to 22 million U.S. families could lose some or all of their SNAP benefits. [NCIOM, Viewed 2/16/26]
North Carolina Small Farmers Said Tariffs Were Squeezing Their Already-Thin Profit Margins. According to WUNC, Red Scout Farm owner Mary Carroll Dodd said, "'When the price of everything it takes to grow vegetables goes up from soil to tools to fertilizer, packaging, transportation, then the vegetables on the holiday table goes up as well.'" She added, "'For a small, diversified farm like us, those costs add up quickly. Our profit margins are already very thin, so every increase means tough choices.'" [WUNC, 11/25/25]
The Tax Foundation Estimated Trump's Tariffs Amount To A $1,600 Tax On The Average American Consumer In 2026. According to WUNC, the Tax Foundation estimated that Trump's tariffs represent "'a $1,200 tax on average U.S. consumers in 2025, rising to $1,600 in 2026.'" [WUNC, 11/25/25]
A North Carolina Economist Warned That Tariff-Driven Inflation Could Return In 2026. According to WCNC, a UNC Charlotte economist warned that inflation could return to North Carolina in 2026, identifying tariffs as a "'significant wild card that could further slow the economy and cause a short-term bump in inflation.'" [WCNC, Viewed 2/16/26]
A Food Importer Said Tariffing Food 'Makes Absolutely No Sense.' According to WUNC, Royal Food Import Corp. CEO Collin Tuthill said, "'Placing a tariff or a tax on any kind of food item is something that makes absolutely no sense to me,'" as customers purchased less food or traded down to cheaper items, resulting in less food at food banks and smaller portions in cafeterias and hospitals. [WUNC, 11/25/25]