LISTEN: Whirlpool Layoffs Rock Rural Iowa

Appliance manufacturer Whirlpool has announced that it will lay off 651 workers from its plant in Amana, Iowa.

The company said that the layoffs, effective June 1, are “necessary adjustments to production” in response to consumer demand for the specific products being manufactured in Amana. These include French door and column refrigerators.

While the company has said that tariffs are not a factor in this move, the decision nonetheless triggered a political backlash of a different kind.