Eliza Collins

USA TODAY

Donald Trump may be celebrating his deal with an Indiana-based heating and air conditioning manufacturer to keep 1,000 jobs in the United States but Bernie Sanders doesn’t think it’s good enough.

In an op-ed in The Washington Post Thursday, the Vermont senator bashed Trump for what he said is sending a signal to American corporations that they can threaten to leave the United States in exchange for government incentives.

“Trump has endangered the jobs of workers who were previously safe in the United States,” Sanders wrote. “Why? Because he has signaled to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives.”

The president-elect will be in Indiana Thursday to celebrate the deal, which his allies are billing as the first victory following the election.

While it is not clear the exact terms of the deal. Carrier said the state offered incentives to remain in Indiana, while other analysts of the deal said Carrier's parent company, United Technologies, made the deal to preserve its numerous contracts with the federal government.

"This is an enormous company with all kinds of subsidiaries that do government work, and I am sure they want to keep it," said John Mutz, a member of the Indiana Economic Development Corp. board, about United Technologies and its contracts.

Trump frequently bashed Carrier on the trail and threatened to hit them with high taxes if they moved to Mexico.

Federal contracts likely biggest factor in Carrier deal

“Just a short few months ago, Trump was pledging to force United Technologies to 'pay a damn tax.' He was insisting on very steep tariffs for companies like Carrier that left the United States and wanted to sell their foreign-made products back in the United States. Instead of a damn tax, the company will be rewarded with a damn tax cut. Wow!” Sanders continued.

Sanders called for companies threatening to outsource to pay a “tax equal to the amount of money it expects to save by moving factories to Mexico or other low-wage countries.” He also called for the government to refuse contracts and corporate welfare for any outsourcing corporations.

Carrier agreed to a deal of $7 million in state incentives over a 10-year-period, according to a Trump transition official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be able to speak freely.

When asked about Sanders' criticism, the official said the state of Indiana had been trying to negotiate with Carrier since they announced plans to move but it was Trump's election that got it done.

"[A] Counterpoint to Sen. Sanders is with the election of President-elect Trump and a commitment to reduce taxes…that’s what helped put this job deal together," the official said.

And how about the charge that future companies will be able to threaten to leave if their conditions aren't meant?

"These are state-level incentives and this is what states and localities do across the nation," the official said. "There’s nothing unusual with this."