03.10.17

Scott Statement on February Jobs Report

WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after he Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added a total of 235,000 jobs in February, with the unemployment rate at 4.7 percent. 

“President Trump claimed he was handed ‘a mess’ by the Obama Administration, but we know that is not accurate. Under President Obama the unemployment rate was cut in half while GDP and median income rose. The economic growth reflected in today’s jobs report shows President Trump inherited a growing economy from his predecessor.

“However, Congressional Republicans and the Trump Administration have taken actions that will risk the progress that has been made for families. Last week, I stated that if Republicans came up with a plan that is better than the ACA, I would support it. I had my doubts, because we had yet to see any plan. Well guess what?  We have the plan and it is a bad one. The model of the GOP replacement plan has been tried in many states and the result was exactly the same each time: within about five years, costs for health insurance spiraled out of control.  Even if the plan worked, it has the wrong priorities. The Republican bill to repeal and replace the ACA would cause millions to lose their insurance, force families to pay more for fewer protections, defund Planned Parenthood, while at the same time would give huge tax cuts to people in the top 1 percent. The Majority continues to forge ahead to repeal and replace the ACA but so far, we still don’t have any CBO analysis of their so-called replacement bill.

"They have gambled with families’ health care as they continue to undermine the Affordable Care Act and the insurance Marketplaces. They have put forward policy ideas that would weaken consumer protections and increase costs for families under Trumpcare. Working families deserve better. Congressional Republicans and President Trump must change their course and actually begin working on solutions to build an economy that benefits all of America’s working families.”

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