Chairman Scott Statement on June Jobs Report
WASHINGTON – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 4.8 million jobs in June with the unemployment rate at 11.1 percent.
“While the overall jobs numbers in today’s report are promising, unemployment remains above the rates during the Great Recession as workers and families face the devastating impacts of the pandemic. In fact, as of mid-June, more than 1 in 5 American workers were either receiving unemployment benefits or waiting to be approved.
“As the nation endures one of the greatest public health and economic crises in history—with record levels of COVID-19 infections recorded nearly every day—many states are slowing or reversing decisions to reopen. At the same time, many health care systems are operating at capacity while state and local governments have lost record revenues due to the stalled economy. It’s been nearly two months since the House passed the Heroes Act, directing nearly $1 trillion to state, local, territorial, and tribal governments—but inaction by the Senate is jeopardizing the health and economic stability of tens of millions.
“It’s time for Majority Leader McConnell to allow the Senate to pass this essential relief package to further ease the financial strain of this crisis on students, workers, and families. The Heroes Act also includes a second round of stimulus checks and a continuation of expanded unemployment benefits, which are set to expire in less than a month. Congress’ initial response to the pandemic was strong, but we cannot afford to ignore the significant steps needed to facilitate recovery.”
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