Chairman Scott Statement on August Jobs Report
WASHINGTON – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 130,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate held at 3.7 percent.
“Despite a consistently low unemployment rate, today’s jobs report adds to extensive evidence showing that millions of Americans are suffering from inadequate wage growth in an economy that is simply not working for everyone. Moreover, President Trump’s needless trade war with China has actually hurt the American manufacturing sector and done nothing to raise workers’ wages. Additionally, the report indicated that a significant portion of the jobs added were temporary census jobs.
“Contrary to the Trump administration’s attempt to claim responsibility for historic economic growth, the Obama administration oversaw more total non-farm job growth in its last 31 months than the Trump administration in its first 31 months. What’s more, a recent federal analysis revealed that during 2018 and early 2019, 500,000 fewer jobs were created than originally reported.
“It’s been nearly 50 days since the House overwhelmingly passed the Raise the Wage Act to increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2025 and lift at least 1.3 million Americans out of poverty. Today’s jobs report makes it clear: It’s time for Senate Republicans to stop standing in the way of higher wages for workers and pass the Raise the Wage Act.”
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