Hoyer Statement on April Jobs Report

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after the Department of Labor released its jobs report for April:

“For the sixty-second month in a row, our economic recovery has added private sector jobs and put Americans back to work.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report released this morning, a further 213,000 were created in April, bringing the unemployment rate down to 5.4%, the lowest since May 2008.  The steady growth in jobs is among several positive indicators that our economy continues to improve, but many Americans have yet to feel the effects of the recovery in their own lives.  Congress has a responsibility to change that. 

“Republicans in the House and Senate ought to work with Democrats to promote the growth of jobs and opportunities so that more of our people can find work that pays well and access opportunities that help them secure a place in our middle class.  We should pass the bill introduced last week that would raise the minimum wage, take action to ensure equal pay for equal work, and give businesses certainty by reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank. 

"Instead, Republicans passed a budget that guts investment in domestic priorities like job training, research, infrastructure, education, and innovation.  This kind of disinvestment in America’s future will harm our economic competitiveness and disadvantage the next generation of job seekers. I have no doubt that Republicans will soon realize once again that their sequester strategy is impossible to implement.  When they do,  I hope they will instead work across the aisle with Democrats in order to make the long-term investments necessary to lay the groundwork for a strong and competitive economy.”