Ellison Statement On February Jobs Report

Statement

Rep. Keith Ellison, Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, released the following statement today after the Department of Labor announced that the economy added 227,000 jobs in February:

"Today's jobs report is welcome news for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are working again. Not only did we add 227,000 jobs in February, but 60,000 more jobs were created in December and January than initially estimated. What's more, the Minneapolis unemployment rate has fallen to 5.3%, the same level as before the recession began. However, major segments of our population are still being left behind. African-American unemployment rose this month from 13.6 percent to 14.1 percent, and the percentage of black Minnesotans out of work is higher than in any other state.

"Republicans in Congress need to work with the President to create jobs. The President's American Jobs Act contains job-creation measures that Republicans and Democrats have supported in the past, yet Republicans refuse to even vote on it. Half of Americans believe Republicans are intentionally stalling efforts to jumpstart our economy. Good news on jobs is only bad news if you're trying to sabotage our recovery.

"The Congressional Progressive Caucus has been calling for Congressional action on jobs since last year. This summer, we heard from Americans across the country as they demanded that Washington work again for people who work for a living. This fall, we introduced the Restore the American Dream for the 99% Act, which would create over 5 million jobs in the next two years alone.

"All we have seen from Republicans in Congress are partisan ploys to cut Medicare services or defund our roads and bridges. It's long past time to invest in an economic recovery that works for all Americans, not just corporations and their lobbyists."

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