Hoyer Statement on February Jobs Report

Statement

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

"Today's report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics signals the strength of our economic recovery, even in the face of uncertainty produced by Congress. With 246,000 private sector jobs created in February and a drop in the unemployment rate to 7.7%, the recovery policies enacted by President Obama and Congressional Democrats continue to promote private sector job growth for the thirty-sixth consecutive month. However, in order to ensure our recovery continues and further increases its pace, we must get our fiscal house in order with a big, balanced solution to deficits and invest proactively in encouraging private sector growth.

"With the onset of the budget sequester on March 1, which imposes painful and irrational cuts across the federal budget, more and more jobs will be in jeopardy over the coming weeks and months. Congress has a responsibility to replace these haphazard cuts with a balanced approach to savings that can prevent sequestration's worst effects. At the same time, we must pursue legislation that invests in competitiveness and the growth of our manufacturing sector. In the coming weeks, House Democrats will be unveiling our Make It In America priorities for the 113th Congress, and I hope Republicans will set partisanship aside and work with us to bring jobs legislation to the Floor and pass it into law."

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