Rep. Keith Ellison (MN-05) released the following statement today after the Department of Labor announced that the economy gained 88,000 jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 7.6 percent in March:
"Today we saw the devastating costs of the sequester on job growth. The President is not "fear-mongering.' Layoffs for teachers, cuts to cancer treatment, or reduced financial aid not only have devastating consequences for those impacted directly, but are holding back our entire economy. In Minnesota, air traffic control towers are being shut down and airport workers are being furloughed. I recently visited a cancer treatment center in Minneapolis that may have to turn away patients because of the sequester.
"This is the direct result of an ideology that puts loopholes for oil companies and millionaires before any investment in creating jobs. That ideology has failed. We need leaders in Washington whose focus is on putting Americans back to work, not putting more Americans out of work. The budget I introduced with the Congressional Progressive Caucus starts by focusing on the jobs deficit. By investing in our teachers, nurses, construction workers, and law enforcement, we get unemployment down to almost 5 percent in 3 years. Instead of threatening to cut Social Security benefits, it's time to invest in jobs."