Keith Ellison On Jobs Report: "This Is Not Enough"

Statement

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Chief Deputy Whip, released the following statement after 175,000 workers were hired in May, and the unemployment rate rose to 7.6 percent.

"Today's report shows that millions of Americans, including many in Minnesota, are still desperate for good jobs in the wake of the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Although Americans are steadily finding work in sectors like food services, the federal government laid off 14,000 people last month alone--many as a result of the sequester. This does not even include the hundreds of thousands more who have already received furlough notices.

"These public employees perform cutting edge scientific research, guard our airports, process Social Security checks, and police our streets. Not only will job losses cause untold pain for millions of families, but they impact all of us, dragging down our economic recovery. Our country's public employees did not cause our economic problems and they should not bear the brunt.

"It's time for Congress to repeal the sequester and focus on America's number one priority: putting Americans back to work."

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