Hoyer Statement on September Jobs Report

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today on the September jobs report: 

"The September jobs report released this morning captures the uncertainty of this moment for the U.S. economy. Released nearly seven weeks late because of the Republican shutdown, the report offers an economic picture that is incomplete and already outdated. While 119,000 jobs were added to the economy in September, the number of unemployed Americans has increased by 700,000 since this time last year. Additionally, the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.4 percent in September. These numbers do little to dispel the job market's weak showing this past summer.

"Republicans' decision to shut down the government, rather than work with Democrats, also prevented the Bureau of Labor Statistics from compiling a jobs report for October. It would have shown thousands of federal employees coming off the books because of Trump's political purge of the federal workforce. Without a clear read on the state of the U.S. job market, the government agencies, businesses, and organizations across the country that rely on this data cannot make informed business decisions.

"Uncertainty is a poison in any economy. I fear this uncertain moment for our economy is far from over. Donald Trump's erratic tariffs continue to raise consumer costs and scare off potential investors and job creators. The trillions of dollars he added to the debt to provide tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires continue to undermine the full faith and credit of the United States. Now, his party's refusal to extend premium tax credits for the Affordable Care Act will cause millions of Americans' health care costs to more than double on average. Even without the October jobs report, we know the Trump Administration is headed in the wrong direction."