U.S. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks Statement on the September Jobs Report

October 22, 2013

U.S. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks Statement on the September Jobs Report

Excerpt: The progress reported today was clearly hindered by the 16-day government shutdown that was orchestrated by the Republicans in their efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (NY-05) a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee released the following statement on the September jobs report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today:

“The Department of Labor announced that the economy has added 148,000 jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 7.2 percent in September. With businesses adding 126,000 jobs, this marks the 43rd consecutive month of private sector job growth.

“The jobs numbers that were released today show a small decrease in the unemployment rate and growth in the private sector. While this is good news for our economy, there are still many Americans that are unemployed and who are struggling to support their families. It’s more important now, than ever before, for Congress to focus on job creating legislation that will strengthen the middle class and help shrink the unemployment rate.

“The progress reported today was clearly hindered by the 16-day government shutdown that was orchestrated by the Republicans in their efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. This manufactured crisis cost our economy a total of $24 billion in projected losses. This is a reckless way to govern a country and the American people deserve better.

“The Budget Committee has started bipartisan negotiations to ensure that such a crisis never comes to fruition again and that our economic integrity is not faltered by partisanship. I look forward to a budget deal that will continue the growth of our economy, foster a stronger middle class, reduce the deficit and empower our great nation.” [End]