WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA) issued the following statement today on new U.S. Labor Department data on the workforce showing that employers created just 51,000 jobs last month, well below economists’ expectations.
“This month’s disappointing job creation numbers show once again why it is time for a new direction for America. President Bush has the worst job creation record of any President since Herbert Hoover. The economy created few jobs in September, and the number of manufacturing jobs fell once again. Unless we take our country in a new direction, we are on our way towards having an economy where we don’t make much of anything – and that is a future well at odds with our country’s proud history of innovation and entrepreneurship.
“In the last five years, weak job growth and misguided Republican economic policies have led to wage stagnation for workers. Workers’ real wages remain lower than they were at this time three years ago. Meanwhile, since 2001 the cost of life’s basic necessities, like healthcare, education, and housing have all increased dramatically. Middle class families are losing ground no matter how much they work, but it doesn’t have to be this way. With a change of leadership in Washington and a new direction for America, we can create a strong economy that benefits every American family and fully restores the promise of the American Dream.”
Miller, the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, is one of ten senior House Democrats discussing the need for a new direction for the U.S. economy in speeches around the country this week. Click here for more information on the Democrats’ New Direction for America; click here for more information on the Democrats’ Innovation Agenda.
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