Washington, D.C. — Today, Center for American Progress Economist Adam Hersh issued the following reaction to the announcement of September’s employment figures:
Released 18 days late due to the government shutdown, today’s Department of Labor report is a stark reminder that it’s time for Congress to focus on the real economic challenges facing ordinary Americans: jobs, incomes, and the public institutions critical to our economy. Even before the radical House conservatives damaged our economy by shuttering government and risking the calamity of a U.S. Treasury default, job growth in September remained much too slow.
It’s clear that the conservatives’ long march to austerity spending cuts has sapped aggregate demand from the recovery and cut public investments to enhance the U.S. economy’s supply-side competitiveness. With the government reopened and the debt limit raised, the House can redeem itself for the economic damage done by focusing on economic and budgetary winners on the already bipartisan agenda: replacing the mindless sequester cuts, passing comprehensive immigration reform, and moving forward with infrastructure and education investments.
To speak with Adam Hersh about the monthly jobs report, please contact Katie Peters at kpeters@americanprogress.org or 202.741.6285.
Related resources from the Center for American Progress:
###