WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) commented today on the latest unemployment report, which showed the national unemployment rate ticking up to 8.2 percent and just 69,000 jobs created in the month of May:
“We know the ingredients necessary for job creation and a strong economy. It takes affordable energy. Less red tape and more opportunity to innovate. A government that gets out of the way, welcoming economic growth rather than stifling or attempting to micro-manage it. Unfortunately, the policies of this administration have taken us in a different direction. Massive spending and growing debt have clouded our fiscal future. A larger government and spools of red tape have left job creators burdened by uncertainty and unable to jumpstart our economic engine.
“Today’s disappointing jobs report is a testament that the current policies are not delivering the robust recovery we need. The folks in Michigan know firsthand how a weak economy directly affects families and American businesses. That’s why Republicans are continuing to focus on real solutions for a strong economy. Just this week, the House passed major legislation to support jobs and innovation by improving the review and approval process for life-saving and life-improving medical devices and drugs. We continue to advance policies that support affordable, American-made energy, which not only creates direct jobs through increased energy production, but also supports every single job-creator and worker who depends on affordable energy to power their home or business. We are pursuing a whole host of policies to cut through the red tape and support job creation in growing fields like the communications and technology sector. We can take steps to improve the economic outlook and move beyond these disappointing unemployment reports, and that’s exactly what we’ll continue fighting to do."
