Washington, D.C. - Today, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee Kevin Brady (R-TX) released the following statement in response to the Labor Department’s February 2019 jobs report:
“Jobs numbers were lower than expected, but wage growth just keeps getting better. Wages are rising for workers at their fastest pace in a decade and unemployment is at 3.8 percent - nearly a 50-year low.
“You can’t read too much into one month. The good news is the three-month average of 186,000 still far outpaces predictions for 2019 made before Republicans enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act - which drove the trajectory of the U.S. economy significantly upward. America still has more job openings - 7.3 million - than workers.
“If we want to improve the U.S. economy further, rather than wasting time on a rush to impeachment by House Democrats, we should be working together to pass the crucial trade agreement with Mexico and Canada."
Note: The U.S. Department of Labor reported today that the economy added 20,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate was 3.8 percent, with a three-month average of 186,000 jobs being added. The yearly increase in wages rose to 3.4 percent, the largest increase since 2009.
