SPRINGFIELD, MA - Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement regarding the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) December 2020 jobs report:
“These distressing numbers reflect the tragic and alarming rise in U.S. COVID-19 cases and deaths in recent weeks. As it has throughout the pandemic, our economy mirrors the severity of the public health crisis. Unsafe workplace conditions are simply incompatible with job creation and economic growth.
“At the end of last month, Congress finally succeeded in passing another relief package that extended pandemic-related unemployment assistance and authorized a second round of economic impact payments. These supports should help struggling Americans survive in the short-term, but the federal government must do more to help folks in need, especially as the virus shows no signs of abating. Providing additional relief and stimulus - as well as taking meaningful action to end the pandemic - must be immediate priorities for the Democratic-led Congress under the Biden Administration.
“Given these complex, severe circumstances, our economic recovery may well be a long slog, but we are up to the task at hand. The Ways and Means Committee is ready to do what’s needed to support workers and families as we both eradicate the virus and rehabilitate the economy."
