WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Vice Chair of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported nonfarm payroll employment grew by 224,000 in June and the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.7 percent. Average hourly earnings increased 3.1 percent from the prior year.
“I am happy to see that American businesses continue to generate jobs at a solid rate a decade after the Great Recession ended. The economy has proven resilient to self-inflicted wounds imposed by the Trump administration including erratic trade policies that punish American consumers and some of our closest allies.”
“Despite these gains, a closer look at today’s jobs report reveals persistent inequalities that prevent too many people from achieving the American Dream. Black and Hispanic unemployment rates are still higher than those for whites and Asians, while 4.3 million people who wanted full-time work had to work only part-time last month. The share of women working or seeking work hasn’t fully recovered from the last recession, as day care costs and insufficient paid family leave policies make it hard for mothers to keep their jobs.”
“That is why I have been pushing so hard for Congress to pass a law that would allow federal workers to care for a child or sick family member without facing financial hardship. The U.S. government should be a model employer and pave the way for workers throughout the country to win the right to paid family leave. I also urge Congress to approve legislation that would require the Bureau of Economic Analysis to report economic growth by income decile and the top 1 percent. This would help us measure inequality and implement programs and policies to ensure all Americans benefit from our nation’s economic progress.”
Congresswoman Maloney, author of the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (H.R. 1534), introduced the bill as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in June along with Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA). The legislation would provide 12 weeks of paid leave to federal employees to care for themselves and family members. Congresswoman Maloney also introduced the Measuring Real Income Growth Act (H.R. 707) this Congress and in the 115th Congress. The legislation would require the Bureau of Economic Analysis to publish distributional analyses of gross domestic product.
Press contact: Randy Woods; Randy_Woods@jec.senate.gov; (202) 224-2599
