Washington, D.C.—Today, Senator Martin Heinrich, (D-NM), Chairman of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC), released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that nonfarm payroll employment increased by 209,000 in June and the unemployment rate ticked down to 3.6%. The unemployment rate was 6.0% for Black workers, 4.3% for Hispanic workers, 3.1% for white workers, 3.2% for Asian workers, and 6.6% (not seasonally adjusted) for American Indian and Alaska Native workers.
“Our economy is stable and resilient, and our labor market remains strong and continues to grow. Pay for low-wage workers is growing at the fastest pace in over two decades, unemployment remains low, and last week we learned that economic growth early this year was even stronger than was initially reported. Under President Biden, our economy has added more than 13.2 million jobs, and we’ve experienced 29 consecutive months of job growth. Democrats are growing the economy by growing the middle class—and it’s working.
“Our economy is strongest when all Americans have access to good-paying jobs and new opportunities, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to promote policy that invests in our communities and people.”
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About Chairman Martin Heinrich
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich has served the people of New Mexico in the United States Senate since 2012. In addition to his role as Chairman of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, Heinrich also serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and as a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Heinrich served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, four years as an Albuquerque City Councilor, as New Mexico’s Natural Resources Trustee, and in AmeriCorps with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
About the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee
The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee is Congress’s bicameral economic think tank. It was created when Congress passed the Employment Act of 1946. Under this Act, Congress established two advisory panels: the President's Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) and the JEC. Their primary tasks are to review economic conditions and to recommend improvements in economic policy. Chairmanship of the JEC alternates between the Senate and House every Congress.??
