WASHINGTON, D.C. — Joint Economic Committee Chairman Dan Coats (R-Ind.) issued the following statement regarding today’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) that the U.S. economy added 38,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in May, the unemployment rate declined 0.3 percentage point to 4.7 percent and the labor force participation rate declined 0.2 percentage point to 62.6 percent:

 

“Despite President Obama’s victory lap in Elkhart this week, this jobs report again confirms that our national economy is struggling because of this administration’s policies. The national labor force participation rate fell further, wiping out recent gains. Equally alarming, only 38,000 jobs were added in May.

“We’ve seen in Indiana what a commitment to pursuing pro-growth policies can do for economic growth and job creation. It’s time we follow the same course on a national level.”