Washington, DC — Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), Vice Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee and senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, today said that the increase in the number of private sector jobs the economy created during the month of March comes as good news.

“It is always a good thing when people who have so long looked for work in what remains a stagnant economy are able to find it,” Brady said

“These numbers are still low and late. At his point in the recovery, we should have already been creating a steady 200,000 to 400,000 new jobs a month a full year ago” the Congressman continued.

“The job figures released today show that, contrary to its promises and its rhetoric, the Obama administration’s high taxing, high spending, heavy regulating, and overall embrace of big government have failed to put sufficient numbers of Americans back to work,” Brady said.

“While the White House will boast that over the past 25 months since private sector employment recent low point, private sector employment has risen by 4.l million jobs. While this is certainly a welcome development for those currently working, it is a tragedy for the 12.7 million who remain unemployed and continue to struggle to make ends meet.

Compared to the last time we came out of a deep recession, back in the 1980’s when unemployment rose to 10.8 percent, the recovery we are said to be experiencing, has been relatively weak. In the 25 months following the low point for private sector employment during the Reagan presidency, private sector jobs grew by more than 7 million. If private sector jobs had increased this time at the rate they did under Reagan, another 6 1/2 million people would today be employed in private sector jobs than are under President Obama," Brady stated.

“That would be a job for half of the individuals today’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics counts as unemployed.”

I note that the president has taken to referring to Mr. Reagan of late. If he really seeks to be seen as Reagan’s true heir, he needs to start acting more like him. I call upon President Obama to abandon his agenda of higher taxes, increased regulations, and reduced opportunity for millions of hard working Americans, struggling families, and job creators. Reagan showed that there is a way out of this morass. I call upon the president to take it.”

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