FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 03, 2004

CONTACT: Stacey Farnen Bernards 202-225-3130

HOYER: EMPLOYMENT REPORT SHOWS THE JOB MARKET IS STILL STRUGGLING

August Report Virtually Guarantees that the Bush Administration Will Have the Worst Record of Job Creation in 75 Years

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement this morning regarding the Department of Labor’s August employment report:

“The gain of 144,000 jobs in August is certainly good news for every American who secured employment last month.  But the reality is that our economy must gain 150,000 jobs each month just to keep pace with population growth.  And by that measure, this employment report for August clearly shows that the job market under President Bush is struggling and the American worker is bearing the brunt of the President’s failed economic policies.

“This employment report virtually guarantees one thing: that President Bush will finish his four-year term with the worst record of job creation since the Great Depression.  Even with the gains in August, the Bush Administration still has a net job loss of one million jobs during his term.

“Furthermore, it’s clear that the Bush Administration has failed to live up to its promises.  The President promised that his economic plan would create 5.5 million new jobs by the end of 2004, but he is on course to fall 4 million jobs short of that figure.  That is not a record to run on, so he’s running from it.

“The hard truth is, this Administration has no real job-creation plan beyond crossing its fingers and hoping.  It’s stunning that the President, in his 5,000-word acceptance speech last night, barely mentioned jobs and failed to articulate a pro-active, positive plan for creating more of them.

“If a CEO accumulated a record like that – a record of failure and a failure to articulate a clear strategy – you can bet that there would be a change at the top.  Come November, the American people are going to be confronted with the same choice, and I believe they’re going to embrace the pro-active, pro-growth agenda put forward by John Kerry and John Edwards and Congressional Democrats.”

 

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