Congressman Tom Reed says the United States needs to keep its focus on a Job and economic recover. The Corning Republican made his statements during a media conference call Monday, following last week’s report from the Department of Labor, showing the unemployment rate for January 2013 increased to 7.9 percent.
Reed also said that number is even higher in the Southern Tier, with a 9.8 percent unemployment rate in Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties in December 2012. And he also voiced his concern over the White House’s decision to shut down the President’s Jobs Council.
“Eliminating the Jobs Council sends the wrong message to the more than 12 million Americans still looking for work in our country,” Reed said. “Jobs remain a top priority for Americans and yet the President’s Jobs Council hadn’t met in 12 months when he announced it would be shut down. We need the White House to keep working – we can’t give up on those still looking for work.”
The Department of Commerce reported last week GDP shrank in the final quarter of 2012, further illustrating the country’s lack of economic growth.
Congressman Reed added putting pressure on the Senate and White House to produce a budget is a good first step in securing some economic certainty in the coming year.
Leave a Reply