Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) trashed the June jobs report — even though it showed rapid job growth, rising wages, and low unemployment.
The report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that employers created 213,000 new jobs in June — 22,000 more than economists had expected. Manufacturing jobs in particular rose by 36,000.
The unemployment rate rose slightly, from 3.8% to 4.0% — but that was partly because so many people are entering (or re-entering) the labor force. Hispanic unemployment hit an all-time low of 4.6%, while black unemployment was at its second-lowest level ever, at 6.5%. Wages rose 2.7% on an annualized basis, only slightly below expectations of 2.8%.
None of that, apparently, was good news, according to Pelosi. She released a rambling statement warning of a “brewing storm” — but did not say what, exactly, Americans should fear:
June jobs numbers show what is at stake from the brewing storm of rising health costs, spiraling trade uncertainty and an economy being hollowed out to enrich big corporations and the wealthiest 1 percent.
Six months after receiving their windfall from the GOP tax scam for the rich, Corporate America is on track to spend $1 trillion on dividends and stock buybacks, while announcing tens of thousands of layoffs, refusing to give workers a raise and raising costs for families. Meanwhile, hard-working farmers, factory workers and families across the nation are reeling from retaliatory tariffs and trade uncertainty. America should be taking strong, smart and strategic action against unfair trade policies, not recklessly antagonizing our allies and inviting retaliation against the men and women of American farming and manufacturing.
The American people deserve so much better than the raw deal they are getting from the cynical Republican special interest agenda. Democrats know that the American people deserve A Better Deal, with Better Jobs, Better Wages and a Better Future. Democrats will never stop fighting for the hard-working middle class families who are the backbone of our nation.
Notably, Pelosi’s statement on the jobs report did not mention the actual jobs numbers.
Pelosi currently serves as House Minority Leader and would retake the Speaker’s gavel if Democrats win the November midterm elections.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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