Washington, D.C.— Washington, D.C.— Today, House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) issued the following statement after the Labor Department released its June jobs report:
“The June jobs report is a welcome sign that America’s economy is progressing steadily towards recovery. In June, our economy beat expectations by adding 850,000 jobs. These gains were driven by small business dominated industries like leisure and hospitality, which added 343,000 jobs and accounted for 40% of overall gains. Moreover, today’s jobs report follows a big rise in private payrolls on Wednesday and a pandemic low in reported unemployment claims on Thursday. These economic indicators make it abundantly clear that President Biden’s economic plan is working.
“COVID was a once-in-a-lifetime crisis, and we have a long way to go until full recovery. The unemployment rate and the number of long-term unemployed Americans remains stubbornly high. Black and Hispanic communities continue to be hit the hardest with disproportionately high unemployment rates. These struggles bolster the need to enact President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan. By passing these initiatives, Congress can provide Americans with millions of good-paying jobs and the support they need to recover fully.
“It’s also vital that we remain vigilant in our battle against the virus. The Biden Administration’s vaccine distribution efforts have allowed over half of Americans to get vaccinated, but we must push to get more shots in arms. With variants spreading and cases rising in pockets of the country, every American must get vaccinated. Small businesses can’t truly recover until we crush this virus for good.”
