Press Releases

SPRINGFIELD, MA—Today, Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) June 2021 jobs report:

“For the sixth straight month, our economy has added back jobs, and this month’s higher than expected number is proof that we are on a strong road to recovery. Unemployment claims dropped again this week to a new pandemic low, and today’s report shows that workers who had to leave the workforce are returning. It is clear that Democrats’ leadership creating supplemental federal unemployment insurance during the pandemic kept workers and businesses afloat in a time of great need, and the emergency support has not discouraged workers from returning to the workplace once they felt it was safe to do so.

“All of our previous relief and recovery efforts laid the groundwork for the growing momentum seen in today's report. By making more pro-job, pro-worker investments, we can speed up the recovery's pace even more and strengthen the basic supports that allow for full worker participation. As the Ways and Means Committee laid out in our Building an Economy for Families Act, giving workers access to child care and paid family leave will help them return to the workplace, lead to a quicker recovery, fundamentally improve women’s ability to contribute to the economy, and make the United States more competitive on the world stage.

“President Biden’s leadership on vaccinations has stanched the spread of the virus, saved lives, and allowed millions of people to safely return to work. It is time we build on this progress and make the major investments in our nation’s infrastructure that will create the more prosperous and equitable economy our nation deserves. It may be the road that gets you to work, but it is the child care that keeps you there – Ways and Means Democrats will not forget that as we advance this next phase of our country’s recovery.”

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