They just can’t help themselves. The liberal media does it every single day. They are drawn like moths to the flame for the D.C. story of the day. This week they were enamored with the House Democrats’ antics and their latest stunt. Republicans, with President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, remain focused on what the American people elected us to do. But even the media could not ignore the historic nature of the April jobs numbers released by the Labor Department on Friday.
The top level numbers are impressive on their own. The United States economy added 263,000 jobs last month, considerably more than the 180,000 economists expected.
To consider the real value of these statistics, we must remember that in each one of those 263,000 jobs is now a teenager saving for college, a single mom working to make ends meet, an anxious parent striving to provide for their children, and a deserving veteran joining the civilian workforce after serving our country.
The unemployment rate dropped down to 3.6 percent. That’s the lowest unemployment rate since December 1969, when I was a high school student working in a dress shop on weekends. Peter, Paul, and Mary; Steam; Diana Ross and The Supremes were at the top of the Billboard Charts. A Boy Named Charlie Brown first hit theaters, and we had just landed on the moon for the first time.
If you want a job, you can find a job, especially in Tennessee where we beat the national averages.
When we dig deeper, we see a number of other positive statistics. The unemployment rate for adult women — defined as women over 20 years old — fell to just 3.1 percent. That’s the lowest rate since 1953. Women are benefiting every day by the Trump economy. There is more money in their pockets every month. Also impressive, the jobless rate for our veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan hit the lowest level since 2006 — just 1.7 percent.
During the first quarter of 2019, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased to 3.2 percent, which also exceeded expectations. Productivity also saw its largest gain in five years.
To top it off, we are just months away from the longest economic expansion in history. Even The New York Times had to admit, “the labor market the United States is experiencing right now wasn’t supposed to be possible.” The same New York Times article states: “tax cuts and deregulation are most likely part of the reason for the strong growth rates in 2018 and the beginning of 2019.”
President Trump is keeping his promise to the American people, and he is delivering real results that cannot be ignored. As a businessman himself, the president understands something too many in government ignore: the government does not — and should not — create jobs. Instead, it should be the government’s role to create an environment that allows small business owners to do what they do best — innovate and create new jobs.
Our emphasis implementing pro-growth policies has helped the United States economy thrive and has prompted historically low unemployment rates. Now is not the time to take our foot off the gas.
Socialist plans like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All will not keep the economy growing; but maintaining the Republican majority in the Senate, taking back the House, and keeping President Trump in the White House for four more years will.
While Democrats in Washington continue to look for every opportunity to expand an already too big government, we’ll remain focused on what matters: producing results for the American people. The choice is yours: Do you choose freedom or do you allow socialism to grow?
Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, is a U.S. senator from Tennessee.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.