President Biden said Friday the latest jobs report shows the nation is on the right track toward recovering from the coronavirus, and said the federal government must do more to lift up families and the working class.
Mr. Biden said the 266,000 jobs created last month is evidence the economy is on the rebound — noting the nation has added 1.5 million jobs since he took the oath of office.
“This month’s job numbers show we are still on the right track,” Mr. Biden said. “We still have a long way to go.”
The jobs report fell well short of expectations, raising questions about the health of the economy and the impact of the American Rescue Plan.
But Mr. Biden said the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan is working and will continue to have a positive impact over the year as state and local governments start tapping into funds included in the package to bring back some of the 1.6 million employees that were laid off during the pandemic.
“Today’s report makes clear thank goodness we passed the American Rescue Plan, help is here and more help is on the way and more help is needed,” he said.
Mr. Biden said more needs to be done, urging elected leaders in Washington to rally behind his $2.25 trillion American Jobs Plan.
Mr. Biden said the package will help the United States “claim our position as the leading and most innovative nation in the world and win the future in the 21st century.”
“Let’s not let up, we are still digging our way out of a very deep hole we were put in,” Mr. Biden said. “No one should underestimate how tough this battle is. We still have a job to do here in Washington.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.