Although the October jobs report released on Friday signaled the continuation of some positive trends, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) said the bigger splash was made earlier in the week, on election day.
“We heard the American voters loud and clear: they are in no way satisfied with the Obama economy,” Camp said. “They want, expect and deserve real solutions from Washington that will not only get Americans back to work, but also increase take home pay.”
In addition to the ninth straight month of more than 200,000 new jobs and an unemployment rate of 5.8 percent — the lowest it’s been since the summer of 2008 — the report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that average hourly earnings were up 3 cents in October to $24.57 and the average workweek remained at 34.6 hours. For the year, wage growth is at 2 percent – where it has been since 2009 – just slightly ahead of inflation.
Camp believes improvements can be made to those numbers, and he doesn’t think it has to wait until Republicans take control in the 114th Congress.
“We do not have to wait until the new Congress to take positive action; after all, the American people have been waiting long enough on the president’s promise to deliver a strong, robust economy,” Camp said. “In the next few weeks, we can make progress on expired tax policy that has not only brought uncertainty to employers and workers, but also been a hurdle to tax reform. I am confident that if the president decides to work with the newly elected Republican majority, we can deliver the real solutions the American people expect and deserve.”