Ranking Member Scott Sounds Alarm on Jobs Day

Ranking Member Scott Sounds Alarm on Jobs Day

WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) did not release a jobs report due to the government shutdown.

"Workers, economists, and businesses rely on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports to understand the health of our economy and the labor market. Without the September jobs report, policymakers and the public are denied an opportunity to understand the challenges facing the American economy.

"Private sector estimates suggest that job growth-already anemic since President Trump took office for a second term-continues to slow. According to the latest data available, job growth since January 2025 has averaged just 70,000 per month, in comparison to 336,000 per month during the Biden Administration. Real wage growth continues to slow. The overall unemployment rate, as well as rates for women, Black workers, and Hispanic workers, has increased since the start of the year.

"The takeaway is clear: The Trump Administration's policies are hurting Americans. Worse, the Trump Administration is then preventing the government from accurately measuring the impact of these harmful policies. The first Trump Administration's failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic killed thousands of Americans. Then, President Trump demanded that we stop testing for it. Earlier this year, Congressional Republicans passed and the President signed the 'Big Ugly Law,' which included historic cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Then last month, President Trump ordered the end of a report that tracks household food security. Now, President Trump's reckless tariffs are killing jobs, and policymakers are left in the dark without a jobs report.

"From abruptly firing the former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, to nominating and then withdrawing the nomination of E.J. Antoni who claimed the BLS 'rigged' data, to now threatening additional firings across the federal government, President Trump risks compromising the credibility of BLS data.

"Americans must have confidence that they can trust our institutions to produce reliable data. Without reliable data, policymakers cannot understand the scope of the problem they are trying to address. What's more, just because the Trump Administration does not measure the impact of their policies, does not make the harm go away. Americans know the truth. Costs are going up, it is harder to find work, and the President's policies are the cause."

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