March 28, 2024

More Hits to Economy As Pandemic Persists

Economy
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer released the following statement Friday after the release of the April 2020 jobs report, showing the US jobless rate at 14.7%, the highest ever recorded.

“April’s jobs report reveals the overwhelming extent to which measures necessary to combat the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the economic well being of millions of Americans,” Congressman Hoyer (D-MD) said. “Whether these job losses persist beyond this crisis will depend on how we react as a nation to confront it. Congress and the administration must work together with a unified purpose, putting the best interests of American people first.”

He said that from the beginning of the pandemic, the House Democrats have fought for American workers and their families, pointing out that the House passed four major bills to combat the public health threat and mitigate the economic fallout.

“[The May 8] report makes it abundantly clear that, as this pandemic continues, more must be done to ensure that our economy is ready to surge back once it is safe to reopen,” he said.

“That’s why the House is working on additional legislation to address the many challenges we now face together. Our economic success depends on the safety of our workers and the confidence of consumers; if we fail to provide that safety and confidence, we risk avoidable, long-term damage to the economy. This is especially true in communities of color, which are now overrepresented in COVID-19 cases and deaths as well as in furloughs and permanent job losses,” the congressman said.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics April 2020 jobs report can be found here.

In April, the US Department of Commerce released its estimate of a 4.8% contraction in GDP for the first quarter of 2020.

“The steep contraction in our economy in the first quarter of 2020 is alarming but not unexpected,” Mr. Hoyer said. “We know this is only the leading edge of the downturn, and economic growth, unemployment, and poverty in the second quarter will be much worse. The coronavirus pandemic and efforts required to combat it will have serious short-term impacts on our economy, and we must do whatever we can to make sure they do not become long-term impacts. We also have to ensure that the most vulnerable communities can recover when the rest of the economy does so.”

He said that putting large parts of our economy on hold to allow for social distancing was necessary to save lives.

“Congress has taken bold steps to ensure that, when it is safe to reopen our economy, we can return to full economic activity as quickly and effectively as possible. Democrats will continue to insist on protections for small businesses and for workers and their families that help ready our economy to resurge when it is safe to reopen,” Congressman Hoyer said.

Follow Congressman Hoyer on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information about House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, visit his Leader member page.

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