Washington, D.C. – Today, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee Kevin Brady (R-TX) released the following statement in response to the Labor Department’s February 2019 jobs report:

“Jobs numbers were lower than expected, but wage growth just keeps getting better.  Wages are rising for workers at their fastest pace in a decade and unemployment is at 3.8 percent – nearly a 50-year low.  

“You can’t read too much into one month.  The good news is the three-month average of 186,000 still far outpaces predictions for 2019 made before Republicans enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – which drove the trajectory of the U.S. economy significantly upward. America still has more job openings – 7.3 million – than workers.

“If we want to improve the U.S. economy further, rather than wasting time on a rush to impeachment by House Democrats, we should be working together to pass the crucial trade agreement with Mexico and Canada.”  

Note: The U.S. Department of Labor reported today that the economy added 20,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate was 3.8 percent, with a three-month average of 186,000 jobs being added.  The yearly increase in wages rose to 3.4 percent, the largest increase since 2009.