U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor released employment data for January:
“The employment gains we have seen in recent months are encouraging. More Americans are heading back to work and private-sector jobs are being created. While these are welcome signs of progress, we are still struggling with the weakest recovery since the Great Depression. The number of Americans participating in the labor force is at the lowest level in more than 28 years, economic growth is anemic, and nearly 13 million workers remain without a job. The Obama Administration’s tax-and-spend agenda continues to hold our economy back at a time when it should be firing on all cylinders.
“To help restore confidence and certainty, we must pursue commonsense reforms that will make the government leaner, more efficient, and less of a burden on job creators. To that end, the House of Representatives has approved more than 30 bipartisan bills to help spur job growth; it is time for the Senate to join our efforts and let the American people know whether they stand for job creation.
“Additionally, House Republicans have introduced a series of legislation that build a framework for a 21st century workforce investment system. Helping our nation’s workers gain the skills necessary to compete for jobs will build a stronger, more competitive workforce. If the administration provides a responsible plan to streamline job training services, we stand ready to work with the president on bipartisan reforms.”
