August 01, 2003
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) today said that she was extremely disappointed by this morning’s national unemployment figures, which show that the number of jobs lost under the Bush Administration continues to climb. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, a staggering 3.2 million private sector jobs have been lost since President Bush took office in January, 2001, with the economy shedding another 34,000 private-sector jobs in July. More than halfway through his term, Bush has lost more than 84,000 jobs per month. In California, 265,100 jobs have been lost since Bush took office.
Nationwide, the overall unemployment rate is currently 6.2%, with the unemployment rate for Hispanics at 8.2 percent and the rate for African Americans still over 11 percent in July – significantly higher than the 8.2 percent rate back in January 2001.
The most recent report from California shows that the overall state unemployment rate in California is 6.7% in June, up from 4.7% in January 2001 when President Bush was inaugurated. This 6.2 % national figure does not account for the fact that 470,000 discouraged people abandoned job searches because they believed that no jobs were available. In July, the number of those unemployed for more than 26 weeks remained at 2.0 million, more than triple the number of Americans unemployed for more than 26 weeks in January 2001.
"Since President Bush took office, more than 3.2 million private-sector jobs have been lost, the worst record of job creation of any President since Herbert Hoover. As we have seen month after month, the Bush economic policies have not created jobs, but jobseekers,” said Lee.
The poor economy under the Bush Administration has had a particularly devastating impact on the nation’s manufacturing sector. In July, the economy lost an additional 71,000 manufacturing jobs. Overall, 2.5 million of the net loss of 3.2 million private-sector jobs since January 2001 has been in the manufacturing sector.
Lee noted that she supported an economic growth package that would have created 1 million jobs this year, by providing tax cuts to middle-income Americans and small businesses that drive the economy, providing relief for states and the unemployed, and investing in highways to create good-paying jobs and strong communities.
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Congresswoman Barbara Lee Outraged by Continued Job Loss
New Data Shows 3.2 Million Jobs Lost in US since January 2001
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) today said that she was extremely disappointed by this morning’s national unemployment figures, which show that the number of jobs lost under the Bush Administration continues to climb. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, a staggering 3.2 million private sector jobs have been lost since President Bush took office in January, 2001, with the economy shedding another 34,000 private-sector jobs in July. More than halfway through his term, Bush has lost more than 84,000 jobs per month. In California, 265,100 jobs have been lost since Bush took office.
Nationwide, the overall unemployment rate is currently 6.2%, with the unemployment rate for Hispanics at 8.2 percent and the rate for African Americans still over 11 percent in July – significantly higher than the 8.2 percent rate back in January 2001.
The most recent report from California shows that the overall state unemployment rate in California is 6.7% in June, up from 4.7% in January 2001 when President Bush was inaugurated. This 6.2 % national figure does not account for the fact that 470,000 discouraged people abandoned job searches because they believed that no jobs were available. In July, the number of those unemployed for more than 26 weeks remained at 2.0 million, more than triple the number of Americans unemployed for more than 26 weeks in January 2001.
"Since President Bush took office, more than 3.2 million private-sector jobs have been lost, the worst record of job creation of any President since Herbert Hoover. As we have seen month after month, the Bush economic policies have not created jobs, but jobseekers,” said Lee.
The poor economy under the Bush Administration has had a particularly devastating impact on the nation’s manufacturing sector. In July, the economy lost an additional 71,000 manufacturing jobs. Overall, 2.5 million of the net loss of 3.2 million private-sector jobs since January 2001 has been in the manufacturing sector.
Lee noted that she supported an economic growth package that would have created 1 million jobs this year, by providing tax cuts to middle-income Americans and small businesses that drive the economy, providing relief for states and the unemployed, and investing in highways to create good-paying jobs and strong communities.
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