Murray Statement on Department of Labor Jobs Report

Statement

U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Employment, today responded to a Department of Labor report that U.S. employers cut 17,000 non-farm jobs in January - the first time in nearly four-and-a-half years that payrolls shrank - with continuing losses in the construction and manufacturing sectors.

"Unfortunately, this news doesn't come as a surprise to those of us who've continually sounded the alarm about our faltering labor market. I've warned the Administration for years that our workforce needs more investment to remain competitive, not funding cuts.

"But the Bush Administration has proposed cut after cut to job training funds - reducing funding by nearly two billion dollars over the last eight years. That means this Administration has left 750,000 workers without the training they desperately need to survive in this faltering economy. And we're expecting more of the same in his budget recommendations Monday. That's simply the wrong priority for working families in need of some help from their federal government.

"It's time for the Bush Administration to end its failed policies and start investing in working families and our nation's future. Our economy needs more than just an immediate stimulus; it needs a real plan for job growth and skills training. It's time for a change."

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