Chairman Graves Statement on May Jobs Report

Statement

House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) today issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Labor reported that a paltry 54,000 jobs were created in May while the unemployment rate unexpectedly rose to 9.1% percent:

"Today's news is disappointing. We still are not seeing a robust economic recovery because of the uncertainty that persists among our nation's primary job creators -- small business owners. The unemployment rate is the highest since December 2010, and the people who have stopped looking for work, and therefore no longer counted as unemployed, is still very high.

"Last month, the President encouraged businesses to "step up' and hire workers. In reality, businesses haven't been sitting on revenues because they want to, it's because they are nervous about the uncertainty that this Administration has created. Small business owners are continually burdened by the possibility of tax increases, the inconsistent flow of credit, an outrageous national debt, high energy costs, overreaching federal regulations, and the looming ObamaCare mandates.

"House Republicans have put forth a Plan for America's Job Creators which includes common sense policies that remove uncertainty for our job creators by reducing regulatory burdens, lowering business tax rates to 25 percent, spurring exports by passing the pending free trade agreements, and introducing a budget that gets our nation's fiscal house in order. If given the chance, these policies will create an environment where small businesses are enabled to grow and invest, which will help speed up this recovery and return our nation back to the strong economic engine that we are accustomed to."

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