Ranking Member Mike Lee on December Jobs Report

WASHINGTON—Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, made the following statement on this morning’s jobs report issued by the U.S. Department of Labor:

“The 199,000 payroll jobs added in December represent a disappointing development for the American people, especially for the workers who have been hit hardest during the pandemic. Millions of American workers remain on the sidelines, and Biden’s vaccine mandate only threatens to place more Americans at risk of unemployment.

“I’ve heard from countless Utahns who are at risk of being fired if they do not receive the vaccine. Threatening the livelihoods of millions of Americans and turning employers into enforcers is not how our country will recover its workforce.

“We cannot allow misguided mandates to separate hardworking Americans from their jobs. Americans must be able to make a living, businesses must remain open, and we must preserve the freedom of American families to make the healthcare decisions that are best for them.”

The Joint Economic Committee is Congress’s bicameral economic research center and home of the Social Capital Project, led by Ranking Member Mike Lee.