WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), member of the Joint Economic Committee, today issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Labor Department June 2021 report:

“The economy added 850,000 jobs in June, a testament to workers’ and businesses’ persistence in rebuilding after the pandemic. Unfortunately, despite the effectiveness of vaccines suppressing COVID-19 and job openings at an all-time high, employment remains 7 million jobs short of its pre-pandemic levels. Workers are likely responding to poorly designed legislation that pays them unprecedented amounts to not return to work, while unchecked federal spending and suppressed employment have contributed to inflation.

It is past time to cast aside the lingering pandemic-era closures, mandates, and policy-induced unemployment. A more productive direction would emphasize and reward work; this would not only reinvigorate the economy, but also rebuild the job skills, the social ties, and the self-worth that make work such an important part of American life.”

 

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