Politics

GOP congressman: Shutdown didn’t hurt job creation

Patrick Howley Political Reporter
Font Size:

Texas Republican Rep. Kevin Brady said on Friday that the government shutdown did not hamper job creation in the U.S.

“The government shutdown did not hamper private-sector job creation. When the government simply gets out of the way of the private sector, we can see real job growth,” Brady said in a statement.

“The real reason for consistently mediocre job creation is the Administration’s economic policy.  No amount of ‘easy money’ from the Federal Reserve can kick job creation into high gear until the President works with Republicans to achieve pro-growth tax reform and regulatory relief,” Brady added.

Obama is in New Orleans Friday delivering a speech focused on the economy following another mediocre jobs report in October that saw U.S. labor force participation decline to a 35-year low.

“While I’m glad to see that more Americans were hired last month, it’s difficult to ignore another drop in the labor force participation rate to 62.8 percent, its lowest level since March 1978.  In a strong economy, the labor force participation rate should be increasing, not declining to a 35-year low.  Too many workers have dropped out because they lost hope. And in a shrinking workforce, 7.3 percent remain jobless,” Brady said.

Follow Patrick on Twitter