Washington, D.C. – Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) released the following statement today after the economy added 243,000 jobs in January and the unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent:

“The January jobs numbers offer another sign that our economy is recovering under President Obama’s leadership, and that America is—slowly but surely—getting back to work. For the first time in nearly three years unemployment is below 8.5 percent. The fact that many of these jobs were added in industries like manufacturing and professional services is a further encouraging sign that we are moving in the right direction.

“But we need to sustain economic growth so that every American who wants a job can find one. As the President said in his State of the Union address, this is a make it or break moment for the American middle class.

“Now is not the time for Congress to pull the plug on our recovery. For over a year Republicans in Congress have been obstructing any measures that would create jobs, and taking away jobs from America’s public employees— the teachers who educate our children and police officers who patrol our streets.

“It’s time that our major export was something other than American jobs. And it's time for Congress to take the lead in promoting good jobs for working families.”
 
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