[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 91 (Monday, June 4, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2953-S2954]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            ECONOMIC GROWTH

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, last week brought another set of 
encouraging headlines about our growing economy. In the month of May, 
the U.S. economy generated 223,000 new jobs. Unemployment has fallen to 
3.8 percent, its lowest level since April of 2000. The proportion of 
American adults who are employed is as high as it has been at any point 
since the financial crisis.
  We know these economic indicators can sometimes be noisy, but 
consider them alongside all of the other signs we have seen over the 
past year. Since President Trump was elected alongside a Republican 
Congress, the number of Americans who say they are optimistic about 
finding a good job has jumped 25 percentage points, and small business 
owners report in record numbers that they are optimistic about the 
prospects of hiring new employees.
  The bottom line is clear: Under the policies of this unified 
Republican government, American workers, families,

[[Page S2954]]

and business owners are achieving economic growth that is unmatched in 
recent memory. It is driven by a 21st century tax code that lets 
Americans keep more of their own money and encourages job creators to 
invest in our Nation's workers.
  It is made possible by historic regulatory reform, which has leveled 
the playing field for American consumers and small businesses. From 
farmers and ranchers to community bankers, the burdens of an out-of-
control regulatory state are being lifted.
  So after a decade of stagnation, Republican policies have gotten 
Washington out of the way and freed American workers and job creators 
to do what they do best--build a dynamic economy that is literally the 
envy of the world.
  But as impressive as some of these statistics may be, I think it is 
important to keep in mind that these stories are, at the end of the 
day, human stories. More than 1 million new jobs have been created just 
since we passed tax reform last December. That is not an abstract 
number. That is 1 million opportunities for young workers who are just 
starting out and need to begin climbing the first rungs of the economic 
ladder; for young fathers and mothers who can now leave a position 
where their pay has stayed flat for a new opening in their industry; or 
for midcareer professionals who were sidelined by a tough economy and 
can now suit up and check back in to the game.
  These aren't just economic statistics; they are American men and 
women who have new chances to support their families and build their 
lives that they simply did not have under the policies of the previous 
administration.
  I am glad that we fought and won--and will continue to win--major 
accomplishments for the middle-class families we represent.

                          ____________________