[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 94 (Thursday, June 7, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H4855-H4856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMERICA IS WINNING AGAIN
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly) for 5 minutes.
Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, America is winning again.
Earlier this week marked the 500th day of the Trump-Pence
administration.
Last Friday's new jobs report by the Department of Labor was a
reminder of just how positive these first 500 days of the Trump
administration have been for America. This is not just good news; this
is great news for all Americans.
A New York Times headline proclaimed: ``We Ran Out of Words to
Describe How Good the Jobs Numbers Are.''
According to CNBC, the headline was: ``There are more jobs than
people out of work, something the American economy has never
experienced before.''
The front page of the New York Post was more succinct. It said:
``We're in the Money.''
Here are just a few snapshots:
The national unemployment rate, down to just 3.8 percent, is now
matching its lowest rate since 1969;
More than 1 million new jobs have been created since President Trump
signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December;
More than 3.4 million new jobs have been created since the President
took office, including 322,000 new jobs in manufacturing;
More than 6.6 million job openings now exist throughout the United
States. This is an all-time high.
In that same New York Post edition, let me read to you some stats
that I think are just outstanding. Let's look at unemployment in 2010
versus 2018, look at it by gender and by race.
In 2010, 9.6 percent of men were on unemployment; in 2018, 3.5
percent.
In 2010, 8.6 percent of women were unemployed; today, 3.3 percent.
For Blacks, in 2010, 16.6 percent were unemployed; today, 5.9 percent
are unemployed.
Hispanics, in 2010, 12.9 percent were unemployed; today, 4.9 percent.
For Asian Americans, in 2010, 8.6 percent were unemployed; today, 2.1
percent.
By age, in the 16 to 19 category, in 2010, 26.2 percent were
unemployed; today, in 2018, 12.8 percent.
In the 20 to 24 range, in 2010, 17.2 percent were unemployed; today,
7.1 percent.
In the 25 to 54 range, 8.9 percent in 2010 were unemployed; today,
3.1 percent.
And if it is 55 and older that you are looking at, in 2010, 7.4
percent were unemployed; today, 2.8 percent.
Wages for American workers have also steadily grown almost 3 percent
over the past year, and they continue to climb.
Furthermore, according to the IMD World Competitiveness Center's 2018
ranking, the United States has already overtaken Hong Kong as the
number one most competitive economy in the world, `` . . . thanks to
faster economic growth and a supportive atmosphere for scientific and
technological innovation.''
According to the International Energy Agency, the United States will
be the world's largest oil producer by 2023.
None of this good news was inevitable. None of our country's economic
momentum is accidental. Nothing about this historically strong economy
and its benefits for every single American are guaranteed to be
permanent. All of this great news was made possible by the conservative
progrowth policies of this administration and this Congress: from
lowering taxes to cutting red tape, to expanding energy production.
As we embark on the next 500 days of this Presidency, the facts
cannot be denied both at home and abroad: America is winning again.
Mr. Speaker, I think that sometimes when you sit and listen to the
talk on
[[Page H4856]]
this floor, you would think that we are not all from a different
universe; we are from different galaxies.
{time} 1045
One side paints America as all gloom and doom and how horrible it is.
The other side talks about opportunity, talks about job growth, talks
about economic growth, and talks about how America is winning again.
I would ask my fellow Americans to remember this is the people's
floor. It does not belong to Republicans, and it does not belong to
Democrats. It belongs to the American people. We are winning again as a
country, as both Republicans, Democrats, and independents. We are
winning, and we will continue to win.
As I said earlier, nothing about this has been accidental, nothing
about this has been casual, and none of this has happened by chance. It
is pro-growth policy that continues to make sure that America wins
again for every single American.
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