In response to the latest Labor Department numbers showing employers cut 140,000 jobs which marks the first loss since April, Protect Our Care’s Coronavirus War Room Director Zac Petkanas released the following statement:
“Today’s job numbers are an unsurprising but devastating consequence of the Trump Administration and Senate Republicans blocking any attempt to seriously address the economic crisis that’s been dogging American families throughout this pandemic.
“After standing in the way of any help for more than seven months, Mitch McConnell and his allies were forced into action as a last ditch effort to save the Georgia Senate seats. But the panicked move was too little, too late, shortchanging the American people by hacking away at meaningful COVID relief, including cuts to unemployment insurance, direct relief checks and rental assistance. In fact, we now know that fifty-two thousand of the jobs lost last month disappeared solely because McConnell eliminated state and local aid from the final deal.
“It will take months to fix McConnell’s mess as the United States faces the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Recession. We can start by ensuring the next COVID relief package puts working families first and includes significant aid to keep essential workers and first-responders on the job.
“But make no mistake: the Republicans’ inability to put the American people first has guaranteed this crisis will continue to drag on much longer than it had to.”