Democrats tout higher-than-expected January jobs numbers
Biden said jobs numbers show 'extraordinary resilience and grit of the American people, and American capitalism'
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh argues that payrolls in January rising by 467,000 is a 'very transparent number' even though the benchmark had been revised, which he acknowledged is 'part of' the reason why job growth blew past expectations.
Democrats are touting an unexpectedly positive jobs report Friday after the economy added 467,000 jobs last month – a number that's much higher than expected after a massive surge in coronavirus cases late last year.
"The Republicans who are rooting against the economy are the ones hardest hit," a Democratic aide told FOX Business. "They've been cheering against Joe Biden and Dems while we've created a record 7 million jobs in 12 months and 1.7 million over the last three months. There's work to be done, and Democrats are gonna do it while Republicans sit on the sidelines and quite literally cheer against America."
"The January jobs report is proof that Democrats’ economic policies are working and getting our economy back on track," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said.
"We need to sustain this momentum as we transition from the economic recovery phase to one of sustained, broadly felt growth," he continued. "It is essential that Congress not waste any time enacting further legislation to position American businesses, workers, families, and children in the best possible position to compete in the global economy and Make It In America."
President Biden addresses the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 21, 2021, at U.N. headquarters in New York City. Biden is expected to address positive jobs numbers later Friday. (Timothy A. Clary-Pool/Getty Images / Getty Images)
US JOB GROWTH SOARS PAST EXPECTATIONS WITH 467,000 ADDED, SHAKING OFF OMICRON SURGE
The 467,000 increase in payrolls during January easily topped the 150,000 jobs gain forecast by Refinitiv economists. The unemployment rate, which is calculated based on a separate survey, ticked up slightly to 4%.
Further, the December increase in payrolls was revised upward from 199,000 to 510,000.
In remarks later Friday morning, President Biden said the jobs report showed the "extraordinary resilience and grit of the American people, and American capitalism."
"Our country is taking everything that COVID has to throw at us and we've come back stronger," Biden said. "America's job machine is going stronger than ever... America is back to work."
"467,000 jobs added in January, well above expectations," Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., tweeted. "Thank you to the American people. Thank you to @POTUS and@VP. Thank you American Rescue Plan. Democrats are fighting #ForThePeople."
"Today’s jobs report makes it clear: President Biden’s economic plan is working. The economy is booming, and continues to exceed expectations," Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said. "Thanks to the work of Democrats who passed the American Rescue Plan, got more than 200 million Americans vaccinated, and tackled supply chain bottlenecks, the economy has created a record over 6.6 million jobs in 12 months, and 2021 was the greatest year of job creation under any president in history."
Even amid a surge in the omicron coronavirus variant, and with many states still not as vaccinated as the Biden administration would like, jobs increased in January.
Youngstown City Health Department worker Faith Terreri grabs two at-home COVID-19 test kits to be handed out during a distribution event, Dec. 30, 2021, in Youngstown, Ohio. Workers, students and people visiting family members during the omicron surge used rapid COVID-19 tests, as jobs numbers increased.
President Biden, in a tweet, highlighted that more than 6.6 million jobs have been created since he took office.
Republicans and conservatives are not giving the president credit for the jobs bump. Alfredo Ortiz, the CEO and president of the conservative Job Creators Network, said Friday that the positive numbers have more to do with Americans moving on from the pandemic.
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"This is a good number, and it’s encouraging. It certainly shows Americans are tired of government-induced lockdowns, and a new Johns Hopkins study confirms what we knew all long: Lockdowns don’t help," Ortiz said. "Unfortunately, the damage has already been done. We were down 22.4 million jobs at the height of the pandemic. Many of those jobs have returned, thanks to Republican governors and their pro-freedom policies."
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah., the ranking member of the Joint Economic Committee, said that inflation is still eating away at Americans' paychecks even if they do have jobs.
"Thanks to runaway spending in Congress, inflation is handing most Americans a pay cut, and falling real wages have discouraged many from returning to work," he said. "The threat of vaccine mandates has caused more employers to separate the unvaccinated from their livelihoods."
FOX Business' Megan Henney contributed to this report.