Summary: Today, Speaker Ryan shared some of the biggest economic news from the past week, highlighting the healthy job market, rising wages, and economic growth that have been strengthened by the House’s policies. He also previewed the water infrastructure bill the House will consider today to improve America’s ports, dams, and waterways.
Opening Statement:
“What I’m about to say may sound familiar because it’s worth repeating.
“This economy is on a roll, there is just no two ways about it.
“There are 6.7 million jobs open in this country. This is a record.
“In fact, as Kevin just said, the number of jobs that are open actually exceeds the number of jobs that people are seeking.
“Think about this for a second. This is a great time to enter the job market.
“Unemployment is at 3.8 percent. 3.8 percent unemployment rate is the lowest unemployment rate in half a century.
“Wages are growing too. The wage growth is truly impressive.
“Every decline to unemployment represents one more American getting off the sidelines, getting in the job market, climbing the ladder of life. Every job that is open represents a new opportunity for another American.
“This is why we’re doing this.
“This economic momentum—it doesn’t happen by accident. We don’t just fall into this stuff. We’ve worked hard to create an economic environment where this kind of growth is possible.
“That’s what these policies produce.
“Last week, I went to a Kroger plant in Springdale, Ohio, with Steve Chabot. This is where they make the ice cream at Kroger.
“After tax reform, they used the savings to hire more people, to raise wages, to improve benefits.
“They put new education benefits for lifelong learning for their employees, and they increased their 401(k) match.
“These are the types of changes that help workers put food on the table, helps workers get better education to get ahead, and helps people feel more secure in their retirement.
“Why? Because employers are giving more benefits to employees, they’re hiring more people, there are more opportunities.
“Again, this good news—these don’t come together by accident. They come together because of good policies.
“And this result is what matters most.
“The purpose of all of these policies is to improve people’s lives. It’s to build a stronger, healthier, more prosperous America.
“This week, we’re voting on another infrastructure bill, a water infrastructure bill, which is critically important to keep our economic growth going.
“It will make it easier to complete projects improving our ports, our waterways, our dams, our harbors.
“This is yet another way that we are supporting the competitiveness of an American economy and helping put our industries in a position to drive future growth in the future.”
