Larson on August Jobs Report: "Trump Fiddles While Families Get Squeezed"

East Hartford, CT – Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) released the following statement on the August Jobs Report. U.S. employers added only 22,000 jobs in August, and unemployment rose to 4.3%. Nearly every sector lost jobs, including manufacturing. The report showed June was the first month since 2020 with net job losses.  

“Stalling job growth, rising unemployment, manufacturing on the decline – we already know this president will lay blame at anyone else’s feet, but the numbers do not lie,” said Larson. “His tariffs are raising costs at the grocery store, pharmacy, and everywhere you shop. As kids head back to school, families had to pay 40 percent more for school supplies this year. He shut down wind and solar projects, locking in high electricity bills and leaving 300 Connecticut workers with nothing but a pink slip. Democrats returned to Washington ready to find solutions. We have put forward real plans to lower costs and cut taxes for working families, but Trump will continue to fiddle while families get squeezed. When will our Republican colleagues stop hiding behind his lies and act?” 

As a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Larson has put forward bills with his colleagues to suspend the President’s tariffs, expand the Child Tax Credit for working parents, and improve Social Security benefits to help seniors keep up with rising costs. 

He helped author and pass the Inflation Reduction Actin 2022, creating new incentives to lower household utility bills and unleash American-made clean energy. In July, Republicans in Congress repealed many of these tax credits, a move estimated to raise energy costs by $344/year for the average Connecticut household. The Republican Budget is also estimated to kick 15 million Americans off their health care and raise premiums for the average household on the Access Health CT exchange by $1,550/year. 

Since then, the Trump Administration has canceled the near-complete Revolution Wind project and the Solar for All program, laying off nearly 300 Connecticut workers. This week, House Republicans voted to slash energy efficiency programs in half, including the Weatherization Assistance Program that helps households save $372 or more per year on utilities.