January 6, 2012

Washington, D.C. - Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued the following statement on December’s stronger than expected unemployment figures. According to the Department of Labor, the U.S. economy added 200,000 jobs in November, and the unemployment rate dropped from 8.7 percent to 8.5 percent.

“Creating jobs must continue to be Congress' top priority. While the economy has shown signs of improvement, that is no consolation for the millions of Americans who are out of a job and struggling to make ends meet in Nevada and across the country.

“The first thing the Senate must do to strengthen our economy is extend the payroll tax cut for the remainder of this year. This middle class tax cut is vital for 160 million American workers who count on this money to help them put food on the table and heat their homes this winter.

“I hope my Republican colleagues have learned from their recent mistakes, and will begin the New Year focused on working with Democrats to create jobs, instead of scoring political points against President Obama.”

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