February 3, 2012

Washington, D.C. - Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued the following statement after the Labor Department’s jobs report showed strong employment gains in January. According to the Department of Labor, U.S. payrolls jumped 243,000 and the unemployment rate fell from 8.5 percent to 8.3 percent.
 
“While I continue to be encouraged by the improving jobs numbers, millions of families continue to struggle in Nevada and around the country. Creating jobs is Congress's top priority and we must keep moving to pass common-sense solutions that put Americans back to work.
 
“Next week the Senate will pass a long-term reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, an aviation jobs bill, which will create or save 280,000 American jobs. We also must act quickly to extend the middle tax class payroll tax cut through the end of the year. If Republicans continue to drag their feet on extending this tax cut, Democrats will move forward with this legislation to ensure that middle class families don't get hit with a tax increase at the end of the month and we don’t jeopardize the economic gains we’ve seen over the past few months.
 
“I hope my Republican colleagues will work with Democrats on passing these common sense measures. The American people expect us to put politics aside and put the interests of the middle class families first.”

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