PORTLAND, ME – In response to the May jobs report released today by the U.S. Department of Labor, which revealed that the economy added 217,000 new jobs, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement calling on Congress to foster greater economic certainty in order to support the jobs recovery:

“I’m pleased today’s report reveals continued job growth and that the total number of U.S. jobs has finally returned to pre-recession levels. But I think we can all agree that there’s still much more work left to be done. On Main Streets across America, people continue to feel the squeeze of an all-too-thin wallet and increasing costs of living. Congress should be striving day in and day out to strike a compromise on minimum wage, pass an extension of emergency unemployment benefits, or just simply move forward on a number of other critically important bills.

“We all know too well that politics often drags down the peoples’ business here in Washington. But I believe there are some of us here in the Senate who want to get things done for the American people. So, instead of giving into the inertia in Washington, I’ll do what I came here to do and continue to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I urge my colleagues to join me.”

The Department of Labor announced today that the economy added 217,000 jobs in May and that the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.3 percent. The report also revised April employment gains downward slightly to 282,000.

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