MCALLEN, TX – In response to the July jobs report released today by the U.S. Department of Labor, which revealed that the economy added 209,000 new jobs, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) released the following statement:

“Combined with Wednesday’s good news on the growth of the economy, today’s report further confirms that our economic recovery is picking up steam. But if Congress fails to live up to its responsibility to govern, we could scuttle that valuable progress,” Senator King said. “Significant work remains to be done to get the economy back on its feet, and it is critical that Congress does everything in its power to promote – not hamstring – that recovery, because a healthy economy translates into better opportunities for hard-working Americans who have been hit hard by the recession. I am committed and stand ready to work with my colleagues on doing the nation’s business.”

The Department of Labor announced today that the economy added 209,000 jobs in July and that the unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percent to 6.2 percent. The report also revised June employment gains upward to 298,000 and May employment gains up to 229,000.

On Wednesday, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis announced that real annualized GDP grew by four percent during the second quarter of this year. This reversed a 2.1 percent contraction during the first quarter of 2014.

###