Washington, D.C. -  Congressman David Price (D-NC) issued the follow statement today following reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that the national economy created 290,000 jobs during the month of April.  This is the first time since 2007 that the economy has created jobs two months in a row.

“Progress isn’t always linear, but two consecutive months of job growth – for the first time since 2007 - is evidence that the economy is headed in the right direction,” said Price.  “Federal investments in the economy are working.” 

“Just eighteen months ago, we lost a record 779,000 jobs in a single month.  Today there is firm evidence of sustained economic growth:  Consumer confidence is rising, GDP is growing at a rate of 3.2%, and businesses are hiring. 

“As encouraging as this news is, I consider it a call to further action.  We know folks are still hurting and we know we have a long way to go before all of our people are back to work.”

Earlier this month, the administration announced that the economy—measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)—grew at an annual rate of 3.2%. during the first quarter of 2010, which represents a nearly 10 percentage point rebound from the first quarter of 2009 when the GDP fell by 6.4%.  This also marks the fourth consecutive quarter of economic growth according to GDP calculations.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law mid-way through the first quarter of 2009. 

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