Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) issued the following statement on the release of a new report by the Joint Economic Committee, which shows that the 20 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. have lost more than 1 million jobs since the stimulus became law. The private sector has shed 557,000 jobs in these communities, while their federal workforce has actually grown by 42,700 jobs.

“If you want to know why most Americans think stimulus is a four-letter word, just take a look at the numbers,” said Congressman Price. “For every federal worker added to the public payroll in the biggest metro areas, thirteen people in the private sector lost their jobs. President Obama said his stimulus would have 90 percent of its impact in the private sector, but the data shows where Democrats’ priorities really lie. Reliance on Washington does not make our economy stronger. We need to get government out of the way so people once again see real opportunities to prosper and create jobs.”