Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent last month with 162,000 new jobs created.

“New job opportunities for the American people are always welcome news, but we have still yet to see the robust private sector job creation the Obama administration promised would come from its $862 billion failed stimulus,” said Congressman Price. “This administration has spent more than a year trying to grow the economy by expanding government, even though history shows that strong and sustainable economic growth must begin in the private sector.

“Our job creators, particularly small businesses, are staring at a litany of tax increases, new government mandates, and onerous regulations, all of which threatens to derail their plans for the future. To achieve the long-term economic growth necessary to put America back to work, we must first renew our commitment to the entrepreneurial spirit and principles of free enterprise which are the proven path to widespread prosperity.”