STATEMENT BY CONGRESSWOMAN LAURA RICHARDSON ON NOVEMBER JOBS REPORT

WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Laura Richardson issued the following statement in response to the Department of Labor announcement that the economy added 146,000 and the unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent in November:

"Today's job report provides further evidence that our economy is on the path to recovery. The unemployment rate dropped to 7.7 percent, the lowest level since December 2008, with businesses hiring 147,000 new employees last month. Thanks to the hard work and grit of the American people the economy has added private sector jobs for 33 straight months, for a total of 5.6 million jobs during that period. After the worst recession since the Great Depression we're making progress and need to build on that moving forward

"The last thing we should do is allow income taxes to go up on middle-class families because Washington can't get its act together. If Congress fails to come to an agreement on an overall deficit reduction package by the end of the year, everybody's income taxes will automatically go up – including the 98 percent of Americans who make less than $250,000 a year. A typical middle-class family of four would see their income taxes go up by about $2,200.

"In order to lay the foundation for long term job growth, our government needs to live within its means but we also need to protect investments that the middle class relies on. Investments in education, small business, and manufacturing are the building blocks of an economy built to last, and as we make tough choices we'll have to fund what works and cut what doesn't."

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Congresswoman Richardson is a Democrat from California's 37th Congressional District. She is a member of the House Committees on Transportation & Infrastructure and Homeland Security and is chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications. Her district includes Long Beach, Compton, Carson, Watts, Willowbrook, and Signal Hill.