Tester Statement on the U.S. Economy Adding 528,000 Jobs in July

U.S. Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that the American economy added 528,000 jobs in July, pushing total employment to its pre-pandemic level: 

“Today’s jobs report shows that Americans are back to work and we remain on the road to economic recovery. We’ve got more work to do to lower costs for working families, but I’m encouraged by the positive growth we’re seeing, thanks in part to the historic investments we made in the bipartisan infrastructure package that are creating jobs, boosting small businesses, and modernizing critical infrastructure in the process.”   

BLS also found that in addition to creating more than 500,000 new jobs, the U.S. saw unemployment fall to 3.8%, returning the unemployment rate to its February 2020 pre-pandemic level.

Tester worked across the aisle for months to negotiate the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) with a group of five Republicans, four Democrats, and the White House, and he was the only member of Montana’s congressional delegation to vote for it. IIJA is projected to create a total of more than 800,000 American jobs and lower costs for businesses by making targeted investments that will strengthen our nation without raising taxes on working families.

Tester secured significant wins for Montana in the legislation, including $2.82 billion for Montana’s roads, highways and bridges; $2.5 billion to complete all authorized Indian water rights settlements; $42.45 billion for broadband deployment to low-connectivity areas across the country; and $3.37 billion to reduce wildfire risk nationwide, among others. Tester also worked to ensure that all iron, steel, and construction materials used for these projects must be made in America.