OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott is demanding an explanation from the Biden administration following a revelation from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia that a job creation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics ahead of the November election was highly misleading.
Scott was responding to a BLS report claiming that more than 1 million jobs were created between March and June, but according to the Fed, job growth during that period was “essentially flat” during the period, with around 10,500 new jobs created.
The Washington Times notes:
The Philadelphia Fed’s new assessment shows that employment numbers in 29 states and the District of Columbia were significantly lower than the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported for the March-through-June period.
The BLS, a division of the Department of Labor, estimated net job growth of 1,047,000 jobs in the second quarter. The Philadelphia Fed now says its data shows that 10,500 net jobs were created in that period.
“In the second quarter of this year, we created more jobs than in any quarter under any of my predecessors in the nearly 40 years before the pandemic,” Biden claimed in July. “Our job market remains historically strong, with unemployment at 3.6% and more than 1 million jobs created in the second quarter alone.”
But that wasn’t true, according to the Philly Fed, and now, Scott and other Republicans are demanding an explanation.
“Wrong by a million jobs,” Scott tweeted Friday. “@JoeBiden’s admin has been lying to the American people about our economy to prop up his failed agenda & I won’t stand for it. I’m requesting an immediate meeting with the head of @BLS_gov. WE NEED ANSWERS NOW!”
WRONG BY A MILLION JOBS. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS.@JoeBiden's admin has been lying to the American people about our economy to prop up his failed agenda & I won't stand for it. I'm requesting an immediate meeting with the head of @BLS_gov. WE NEED ANSWERS NOW! pic.twitter.com/OKwsiYSoER
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) December 16, 2022
Scott also fired off a letter to BLS Commissioner William Beach asking him to explain the huge discrepancy.
“For the better part of his presidency, while the American economy has struggled and record inflation has brought historic pain to families and small businesses across the country, President Joe Biden has consistently bragged about job growth,” the senator wrote.
“Now, thanks to the good work of analysts at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, we know that the BLS inaccurately reported the creation more than one million jobs, and that much of what President Biden has claimed credit for as the economic achievements for his administration is a lie,” he added, according to the Western Journal.
“I realize that the BLS relies on projections, based on the collection of real data, to report nationwide figures. Making small revisions to work of this nature is understandable, but what the Philadelphia Fed uncovered is not an insignificant projection error. This appears to be a massive and incredibly consequential failure that has misled the American people and covered up the damage done to the American economy by President Biden’s radical anti-business, pro-government agenda,” Scott noted further.
He also vowed to meet with Beach.
“While the Biden admin touts a successful economy, this report shows only 10,500 jobs were added between March and June 2022—an alarming difference of 1,000,000+ jobs. Americans deserve answers, so I’m meeting with the head of @BLS_gov to get to the bottom of it,” Scott tweeted.
While the Biden admin touts a successful economy, this report shows only 10,500 jobs were added between March and June 2022—an alarming difference of 1,000,000+ jobs.
Americans deserve answers, so I'm meeting with the head of @BLS_gov to get to the bottom of it. pic.twitter.com/b16r251lpq
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) December 21, 2022
Ahead of the November midterms, a majority of Americans blamed the Biden administration and Democrats for record-high inflation.
“The CBS/YouGov Battleground Tracker poll surveyed 2068 registered voters between October 12th and 14th, asking a number of questions about the upcoming elections, the overall state of the economy, and whether or not they were satisfied with the direction the country was heading,” The Daily Wire reported, citing the outlet’s survey data.
“The worst news for Democrats came from the questions about the economy, as 65% of those polled said that they felt like the United States economy was getting worse compared to only 15% who believed it was getting better. Another 20% said that the economy was staying the same,” The Daily Wire added.
Democrats were also getting most of the blame. The survey found that nearly half — 48 percent — said Democrats and Democratic policies were to blame for the inflationary economy, while fewer than one-third, or 29 percent, said Dem policies were helping. Meanwhile, more than two-thirds, or 68 percent, said Biden could be doing more to combat inflation, while just 29 percent said he was already doing what he could.
