DeLauro Statement on Record Unemployment in Connecticut and U.S.

WASHINGTON, DC — (May 8, 2020) Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Chair of the House Appropriations Committee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, released the following statement after new Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data was released showing the United States unemployment rate increased to 14.7% in April. And Connecticut's jobless rate as of mid-April was 18.7% and rising according to the Connecticut Department of Labor.

"The latest economic data in Connecticut and the United States is confirmation of the Depression-level hardship people are facing right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. People are fighting for their economic survival, and I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress to provide extensive economic relief and end the public health crisis that is causing it. But Congress cannot do this alone, and Congressional Republicans who say we must wait before taking action on further relief bills are dead wrong. President Trump's failed leadership over the last few months has been catastrophic—bringing record unemployment, illnesses, and deaths. Worse still, he and his administration have no plan to get this public health crisis under control through a national strategy on testing, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantining. Our country and our people cannot continue down this path."