National Unemployment Rate Rose to 9 Percent in April

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Friday that while there were an additional 244,000 nonfarm payroll jobs (and 268,000 new jobs in the private sector) added to the economy in April, the national unemployment rate rose from 8.8 percent in March to 9.0 percent in April.

This mornings report of 244,000 new jobs in April is encouraging news, but the rise in the unemployment rate to 9 percent shows how far we still have to go, said Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney on Friday. Historically, we have seen much stronger economic and job growth at this stage after a recession. The relatively stagnant economy and high unemployment is a product of the uncertainty that our small businesses face under the threat of higher taxes, overly burdensome regulations, and out-of-control debt from Washington.

The fact is, Washington doesnt create jobs, small businesses do, added Rooney.We need to foster an environment that will allow businesses to grow and create good jobs by simplifying the tax code, getting spending under control, and eliminating job-crushing mandates in short, getting Washington out of the way and letting small businesses lead the way to recovery.