Plus Free Delivery
when you add a base.
Ends Labor Day.
GRIFF: THINGS ARE FINALLY
STARTING TO LOOK UP FOR THE
AMERICAN WORKER AS WE CELEBRATE.
THE ECONOMY ADDING 1.4 MILLION
JOBS IN AUGUST AS THE
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FELL TO ITS
LOWEST LEVEL SINCE THE PANDEMIC
BEGAN.
BUT, WITH STILL MILLIONS
UNEMPLOYED HOW IS THE
ADMINISTRATION PLANNING TO HELP
OUT OF WORK AMERICANS?
LET’S BRING IN THE ALICIA
SECRETARY EUGENE SCALIA.
MR. SECRETARY, HAPPY LABOR DAY
TO YOU.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
>> HAPPY LABOR DAY, GRIFF, GREAT
TO JOIN YOU.
GRIFF: LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS
AUGUST JOBS GAINS CLEARLY
RECOVERING 1.4 MILLION JOBS.
LOOKS LIKE IT’S RECOVERING 8.4%.
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON IT AND HOW
SIGNIFICANT IS THIS?
>> IT’S A REALLY GOOD REPORT.
IT WAS A GREAT WAY TO HEAD INTO
LABOR DAY FOR THE AMERICAN
WORKER.
AS YOU SAY, 8.4% UNEMPLOYMENT.
THE EXPERTS WATCHING THE JOB
MARKETS WERE SAYING WE WEREN’T
GET THERE UNTIL MAYBE LATE NEXT
YEAR.
UNDER THE LAST ADMINISTRATION
DURING THE SO-CALLED GREAT
RECESSION.
OUR LAST ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, IT
TOOK 34 MONTHS, NEARLY THREE
YEARS TO GET UNEMPLOYMENT DOWN
UNDER 8.5%.
THE PRESIDENT, THE COUNTRY, WE
HAVE DONE IT IN FOUR MONTHS.
SO, IT’S A VERY STRONG TREND.
WE HAVE NOW ADDED 10.6 MILLION
JOBS SINCE APRIL.
WE HAVE GOT, OBVIOUSLY MORE WORK
TO DO.
BUT WE ARE MAKING STRONG
PROGRESS, UP BETTER THAN HAD
BEEN PROJECTED.
GRIFF: YOU MENTIONED PROGRESS.
ABOUT A MONTH AGO I REMEMBER YOU
WERE SAYING IT’S TOO EARLY TO
DECLARE VICTORY ON JOBS.
IF YOU JUST GO INTO THE INDUSTRY
GAINS A LITTLE BIT.
WE WILL JUST SHOW YOU 249,000 IN
RETAIL.
BUSINESS SERVICES ALMOST 200,000
HOSPITALITY AND LEISURE 174,000.
EDUCATION HEALTH SERVICES UP
ALMOST 150,000.
AND SO FORTH.
ARE YOU SORT OF PUTTING A MORE
OPTIMISTIC VIEW OF IT NOW?
>> I YOU AM OPTIMISTIC WHEN YOU
LOOK AT THE GAINS WERE
WIDESPREAD ACROSS INDUSTRIES.
GRIFF, THE OTHER THING THAT I
LIKE IS WHEN I LOOK AT WHERE WE
STILL HAVE JOBS TO ADD BACK-SEE
WHERE WE OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO DO
THAT.
HEALTHCARE STILL FOCUSED ON DOWN
700,000 JOBS FROM WHERE WE WERE
IN FEBRUARY.
THOSE ARE JOBS THAT ARE SO
IMPORTANT THAT’S A GROWING
SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY.
SO, I SEE MORE ROOM TO PUT MORE
AMERICANS BACK TO WORK IN THE
MONTHS AHEAD ALTHOUGH IT’S
IMPORTANT AS WELL TO HELP THOSE
WHO REMAIN OUT OF WORK.
GRIFF: SURE.
THERE ARE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS
SUFFERING.
WHAT IS THE ADMINISTRATION
TRYING TO DO AS SOON AS TOMORROW
THIS WEEK, NEXT WEEK TO HELP
THEM?
>> WELL, ONE OF THE REASONS THAT
I THINK WE ARE COMING BACK
QUICKLY NOW IS A SERIES OF
DECISIONS THE PRESIDENT HAS MADE
IN THE COURSE OF THIS YEAR
BEGINNING, BY THE WAY, WITH THE
U.S.-MEXICO-CANADA AGREEMENT.
I’M TRAVELING TO WISCONSIN TODAY
WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT.
A WONDERFUL WAY TO SPEND LABOR
DAY.
THAT IS A STATE THAT WILL
BENEFIT FROM THAT HISTORIC TRADE
AGREEMENT REPLACING NAFTA.
THERE WERE ALSO THE REALLY
IMPORTANT RELIEF MEASURES THE
PRESIDENT TOOK ON A BIPARTISAN
BASIS WITH CONGRESS IN MARCH.
ONE OF THOSE WAS UNEMPLOYMENT
RELIEF.
AS YOU KNOW THAT EXPIRED IN
JULY.
THE PRESIDENT, HIS TEAM SOUGHT
TO GET AN EXTENSION WITH
CONGRESS AND THEY JUST WOULDN’T
DEAL ON IT.
AND WE STILL HAD A STALEMATE
THERE.
NOW, WHAT THE PRESIDENT DID IS
HE SAID IF CONGRESS IS NOT GOING
TO HELP ME, LET’S FIND A WAY.
THERE WAS A MESSAGE TO HIS TEAM.
LET’S FIND A WAY TO SUPPORT
AMERICANS WHO REMAIN ON
UNEMPLOYMENT.
AND THE PRESIDENT STOOD UP THIS
NEW PROGRAM WITH FEMA, GIVING
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS TO
AMERICANS WHEN CONGRESS WOULD
NOT.
GRIFF: MR. SECRETARY, JUST IN
THE TIME WE HAVE GOT LEFT
THOUGH, I WANT TO ASK YOU WHY --
THE ADMINISTRATION SEEMS VERY
OPEN, SAYING OVER THE WEEKEND
THEY WANT TO DO SOME SORT OF
SHORT-TERM PACKAGE.
WHY WON’T SPEAKER PELOSI AND THE
DEMOCRATS COME TO THE TABLE WITH
YOU?
>> I CAN SPEAK FOR THE PRESIDENT
WHO IS DETERMINED TO GET
AMERICANS BACK TO WORK, HELP
THOSE WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED IN THE
MEANTIME I DO GET THE IMPRESSION
AT TIMES THAT THE DEMOCRATIC
LEADERSHIP IN CONGRESS IS NOT
FOCUSED RIGHT NOW ON DOING
WHAT’S BEST FOR THE COUNTRY AT
THIS MOMENT.
GRIFF: ALL RIGHT.
SECRETARY EUGENE SCALIA HAPPY
BIRTHDAY LABOR DAY GOOD LUCK ON
THAT TRIP TO WISCONSIN.
