Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said that the jobs added to the U.S. economy in the month of December was due to Democrat legislation, all of which was passed during Obama’s first two years in office.
Reid claimed that it was he and Senate Democrats who were responsible for the uptick in the economy. The December jobs report released earlier today was better than expected as the unemployment rate dropped to 5.6 percent.
The badly bruised Senator from Nevada, who is working from home after injuring his eye, spoke to KNPR this afternoon. Reid boasted that Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, FDA regulations of tobacco, and the Lilly Ledbetter Paycheck Fairness Act were major accomplishments that have led to a stronger economy--despite Republicans' best efforts.
Reid complained about Senate Republicans, who first said their goal was to stop Obama's reelection and after 2012 promised to oppose him every step of the way. He said they failed.
"In spite of all that, we have been very very strong in pushing through legislation," Reid said.
Although he blamed Republicans for the gridlock in Congress, as Senate Majority Leader Reid blocked dozens of bipartisan job bills from getting a a vote on the Senate floor.
Reid didn't explain how exactly laws from nearly six years ago added jobs this past month. Democrats have not typically hailed any of these laws as major job creators, which makes Reid's comments so odd. Democrat talking points have been more focused on protecting consumers, lowering costs, and providing equality when it comes to these laws.
Obamacare has been attacked as the exact opposite of a jobs bill, and those in the financial sector said that Dodd-Frank's regulations are suffocating the lending markets and squeezing the economy.
Even more peculiar is the inclusion of FDA regulations on tobacco and the Lilly Ledbetter Act. Neither is a jobs bill and neither fits into the conversation. Reid, still recovering from his injuries, may have confused the 252,000 jobs added with the number of regulators hired to implement his legislation.
Despite many indicators suggesting that the economy has not yet recovered for the middle class, Reid said that Democrats "We're satisfied."