After the U.S. Department of Labor released the latest jobs and unemployment numbers, DNC Chair and former Labor Secretary Tom Perez released the following statement:

“The first thing you need to know about this jobs report is not just a number. It’s not a statistic. The first thing you need to know is that this was preventable. 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment; the unemployment rate tripled to 14.7%; small businesses have shuttered, and some will never reopen; 1.3 million have been infected and more than 75,000 have died. The United States accounts for 5% of the world’s population, but more than a quarter of its confirmed coronavirus deaths. This is not a coincidence. This is the result of a historic failure of leadership on the part of Donald Trump and Republican leaders.

“The only thing more staggering than this jobs report is the incompetence that caused it. First, Trump tried denial. He was warned months ago about the virus, but he failed to take action, and even said it would disappear by April. When that didn’t work, he moved to lying. He said testing was available to anyone who wanted a test, even when his own advisors admitted testing capacity was nowhere near the levels needed to defeat the virus. Then he put his own interests first. He undermined congressional oversight of his administration’s provision of stimulus funds, and then millions went to large corporations, Trump campaign donors, and those with connections to the White House. He refused to fully invoke the Defense Production Act because he said he did not want to ‘embarrass’ corporations. He declared ‘mission accomplished’ and shifted his focus away from public health and toward quickly reopening the country as infection rates continue to rise across most of the country. Instead of taking responsibility, Trump has spent his time shifting blame, and the American people are the ones paying the price for his lack of leadership.

“The American people are hungry for new leadership. They know the blame lies at Donald Trump’s feet, and they are going to make him pay the price in November, when they elect Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. Joe Biden is a proven leader with the empathy and experience to move us forward. Not only will he help Americans recover from this crisis and Trump’s disastrous administration, he will build a new era of prosperity and create millions of good-paying jobs.”