“This morning’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is further indication that our economic recovery continues to demonstrate strength. More than 6 million jobs have now been created since President Biden took office last January, and with the revisions to past months in today’s report, our economy added an average of 537,000 jobs per month in 2021, bringing our unemployment rate down to just 3.9%. New applications for small businesses are up nearly a third since before the pandemic, and we have regained 84% of all the jobs lost since March 2020. Our economy is growing faster than at any point in the past four decades, and ours is the only major economy in the world that is stronger overall than it was before COVID-19 struck. I am excited to see the positive impact on job growth in the months ahead as we begin to see the implementation of the landmark Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Biden signed a few weeks ago, bipartisan legislation to fund major infrastructure projects and help us transition toward a cleaner-energy economy. While the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to present serious challenges, it is clear that our economy is proving resilient and that the American Rescue Plan helped get millions of people back to work safely with the help of life-saving vaccines and the deployment of additional safety measures in schools and workplaces.    “As our economy continues to put millions of Americans back to work, Democrats will continue working to complete enactment of the Build Back Better Act, which will ensure that we don’t simply return to the pre-pandemic days when even two or three jobs weren’t enough to ensure that workers and their families could achieve economic security.  The legislation we passed in the House in November would invest in American families, children, and workers by providing substantial tax cuts, making child care and housing more affordable, and bringing down the cost of prescription drugs, among other benefits.  I strongly urge the Senate to make progress on this transformational legislation that will make economic security more attainable for so many millions of working people and their families all across our country.    “With infections from Omicron rising, it remains critical that Americans get vaccinated against COVID-19 and obtain their booster shots if five months or more have already passed since their initial doses.  Together, we can continue to make it through this challenge while laying the groundwork for the future to be one of greater opportunity, prosperity, and economic security for our people.”