Republicans who mocked Biden's jobs numbers silent following positive report

The top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee went on a media tour on Thursday, predicting that the June jobs report would be a bust and preemptively mocking President Joe Biden for not living up to job creation expectations.

However, less than 24 hours later, the June jobs report dropped and showed that the economy added 130,000 more jobs than economists projected — far exceeding expectations in what experts say is a good sign the economy is improving.

Now, hours after the report’s release, that same Republican, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), has been silent.

On Thursday afternoon, Brady sent a tweet that seemed, in essence, to be rooting against the economy:

Tomorrow is June jobs report. QUIZ: HOW FAR SHORT OF PROMISED JOBS WILL #BidenJobsPlan FALL? (Hint: He’s 1.56 million jobs short now).
A. 300K
B. 500K
C. 700K
D. He’ll hit his projections! (Just kidding). #CorrectAnswerTomorrow.

Brady also appeared on Fox Business to predict bad news in the June jobs numbers.

“The question is will we see any meaningful progress tomorrow in getting people back in the workforce,” Brady told Fox Business’ Stuart Varney. “My guess is, as long as half the country’s paying workers more to stay home than to go back to work, you’re still going to see us struggling there. So, workers, wages, jobs. I’d say the President’s report card is failing.”

Brady was wrong.

The economy added 850,000 jobs in June — the biggest increase in 10 months, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And that 850,000 number was higher than the 720,000 jobs economists had forecasted would be added.

Brady wasn’t the only Republican making wrong predictions about the economy.

“Disappointing jobs reports, falling wages, and rising inflation: this President Biden’s economy,” Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) tweeted on Thursday.

Not only did the economy exceed expectations with job creation, but average earnings also increased — proving Smucker wrong.

According to the BLS, average hourly earnings rose 10 cents, to $30.40.

“The data for recent months suggest that the rising demand for labor associated with the recovery from the pandemic may have put upward pressure on wages,” the BLS said in a news release.

Like Brady, Smucker has also yet to comment on Friday’s report.

Democrats, meanwhile, celebrated the report.

“A spectacular jobs report for June: 850,000 jobs added!!!” Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) tweeted. “Today’s massive numbers were much higher than expected. The U.S. economy has now created almost THREE MILLION jobs since @POTUS took office. President Biden’s economic plan is working!”

Update: Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) responded after this article was posted, tweeting: “ANSWER: C. 700K jobs short. Even w/June jobs report, reopening economy & trillions in “stimulus”, #Biden has quickly fallen 679k jobs short of WH projections. Other troubling signs: workers still on sidelines, prices rising faster than wages. Hurts families, Main Street biz.”

Brady appears to be referencing a Moody’s report from September 2020, which forecasted that Biden’s coronavirus relief bill would create 7 million jobs in 2021. So far in 2021, the economy has added nearly 3.3 million jobs, according to data from the BLS. Economists had expected the economy to gain 720,000 jobs in June, but it gained 850,000 — far exceeding those projections. 

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.