Every new jobs report that the Biden administration touts should be taken with a grain of salt, and for good reason. What we often see are rosy caricatures of how the economy is allegedly on the rebound, how the job market is allegedly booming, and how the country overall is allegedly flourishing. But details matter. What we do not see, as the months go on, is how the numbers embedded in these reports – that have been hailed as “progress” – are quietly scrubbed and replaced with few noticing. This, among other reasons, is why we ought to apply a healthy dose of skepticism to whatever this administration holds up to our eyes.

Through November of last year, the federal government, specifically the Bureau of Labor Statistics, silently brought out its magic eraser and made 439,000 previously “created” jobs vanish into thin air. What exactly are we to make of this? Well, we can conclude that since 439,000 reported jobs were nixed during that stretch of time, the previously issued jobs reports had been artificially inflated. So, if there’s a sizable gap between the jobs that were created and the jobs that were not, where exactly is the growth coming from? The government.

In December of 2023, job creation within the government ranked highest among all sectors within the marketplace with 52,000 jobs having been created. According to Edward Lawrence of Fox Business, this means that the three-month average of jobs created by the government sector is equal to 50,000 per month. Again, details matter. Simply put, the creation of government jobs is not a bellwether of positive change for the economy.

This pattern of whitewashing job data, and blatant mischaracterizations, is nothing new from the Biden administration – it’s become the norm. Take, for example, the President’s previous claim that he is to be credited for over 13 million jobs having been added to the economy since he took office. He conveniently forgot to credit the economy itself – absent everything he believes he had done – for restoring those jobs that had been previously lost during the pandemic. According to Fox Business, only 4.86 million jobs were created by his administration since February of 2020. The very next time a jobs report is released, remember what I’ve shared with you today and apply the utmost scrutiny to what you hear and read.

Local Spotlight

Recently, I was proud to nominate Mitchell Wright, a Social Studies teacher at Watauga High School, for one of only sixteen nationwide seats for the U.S. Capitol Historical Society (USCHS) Civic Education Workshop this spring. This event allows educators from across the country to develop new lesson plans and instructional materials for both middle and high school students on the history and function of the Electoral College. Last week, Mr. Wright was officially selected to participate – a well-deserved opportunity and honor for someone who has dedicated 26 years of his life to teaching.

To learn more about the USCHS, its programming, and for helpful educational resources, click here.

My Latest Interview

On Monday, I joined Greta Van Susteren on Newsmax to talk about the Education and Workforce Committee’s ongoing investigation into the policies at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT. Our investigation is the most effective method this Committee has to hold colleges accountable.  Depending on the findings of our investigation, we will be in communication with the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education to ensure strong enforcement actions are occurring. That could include pulling federal funding. No taxpayer dollars should flow to colleges that fail to protect all students.

To watch the full interview, click here.

Quote of The Week

“Beware of the person who won’t be bothered by details.”

-William Feather

Have a blessed weekend,