Looking Back: Jobs Down, Poverty Up Over Last Four Years‏

From the office of Rep. Peter Roskam (R, Illinois 6th District)…

This week, I’d like to share a chart with you that details the national decline in employment and prosperity the United States has experienced since 2008. In the last four years, the number of Americans out of work, living in poverty, and receiving food stamps has grown at an alarming rate.

The numbers are stark: the policies of the last four years have not worked, but the good news is this does not have to be the “new normal.” The House has passed multiple bills to create an environment where small businesses can grow and hire, and our economy can get back on track.


Click on image to see larger version

Chart from: U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means

Sources: Department of Labor payroll and household surveys; Census Bureau poverty data; HHS TANFdata; Social Security Administration SSI/SSDI 2008 and 2012 data; and Department of Agriculture data. *CY 2008 average, unless otherwise noted. **Most recent available data.

http://roskam.house.gov/


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