Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) interrogated Dr. Keith Hall, Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, before a Joint Economic Committee hearing focused on reviewing the problems with the current American employment situation.

Cummings hammered away at Hall, backing his stance with a barrage of statistics about the job market. The Congressman also offered a harsh critique of the recently passed Bush Administration stimulus package and the “shocking” state of less-than-adequate infrastructure growth our nation is experiencing.

Dr. Hall acknowledged that while manufacturing and retail employment was down, he refused to say that America was entrenched in full economic recession. Hall’s opinion was that the American economy was “flat” but not yet experiencing the “broad losses” generally characterizing an economy dealing with full recession. Hall noted that health care employment continued to expand, proving that not all areas of the job market were struggling as much as others.

Regardless of Hall’s optimism that America still can hopefully escape recession, Cummings’ dissatisfaction painted a dark portrait of a weak economic future he cautioned our country will likely face, should our government not work to provide more jobs for needy Americans.