WASHINGTON, DC (May 2, 2014) – Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics unveiled the April employment situation, showing the economy gained 288,000 jobs. The unemployment rate was lowered to 6.3 percent. The following is a statement from BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director David Foster:

“With a House of Representatives led by people more concerned with keeping right-wing donors happy and standing in the way of any meaningful progress on issues, it’s amazing the American economy has been so resilient. Just think about how much further we could be—how many jobs could have been created, how investments in our infrastructure could be setting the table for prosperity in our country for generations to come, and how we could have already been addressing the challenges of climate change—if we had a Congress that wasn’t paralyzed by right-wing ideologues?

“We are missing out on the opportunity of our generation by not taking immediate action to repair our nation’s infrastructure—the backbone of our economy. We need leadership. For example, this week the Obama administration introduced a strong proposal, the GROW AMERICA Act, to close the investment gap and fund the upgrade of our critical transit, rail, and road networks. America desperately needs a 21^st century multi-modal transportation network to sustainably build communities, jobs and competitiveness, and the President’s proposal is an important step towards creating it. Without strong action, the future of our essential transportation systems is uncertain. Current federal policy and funding expires on September 30.

“Next week, a transportation bill may be introduced in the Senate. The House should put forward their bill as well. Then, all sides should work together to find common ground on this and other important investments to repair America’s transportation systems and other infrastructure. These investments are essential to further reduce unemployment, create and sustain jobs and build a stronger economy.”