WASHINGTON, DC (January 10, 2014) – Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics unveiled the December employment situation, showing the economy added 74,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate was lowered to  6.7 percent, a five-year low. The following is a statement from BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director David Foster:

“This report caps off a year of steady progress.  Still, we must do more to bolster our recovery, strengthen our communities and build our competitiveness. Last month and over the past year, manufacturing especially has shown growth—with the sector growing by 9,000 jobs in December and adding 77,000 jobs over 2013. We must double down on the policies that build on our manufacturing successes, like repairing our infrastructure.

“Congress can also help to start the year off right by quickly achieving an agreement to fund the government and raise the debt ceiling over the next few weeks. We’ve seen what can happen when we put the full faith and credit of the United States in question. Our lawmakers must do much more than that though. Infrastructure investments—that can create good jobs for workers, make our systems more efficient and reduce pollution, and protect our families and communities—must also be a priority.

“We owe it to ourselves to renew our commitment to utilizing the proven effective policies that will sustain pro-growth momentum for over the long term, like repairing America’s infrastructure systems.”