Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) appeared to take credit for the boost to the U.S. economy, saying Sunday that the national improvement was due to the state’s economy being “very strong.”
Fox News host Martha McCollum asked Mr. Abbott how the latest employment figures show that the surge in immigration is contributing to higher wages and “controlling consumer prices.” She pushed back against McCollum’s comments, saying instead that the boost to the U.S. economy was due to Texas, not immigration.
“Martha, here are a few things that make that idea completely wrong. One of the reasons the U.S. economy is doing so well is because the Texas economy is doing so well. Texas “The state’s gross domestic product (GDP) is growing twice as fast as the United States,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.”
New Labor Department data released Friday showed the U.S. added 303,000 jobs in March, again exceeding Wall Street expectations. Texas, the state with the second-largest population in the United States, added 49,800 jobs in February, data shows. texas state labor commission.
“Our economy is the fastest growing of any large state in the United States. When it comes to jobs, Texas ranks No. 1 for the most jobs added. So, Martha, Our economy and jobs are growing rapidly at the same time as illegal immigration to Texas is declining,” Abbott said.
He continued to reject the idea that immigrants are helping the U.S. economy, noting that illegal immigration is declining in Texas.
“Thanks to our resistance, illegal immigration into Texas has fallen by 72 percent. But other border states are up. “We’re adding jobs and growing our economy much faster than the country as a whole,” he added.
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