Maxwell Alejandro Frost lauds White House for positive jobs report

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) praised the White House for the positive jobs report released Friday, saying, “That’s exactly what the president is doing.”

The US added more than 270,000 jobs in May, well above the 185,000 expected, Labor Department data showed, but the unemployment rate also rose slightly to 4%.

“The numbers don’t lie. Things are looking good and the president has done a good job of delivering on this, especially in the wake of the pandemic,” Frost said. He said in an interview Speaking with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes on Friday, he said: “I think people who aren’t feeling this are thinking about rising prices, and that’s very legitimate.”

Despite the good news, the Biden administration is struggling to convey economic victories to voters as prices for everything from food to housing remain high.

A recent Harris Poll found that despite record numbers of new jobs being created under Biden’s administration and the unemployment rate remaining below 4% for the longest time since the 1960s, nearly three in five Americans say the U.S. is still in a recession.

Experts say a variety of factors, including the lingering effects of four decades of high inflation and a changing media environment, are contributing to the disconnect between how Americans view the economy and how the statistics are presented.

The “All In with Chris Hayes” host noted Friday that Americans don’t think the economy is on the upswing despite the data, saying “housing costs are a big issue for people” but that it’s “driven by local policy and the Federal Reserve,” not Biden.

Frost seemed to agree, adding that the president is “focused on junk fees, how do we help renters, how do we help people buy and accumulate assets.”

The May jobs report comes as the Federal Reserve is expected to meet next week to decide whether it needs to raise interest rates, which have remained roughly flat this year and inflation remains above target.