The Memo: Weak jobs report clouds economy as Trump barrels toward midterms
New clouds darkened the economic landscape on Friday, as the latest employment report showed the nation shedding 23,000 jobs in July. The number came as an unpleasant surprise to most economists. The consensus prediction from experts canvassed by Dow Jones had been that more than 80,000 jobs would be created. Democrats pounced on the number...
The US economy shed 23,000 jobs in July, according to the latest employment report. This figure was lower than expected, with economists surveyed by Dow Jones predicting over 80,000 jobs would be created.
The weak jobs report has added to economic concerns as the midterm elections approach. Separately, the US Senate has passed a stopgap spending bill to avoid a government shutdown at the end of September. The bill, which passed with 90 votes to six, extends current funding levels and blocks the Trump administration from shifting funds toward Border Patrol.
The bill's passage, with over a month to spare before the deadline, is seen as a departure from the usual last-minute funding fights. According to The Hill and Live Mint, Senator Susan Collins framed the vote as a lesson learned from previous shutdowns.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Hill, Live Mint — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
