Youngkin touts Virginia economy, which is only growing because of what’s going on in DC

Gov. Glenn Youngkin had his office send out a press release on Monday touting how good the economic recovery led by President Biden is doing for Virginia.

OK, actually, no, what Youngkin was hoping you would think is, it’s all him.

You know, as if a state reliant on the federal government for a huge portion of its jobs can somehow be seen as being somehow not one and the same.

“Virginia has seen incredibly strong job growth in our first two years, and we have an opportunity to drive even more people into the workforce,” Youngkin said in a statement from his office’s press release. “This jobs report reinforces the importance of advancing an agenda that empowers job creation and business development to grow the Commonwealth. We cannot go backwards; Virginia must keep moving forward.”

Yes, it must.

Which means: more investments in the federal government and industries that support the government, as opposed to the idea perpetrated by Youngkin’s fellow travelers in the Republican Party, to the effect of, government bad.

The data highlighting how great Virginia is doing right now come courtesy the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which show us that unemployment in the state was at 3.0 percent in January, seven-tenths lower than the national rate of 3.7 percent, and that the labor force grew modestly, by 8,558, to 4,588,251.

Virginia always has a rosier jobs picture than the rest of the country; it’s because we’re tethered to Washington, D.C.

It’s funny when Republicans who tell people that they hate government when they’re running for office then brag about their economic policies, when their economic policies are, more from the trough for us down here, please.

Two other quotes from the Youngkin PR:

“Over the last six months, household employment as a percentage of the population has held at its highest level since 2009,” said Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater. “Overall, Virginia’s labor market economy remains strong at the start of 2024 as we continue to invest in new talent attraction, retention, and training strategies.”

“January’s labor force marked over two years of consecutive month to month growth. Labor force growth over the last six months has slowed but the labor market has continued to expand with a greater balance between employers and job seekers after severe labor shortages,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Caren Merrick.

What they’re really telling you there: don’t let Republicans f–k this up.