U.S. Budget and Economy

On January 9, 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Employment Situation Report for December of 2025 . Following is the first paragraph of that report: Both total nonfarm payroll employment (+50,000) and the unemployment rate (4.4 percent) changed little in December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment continued to trend up in food services and drinking places, health care, and social assistance. Retail trade lost jobs. Shortly later, Stephen Moore posted a tweet on X which stated the following: Don't believe the headlines calling this a 'weak jobs report.' The household survey tells the real story: A record number of Americans working and 200,000 more people joining the workforce. Moore's claim that "200,000 more people joining the workforce" in December can be checked on the BLS web site as follows: Go to https://www.bls.gov/ Click on "DATA TOOLS" and then "BLS Popular Series" on the...