Press

Following news yesterday that former Governor Tim Kaine resigned the DNC Chairmanship to run for U.S. Senate, Vice President Biden announced that President Obama selected Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to serve as the next DNC Chair. If elected by the full DNC membership, Debbie Wasserman Schultz would be the first woman to serve as the elected Chair.

This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the March jobs report. According to that report, American employers added 216,000 jobs in March, while the unemployment rate fell to 8.8 percent, the lowest in two years. In response, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement:

DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued this statement following the death of former U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, the 1984 Democratic vice presidential candidate:

Last night, without public notice, Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate used extraordinary parliamentary maneuvers to separate a bill that takes away public workers’ bargaining rights in that state from related budgetary measures, enabling them to pass that bill solely with Republican votes.

The February jobs report is one of the strongest such reports since the recession began, and it reflects the growing strength of our economy and the fact that we have now entered a sustained period of economic recovery thanks to the policies adopted by President Obama and Democrats over the past two years. Across America, more employers are hiring and more Americans are returning to the workplace. In the last year, private sector employers have added well more than a million jobs following 12 consecutive months of private sector job growth.

“This month, I join with Americans across the country in remembering the countless ways that women have shaped American history and to honor women who are helping to write new chapters of our American story."

“As the President said in his State of the Union address, he is willing to work with leaders of both parties to improve the Affordable Care Act in ways that advance the central goals of the law: increasing health care access and reducing health care costs. The ‘Empowering States to Innovate’ bill does just that and for that reason, President Obama’s support is an important step forward for this critical legislation."

President Obama called on Congress to join him in two major efforts designed to help America win the future: making the tough choices and budget cuts required to reduce America’s deficit and restore fiscal stability while also making bold investments in education, innovation, infrastructure and other areas critical to economic growth. President Obama’s 2012 budget proposal is a blueprint for success in both those efforts.