Statement by Vice President Joe Biden on the Latest Unemployment Numbers

Amid the deep anguish and the activism we are seeing across the country as Americans speak out about the violence of systemic racism, this morning brought a reminder of the deep economic hurt being inflicted on our country by this pandemic. More than 42 million Americans have now filed for unemployment in the last three months, and, as with so many burdens in our society, Black and Latino communities are being hit hardest. 

Last month, 11 percent of white adults report having been laid off or furloughed — a devastating figure in its own right — and the pain is even more widespread among Black and Latino adults, for whom those numbers have risen to a staggering 16 and 20 percent, respectively.

Donald Trump’s failures have been on full display this week. But his failures extend far beyond the last few days — Trump’s slow response to Coronavirus made the crisis worse, and he has spent the last three years favoring the super wealthy and corporations over working families and communities of color.

Trump has failed to take seriously not just the scale of this problem, but also who is most impacted. His corrupt recovery is allowing minority business owners to get shut out of COVID-19 recovery funds. We cannot allow this crisis to disempower or inflict further economic pain on Black and Brown people in our society. We must turn this moment into an opportunity to rebuild our country upon more just and equal foundations, not widen race-based wealth and income gaps.