It’s Friday…
President Biden’s public schedule for 02/02/2024:
| 8:30 AM | Out-of-Town Pool Call Time Out-of-Town Pool |
| 9:30 AM Presidential Daily Brief | The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing Closed Press |
| 11:00 AMOfficial Schedule | The President and The First Lady depart New Castle, Delaware en route to Dover, Delaware Out-of-Town Pool |
| 11:30 AM Arrived in Dover, Delaware | The President and The First Lady arrive in Dover, Delaware Out-of-Town Pool |
| 12:10 PM | The President and The First Lady meet with the families of fallen American service members; Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman CQ Brown attend Closed Press |
| 1:30 PM | The President and The First Lady participate in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base; Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman CQ Brown attend Out-of-Town Pool |
| 2:25 PM Leaves Dover, Delaware | The President and The First Lady depart Dover, Delaware en route to New Castle, Delaware Out-of-Town Pool |
| 2:55 PM Arrives in New Castle, Delaware | The President and The First Lady arrive in New Castle, Delaware Out-of-Town Pool |
Black History Month/Remembering Joe Madison Tweet
From Thursday…
Black history is American history.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 1, 2024
And Black culture, stories, and triumphs are at the core of who we are as Americans.
A Proclamation on National Black History Month, 2024:
This National Black History Month, we celebrate the vast contributions of Black Americans to our country and recognize that Black history is American history and that Black culture, stories, and triumphs are at the core of who we are as a Nation.
The soul of America is what makes us unique among all nations. We are the only country in the world founded on an idea. It is the idea that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated with equal dignity throughout our lives. While we still grapple today with the moral stain and vestiges of slavery — our country’s original sin — we have never walked away from the fight to fully realize the promise of America for all Americans. Throughout our history, Black Americans have never given up on the promise of America. Unbowed by the forces of hate and undaunted as they fought for centuries against slavery, segregation, and injustice, Black Americans have held a mirror up to our Nation, allowing our country to confront hard truths about who we are and pushing us to live up to our founding ideals. They have helped redeem the soul of our Nation, ensuring the promises in our founding documents were not just words on a page but a lived reality for all people. In the process, the vibrancy of Black history and culture has enriched every aspect of American life.
Since taking office, the Vice President and I have worked to continue this legacy of progress and lay down a foundation for a stronger, more equitable Nation. On my first day as President, I signed a historic Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. In February 2023, I signed an additional Executive Order to acknowledge the unbearable human costs of systemic racism and to direct the entire Federal Government to advance equity for those who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent discrimination, poverty, and inequality, including the Black community. That includes building an economy that grows from the middle out and bottom up, not the top down. So far, we have created over 14 million jobs and in 2023, the Black unemployment rate was lower than in any other year on record.
We are addressing historic health inequities for Black Americans by making systemic changes to our health care systems that increase healthcare access while lowering costs. Today, more Black Americans have health insurance than at any previous time in American history. We are working to address the Black maternal health crisis — ensuring dignity, safety, and support for Black moms. The Vice President has helped elevate this critical issue to a national priority by calling on States to extend Medicaid postpartum coverage from two months to one year.
My Administration is also working to close racial gaps in education and economic opportunity. To that end, we have delivered over $7 billion in funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and are working to expand access to home-ownership — a major source of generational wealth for families — while aggressively combating racial discrimination in housing. Our update to the Thrifty Food Plan is keeping 400,000 Black kids out of poverty every month and making sure millions more have enough food to eat. By 2025, we are working to ensure that 15 percent of Federal contracting dollars goes to small disadvantaged businesses, including Black-owned small businesses. We are also replacing poisonous lead pipes so every American can turn on a faucet at home or school and drink clean water.
To deliver equal justice under the law, we are appointing judges to the Federal bench who reflect all of America, including Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and more Black women to the Federal circuit courts than all previous administrations combined. I also signed a historic Executive Order that implemented key elements of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act: banning chokeholds and restricting no knock warrants by Federal law enforcement, creating a national database of officer misconduct, and promoting effective and accountable community policing that advances public trust and safety. I also signed the first major gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years as well as a long-overdue law to make lynching a Federal hate crime in Emmett Till’s name. My Administration continues to call on the Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act to secure the right to vote for every American.
Today, I am reminded of something Amelia Boynton said when reflecting on her march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on what would be known as Bloody Sunday: “You can never know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been.” America is a great Nation because we choose to learn the good, the bad, and the full truth of the history of our country — histories and truths that we must preserve and protect for the next generation. This National Black History Month, as we remember where we have been, may we also recognize that our only way forward is by marching together.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 2024 as National Black History Month. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with relevant programs, ceremonies, and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.
White House.gov. 01/31/2024.
Joe Madison was the voice of a generation.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 2, 2024
Whether it was a hunger strike for voting rights or his advocacy for anti-lynching legislation that I was proud to sign in 2022, Joe fought hard against injustice.
Jill’s and my thoughts are with his wife, Sherry, and entire family.
Joe “The Black Eagle” Madison was a radio talk show host, with the catch phrase “What are you going to do about it?”
According to his website bio The Black Eagle was a legendary voice in radio and a recognized human and civil rights activist. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009–according to an Instagram Post in December of 2023, the cancer returned his health preventing him from carrying on his radio program.
On Thursday Joe Madison passed away at the age of 74; his family shared the following statement:
National Prayer Breakfast Tweet
From Thursday…
This morning, I joined friends and colleagues at our U.S. Capitol for the National Prayer Breakfast.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 1, 2024
We may disagree on a lot, but we can all agree that we're blessed to live in a place where we can practice our many faiths and lift up our nation – and each other – in prayer. pic.twitter.com/qADREib5HN
From the White House…
02/01/2024:
Remarks by President Biden at the National Prayer Breakfast; the YouTube is 12 minutes and 19 seconds long.
Executive Order Tweet
From Thursday…
I signed an Executive Order allowing the U.S. to issue sanctions against those who direct or participate in acts of violence against civilians in the West Bank, including extremist settlers.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 1, 2024
Today’s action seeks to promote security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
From the White House…
02/01/2024:
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL 1:
Thanks, everybody. I will — let me give a topper on this, and then I’ll turn it over to my colleague for a little more detail on the executive order that will be issued today.
White House.gov. 02/01/2024.
So, President Biden has been clear that the United States strongly supports Israel’s right to defend itself following the horrific terrorist attacks that occurred October 7th and in its effort to defeat Hamas and to make sure that we can never, ever again see a day like October 7th.
And we are taking a holistic approach to this entire crisis, not just in Gaza, but the larger context — Israel, Gaza, West Bank, and the larger region.
I think the President spoke to this today at the prayer breakfast, if you look at his remarks, about actively working for peace, security, dignity for the Israeli people and the Palestinian people, and an enduring peace. What he is working on every single day — an enduring peace, which ultimately includes two states for two peoples.
So the steps we’ve taken include — one of the tools include financial sanctions. So this includes taking steps to cut off Hamas’s access to international financial systems. And since October 7th, of course, we have issued, I think, five rounds of sanctions against Hamas, including the most recent round of sanctions against Hamas just last week.
The President has also spoken about his concern repeatedly and consistently, publicly and also in almost every diplomatic conversation he has with Israeli leaders, about the rise in violence that we have seen in the West Bank from extremist actors.
And these actions pose a grave threat to peace, security, stability in the West Bank, Israel, and the Middle East region. And they also obstruct the realization of, ultimately, an independent Palestinian state existing side by side with the State of Israel, and by extension, the enduring peace and stability for Palestinians and Israelis alike, which, again, the President spoke to just this morning.
The President has raised these issues, again, repeatedly, consistently, not only with Prime Minister Netanyahu but including on his visit to Israel at the beginning of the crisis, and regularly, including in his visit to Israel and to Bethlehem in the summer of 2022.
And senior administration officials are engaged in this daily and regularly, including our team on the ground. And General Mike Fenzel, who’s the head of our U.S. security — our U.S. security coordinator.
So, in November, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan issued a cabinet memo, and he directed departments and agencies to take appropriate action and to develop policy options for further action against the actors responsible for this conduct and violence in the West Bank.
And in December, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced visa restrictions on individuals contributing to actions that undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank.
So, following on these measures, today President Biden is signing a new executive order to implement a set of new measures to address actions that undermine peace, stability — security, stability in the West Bank.
And under this new EO, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Treasury, in consultation with one another, have the ability to sanction foreign nationals engaged in actions that include the directing or participating in acts or threats of violence against civilians, intimidating civilians to cause them to leave their homes, destroying or seizing property, and acts of terrorism.
These actions include, as I mentioned, directing or participating in acts of or threats of violence against civilians; intimidation; destroying, seizing property; or terrorism.
And today, I think we’ll kind of — and I’ll describe in general terms what you’ll see later today — but the State Department will be announcing an initial set of designations under this new EO. And these designations include individuals that have directly perpetrated violence and those who have engaged in repeated acts of intimidation, property destruction, leading to the forced displacement of Palestinian communities.
I would just emphasize also this EO is non-discriminatory. It applies to Israelis and Palestinians alike. It applies to foreign nationals and those who are engaged in acts of violence on the West Bank and undermining stability there. And of course, we continue to go after, through sanctions and other means, designated terrorist groups, whether Gaza, the West Bank, or throughout the region.
So just to kind of put a little bit of a descriptive nature of the types of activities that we’re talking about here:
Later today, the State Department will issue the initial round of designations under this new EO. And without getting into names, the types of activities — for example, one individual initiated and led a riot, which involves setting vehicles and buildings on fire, assaulting civilians, causing damage to property, which resulted actually, in that incident, in the death of a Palestinian civilian.
Another individual assaulting farmers and as well as Israeli activists. Direct attacks with stones and clubs, resulting in injuries that required medical treatment.
Another — just, again, descriptive nature — attempted to break in windows of passing vehicles, blocking roads, intimidation, all of which are — some of these activities recorded with video evidence. And actually, some of these individuals have been prosecuted in the Israeli system.
Just finally, assaulting Palestinian Bedouin civilians, threatening with additional violence if they not leave their homes; burning fields; destroying property.
Those are the types of activities that this EO covers. And I think when the individuals with the descriptions are announced later today, I think you’ll see that in plain black and white.
So that’s what we’re talking about here. Again, this is very consistent with the policies that we’ve laid out for some time, and builds on the cabinet memo that Jake issued last fall and then the action from Secretary Blinken regarding visa restrictions for certain types of destabilizing activities in the West Bank.
And with that, why don’t I turn it over to [senior administration official] to say a little bit more about the EO and some of the sanctions that it covers, and then we can open up to questions.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL 2:
Great. Thanks. And I think you’ve done a great job of outlining, so I’ll be very brief.
White House.gov. 02/01/2024.
But just to underscore again that, today, President Biden is signing a new executive order which implements a new set of measures to address actions that undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank.
The EO, in effect, blocks all property and interests [in property] of any person designated under this EO. And as [senior administration official] emphasized, we will be rolling out an initial set of designations today. So all property and interests in property in the United States of those individuals will be blocked.
It will also prohibit U.S. persons making any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any of these persons, and the receipt or any contribution of provision of funds, goods, or services from those persons.
So that is a standard set of full blocking financial sanctions. Additionally, the entry of the designated individuals under this EO will be blocked from the United States.
So it is a traditional financial sanctions EO. The consequences will be to remove the individuals from access to the U.S. financial system and block any assets that are within the United States and within our jurisdiction.
I will pause here and allow time for questions. But again, to emphasize, I think this is an important step to directly address the threats to U.S. national security and regional security arising from extremist violence in the West Bank, and underscores the extent to which the administration takes this threat seriously.
President Biden has been clear that the United States strongly supports Israel’s right to defend itself following the horrific terrorist attacks that occurred on October 7 and in its effort to defeat Hamas to make sure that such an attack never happens again. This includes taking steps to cut off Hamas’ access to the international financial system. Since October 7, the United States has issued five rounds of sanctions against Hamas, including the most recent round of sanctions against Hamas last week. President Biden has also spoken about his concern about the rise in violence that we have seen in the West Bank from extremist actors—in particular the rise in extremist settler violence, which reached record levels in 2023. This violence poses a grave threat to peace, security, and stability in the West Bank, Israel, and the Middle East region, and threatens the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States.
White House.gov. 02/01/2024.
Today, President Biden signed a new Executive Order to implement new measures to address actions that undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank. This E.O. will allow the United States to issue financial sanctions against those directing or participating in certain actions, including acts or threats of violence against civilians, intimidating civilians to cause them to leave their homes, destroying or seizing property, or engaging in terrorist activity in the West Bank. The State Department today will also be announcing an initial set of designations under this new E.O.
Today’s actions seek to promote peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), section 212(f) and section 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f) and 8 U.S.C. 1185(a)), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order declaring a national emergency to deal with the threat posed by the situation in the West Bank, including in particular high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages, and property destruction. Such actions constitute a serious threat to the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, and the broader Middle East region and undermine the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States. I find that these actions constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and I have declared a national emergency to deal with that threat.The order authorizes the blocking of property and interests in property of any foreign person determined by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, or the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:
(i) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to have directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, actions — including directing, enacting, implementing, enforcing, or failing to enforce policies — that threaten the peace, security, or stability of the West Bank;
(ii) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to have directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, planning, ordering, otherwise directing, or participating in certain actions — including acts of violence or threats of violence targeting civilians, efforts to place civilians in reasonable fear of violence, property destruction, or seizure or dispossession of property by private actors — affecting the West Bank;
(iii) to be or have been a leader or official of certain entities that have engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, such activities;
(iv) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, any person blocked pursuant to the order; or
(v) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person blocked pursuant to the order.
The order also authorizes the blocking of property and interests in property of any foreign person determined by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, to have committed or have attempted to commit, to pose a significant risk of committing, or to have participated in training to commit acts of terrorism affecting the West Bank. In addition, the order suspends the entry into the United States of any noncitizen determined to meet one or more of the above criteria.
The order authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the order. It directs the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, to implement the order as it applies to visas, and it directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to implement the order as it applies to the entry into the United States of noncitizens. All executive departments and agencies of the United States are directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to implement the order.
I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.
White House.gov. 02/01/2024.
Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby En Route Detroit, MI; the audio only YouTube is 22 minutes and 48 seconds long:
During the press gaggle aboard Air Force One NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said:
And then, just briefly, today, on the — on the executive order. I think you all saw that today the President signed a new executive order that will implement new measures to address actions that undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank.
This EO will allow the United States to issue financial sanctions against those directing or participating in certain actions, including acts or threats of violence against civilians, intimidating civilians to cause them to leave their homes, destroying or seizing property, or engaging in terrorist activity in the West Bank.
And the State Department also today issued four designations under this new executive authority, and — and that’s all public. And you guys, I’m sure, have seen that.
I do want to remind that this executive order came in the heels of a — of a Cabinet memo issued by Jake Sullivan back in November, directing departments and agencies to — to take appropriate action and to develop further policy options for dealing with the violence — the settler violence in the West Bank. And that was followed in December by Secretary Blinken announcing visa restrictions for certain individuals who are involved in this violence.
So, again, the President has spoken very, very clearly on this since the very beginning — that the settler violence in the West Bank is unacceptable, and we’ll continue to examine tools at our disposal to deal with it.
White House.gov. 02/01/2024.
He was asked…
Q: John, how do you determine the four people when there are hundreds of incidents against West Bank Palestinians? Do you expect there to be more, including on Israeli government officials? And is this a signal to them who support — openly support and facilitate these violence?
There’s no plans to target with sanctions Israeli government officials at this time. I’d refer you to State to speak about how they chose these four individuals. This was an initial set of designations. I’m not going to preview whether there will be more or not going forward, but it is a new tool that we’re going to take a look at using appropriately.
White House.gov. 02/01/2024.
From the State Department…
02/01/2024:
Announcement of Further Measures to Promote Peace, Security, and Stability in the West Bank:
The United States has consistently opposed actions that undermine stability in the West Bank and the prospects of peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike. This includes attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and Palestinian attacks against Israelis. There is no justification for extremist violence against civilians, whatever their national origin, ethnicity, or religion.
The United States has therefore implemented new measures to address actions that undermine peace, security, and stability in the West Bank. This follows the related visa restriction policy announced by the State Department on December 5, 2023.
Sanctions under the New Executive Order
The United States has taken action against persons connected to escalating violence against civilians in the West Bank. The Department of State is imposing financial sanctions on four individuals pursuant to a new Executive Order that President Biden announced today to promote accountability for certain harmful activities that threaten the peace, security, and stability of the West Bank. The Executive Order establishes U.S. authority to issue financial sanctions against those directing or participating in certain actions, including acts or threats of violence against civilians, intimidating civilians to cause them to leave their homes, destroying or seizing property, or engaging in terrorist activity in the West Bank.
Pursuant to section 1(a)(i)(A), the following individual is being designated for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, actions — including directing, enacting, implementing, enforcing, or failing to enforce policies — that threaten the peace, security, or stability of the West Bank:
State.gov. 02/01/2024.
- DAVID CHAI CHASDAI initiated and led a riot, which involved setting vehicles and buildings on fire, assaulting Palestinian civilians, and causing damage to property in Huwara, which resulted in the death of a Palestinian civilian.
Pursuant to section 1(a)(i)(B)(1), the following individuals are being designated for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in planning, ordering, otherwise directing, or participating in an act of violence or threat of violence targeting civilians, affecting the West Bank:
State.gov. 02/01/2024.
- EINAN TANJIL was involved in assaulting Palestinian farmers and Israeli activists by attacking them with stones and clubs, resulting in injuries that required medical treatment.
- SHALOM ZICHERMAN (ZICHERMAN), according to video evidence, assaulted Israeli activists and their vehicles in the West Bank, blocking them on the street, and attempted to break the windows of passing vehicles with activists inside. ZICHERMAN cornered at least two of the activists and injured both.
Pursuant to section 1(a)(i)(B)(2), the following individual is being designated for being responsible for or complicit in, or to have directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in planning, ordering, otherwise directing, or participating in efforts to place civilians in reasonable fear of violence with the purpose or effect of necessitating a change of residence to avoid such violence, affecting the West Bank:
State.gov. 02/01/2024.
- YINON LEVI (LEVI) led a group of settlers who engaged in actions creating an atmosphere of fear in the West Bank. He regularly led groups of settlers from the Meitarim Farm outpost that assaulted Palestinian and Bedouin civilians, threatened them with additional violence if they did not leave their homes, burned their fields, and destroyed their property. LEVI and other settlers at Meitarim Farm have repeatedly attacked multiple communities within the West Bank.
Sanctions Implications: As a result of today’s action, and in accordance with the new E.O., all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Additionally, all entities that are owned, either directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. All transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt. These prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person and the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. Additionally, the entry of designated individuals into the United States is suspended pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 8693.
The power and integrity of U.S. government sanctions derive not only from the U.S. government’s ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. Petitions for removal from the SDN List can be sent to OFAC.Reconsideration@treasury.gov. Petitioners may also refer to OFAC’s Frequently Asked Questions 897 here . [Full link: https://ofac.treasury.gov/faqs/897]
State.gov. 02/01/2024.
The EO can be found here.
Jobs Report Tweet
From Friday…
This morning we got more proof that America’s economy is the strongest in the world.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 2, 2024
353,000 new jobs were created in the month of January. That matters.
Wealth, wages, and employment are higher now than before the pandemic, and I won’t stop fighting to keep our progress going.
Statement from President Joe Biden on the January Jobs Report:
America’s economy is the strongest in the world. Today, we saw more proof, with another month of strong wage gains and employment gains of over 350,000 in January, continuing the strong growth from last year. Our economy has created 14.8 million jobs since I took office, unemployment has been under 4% for two full years now, and inflation has been at the pre-pandemic level of 2% over the last half year. It’s great news for working families that wages, wealth, and jobs are higher now than before the pandemic, and I won’t stop fighting to lower costs and build an economy from the middle out and bottom up. I’ll continue to stand in the way of efforts by Congressional Republicans to enact massive tax giveaways for the wealthy and big corporations; cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security; and raise costs for American families.
White House.gov. 02/02/2024.
Bls.gov said this morning:
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 353,000 in January, and the unemployment rate remained at 3.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in professional and business services, health care, retail trade, and social assistance. Employment declined in the mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry.
[snip]
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for November was revised up by 9,000, from +173,000 to +182,000, and the change for December was revised up by 117,000, from +216,000 to +333,000. With these revisions, employment in November and December combined is 126,000 higher than previously reported. (Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors. The annual benchmark process also contributed to the November and December revisions.)
Bls.gov. 02/02/2024.
Econ/Business report Ben Casselman said…
As a reminder: The BLS every year updates the population estimates in the household survey, but it doesn't revise the old estimates. So January figures are not directly comparable to December. Especially big deal for levels (more so than rates).
— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) February 2, 2024
HOT DAMN: U.S. employers added 353,000 jobs in January. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.7 percent.
— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) February 2, 2024
Data: https://t.co/6lorYRBdoy
Full coverage: https://t.co/xLL7IhzQ1v
Stripping out effects of the new population controls, the labor force grew by 174k. Employment-population ratio ticked up a tenth of a point.
— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) February 2, 2024
Job growth "slowed" last year, but some perspective: After today's revisions, 2023 now stands as the best year for job growth since 1999, not counting the two years immediately before, as the economy emerged from the pandemic. https://t.co/bTlv99Pyyx pic.twitter.com/L66CtP3ak1
— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) February 2, 2024
Given the chatter around "job growth is narrowing," worth noting that the diffusion index has stabilized or even picked up in recent months. pic.twitter.com/BIWl6seF2t
— Ben Casselman (@bencasselman) February 2, 2024
February’s jobs report will be released on March 8th.
“New” from the White House…
02/01/2024:
This is an Open Thread.
