‘On the Bidenomics train’: White House takes jabs at Abbott, Noem for touting low unemployment

The White House on Friday took jabs at Republican Govs. Greg Abbott (Texas) and Kristi Noem (S.D.) for celebrating low unemployment in their states, saying these GOP officials are jumping “on the Bidenomics train.”

Jesse Lee, senior communications advisor at the National Economic Council, sent a memo entitled “Republican Governors Laud Bidenomics’ Record-Low Unemployment Rates” on Friday, which was first obtained by The Hill. 

“This morning, with the release of new state unemployment numbers, we are seeing Republican governors jump on the Bidenomics train by celebrating record-low unemployment and record-high jobs creation in their states under President Biden,” the memo reads. “It’s no wonder: with over 13 million new jobs added across the country since he took office, the longest period of national unemployment below 4% in more than half a century, and annual inflation down to 3% after falling for a year straight, Bidenomics is boosting states in every region of the country.”

The memo included tweets as “a sample of Republican governors who are loving Bidenomics.”

“For the 21st month in a ROW, Texas SMASHED our own records for total jobs, total Texans employed, and total Texas labor force,” Abbott said. Noem shared, “South Dakota has the LOWEST unemployment rate in American history!”

The memo also shared celebrations about good state job reports from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, who are both Republicans.

The White House has long touted low unemployment as an indicator that the U.S. economy is improving after the COVID-19 pandemic and that it is not headed for a recession.

The memo also shared that a record 24 states are at or below 3 percent unemployment and that nine states set new record lows last month, including Arkansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and South Dakota.

The president recently has been stepping up his criticism of Republicans for seemingly voicing support for his policies.

Earlier this week, the Biden campaign made a video out of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) speech during a Turning Point USA event, which was intended to attack the president on policy issues. The campaign set it to uplifting music as she lists the president’s agenda and legislative priorities and compared him to former Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

The video went viral and reached more than 30 million views in 12 hours.

Biden has also pointed out when Republican lawmakers support projects in their districts after they voted against the bills that provided the funding.

Biden poked at Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who has become his favorite GOP foil since the senator has blocked the chamber from moving on military promotions in protest over the Pentagon’s abortion policy. He mocked him for touting $1.4 billion in federal funding that Alabama is set to receive for expanded broadband internet access, despite the senator voting against it in 2021. 

“Whether it’s Senator Tommy Tuberville celebrating rural broadband investments in Alabama, or Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene complimenting President Biden for ‘finishing what FDR started, that LBJ expanded on,’ with investments in ‘education, medical care, urban problems, rural poverty, transportation, Medicare, Medicaid, labor unions,’ the other side of the aisle is abuzz with #Bidenomics,” the memo reads.