Selective: America is Bouncing Back

Misbar’s investigation found that Republican Hartzler is partially correct. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, total employment rose by 638,000 in October, and the unemployment rate dropped to 6.9 percent. During the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, the unemployment rate had reached as high as 34 percent in places like Hawaii and Indiana. 

In terms of Rep. Hartzler’s claim that America is bouncing back, that still remains to be seen. While the unemployment rate has dropped since the historical highs during the height of the pandemic, it is still almost double where unemployment was just over a year ago, when it was at 3.6 percent. 

Additionally, a new wave of COVID-19 cases could also spell trouble for any rebound the service industry might have experienced. According to npr.org, the recovery so far has been extremely uneven: “Many companies that produce goods have roughly returned to pre-pandemic levels, but those oriented toward services — especially those that rely on face-to-face interactions with consumers — are still far behind.” 

The claim is true that the economy has improved significantly since the pandemic was at its worst. However, it still has a long way to go, especially for the service and travel industries.