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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President


For Immediate Release September 3, 1999

STATEMENT BY THE VICE PRESIDENT

I want to share some good news for America's working families. Over the past seven years, we have fought to turn this economy around -- and to create the kind of economy that lifts up all our people. We have pursued a new economic strategy -- based on fiscal discipline, investing in our people, and selling our products around the world.

And just this morning, we learned that America's low unemployment rate has dropped yet again, to a remarkable 4.2%, matching the lowest unemployment rate in almost 30 years. So far in 1999, unemployment rates for African Americans and Hispanics are at their lowest levels since we started keeping records. In the past month alone, our economy added 124,000 new jobs, for a total of 19.4 million since President Clinton and I took office. And wages made modest gains while inflation remained low.

Sustained growth, higher wages, and low inflation -- that's proof that our economic strategy is working.

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