GOP says Reid's focus on government jobs is 'disconnected from reality'

Republicans jumped on comments made by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that the unemployment crisis is intensifying because of a loss of government jobs, rather than job losses in the private sector, calling him “disconnected from reality.”

“The massive layoffs we’ve had in America today are of course rooted in the last administration," Reid said on the Senate floor on Wednesday. “It's very clear that private-sector jobs have been doing just fine; it's the public-sector jobs where we've lost huge numbers, and that's what this legislation is all about."

Reid was speaking in support of the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act, a part of President Obama's jobs package that Democrats say could save thousands of teacher and first-responder jobs. 

Republicans said the comments are an example of Democrats pushing a big-government agenda while being “out of touch” on the weak economy.

“Is the private sector really ‘doing just fine,’ as Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said?” asked Rep. Tom Rooney (R-Fla.) in a Facebook post. 

“Here are the facts: The private sector has lost 6.3 million net jobs – a 5.4% drop – since the recession began in 12/2007. Government employment is down 392,000 jobs – a relatively low 1.8% drop. Government workers actually have the lowest unemployment rate of any industry. Washington needs to stop focusing on growing government, and start fostering an environment where the private sector can grow and create good jobs,” he wrote.

The Senate Republican Communications Center also blogged about Reid’s comments, calling him “disconnected from reality.” The SRCC pointed to a Bloomberg report that said Washington, D.C., was the “wealthiest U.S. metropolitan area,” in part because of hefty federal employee salaries.

While weakness in the private sector have kept the overall unemployment rate firmly above 9 percent, a reduction in government spending has forced dozens of federal agencies to offer targeted buyouts or early retirements to employees. The government layoffs have affected more than 7,500 Postal Service employees, 4,000 Air Force members, 500 Department of Agriculture employees, 400 who work for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and 350 Library of Congress workers, among others.

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