U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), a member of the House Budget and Ways & Means Committees, released the following statement today after the Department of Labor announced that the U.S. added 292,000 jobs in December, ahead of predictions for the month. The unemployment rate held at 5 percent for the second consecutive month.

"There has been so much doom and gloom from the Republican campaign trail, but we continue to see sustained job growth and their silence speaks volumes. We are making gains," Rep. Pascrell said.

"More and more Americans have been looking for work and finding jobs. The United States economy added 292,000 jobs in December, defying predictions, and prior month revisions also show an additional increase of more than 50,000 jobs. New home and car sales are up to record levels, boosting our auto and construction industries."

"As we enter 2016, I'll be watching for wage growth and meaningful income increases for hard-working Americans. Increased hiring is a good start and we must continue to build on this growth in the New Year."