FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

December 3, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: jessica.myers@mail.house.gov

c: 202.913.0126

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representatives Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) led a letter signed by 19 of their colleagues to Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Acting Director Loretta Greene of the U.S. Department of Labor urging immediate action to address the rising unemployment crisis among Black women that has taken shape since the start of the second Trump Administration:

“As Members of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls (CCBWG), we write to express our deep concern over the alarming rise in unemployment among Black women since the start of the Trump Administration and the subsequent weakening of the federal systems built to protect them that has followed in its wake. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Black women have experienced the most significant percentage-point increase in unemployment of any demographic group for which monthly data is reported since January 2025. In April alone, 106,000 Black women lost jobs, contributing to  their unemployment rising from 5.1 to 6.1 percent, even as the national rate remained stable over the same time frame,” wrote the Members. “These numbers represent more than statistics — they reflect a crisis of economic displacement for thousands of mothers, caregivers, and heads of households. Yet even as these losses mount, the federal government’s capacity to fully understand and address them is shrinking. The BLS, a cornerstone for reliable data on employment trends, has faced sustained budget and political attacks that risk undermining its ability to provide accurate, disaggregated information on race and gender.  Without dependable data, policymakers cannot see or respond to the full scale of the challenges facing Black women workers.”

The letter was signed by 23 Members of Congress: Joyce Beatty, Wesley Bell, André Carson, Yvette Clarke, Danny Davis, Dwight Evans, Maxwell Frost, Henry Johnson, Greg Landsman, Summer Lee, Jennifer McClellan, LaMonica McIver, Eleanor Norton, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Delia Ramirez, Lateefah Simon, Shri Thanedar, Bennie Thompson, Rashida Tlaib, and Nikema Williams.

Full text of the letter can be found HERE.

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