Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts) continues to call for action as the latest U.S. jobs report shows that Black unemployment rates are alarmingly high.
At a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, Pressley addressed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent directly, saying that “hundreds of thousands” of Black workers have been pushed out of the workforce and that unemployment rates are “through the roof.” She pointed out that they are among the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a video she posted on TikTok.
“Black workers contribute over a trillion dollars to the U.S. economy, but the push out of these workers from the workforce has led to a loss of $37 billion in the GDP,” Pressley said during the hearing.
@reppressleyBlack unemployment rates are through the roof. The pushout of Black workers has led to a loss of $37B in the GDP. Sec. Bessent: analyze this, report the findings, & take action NOW. This harm is coming for everyone if you don’t.♬ original sound – Rep. Pressley
While Black women, whom Pressley called among the “most educated and most active in seeking work,” are bearing the brunt, she noted that everyone will feel the impact of these job losses.
Pressley called on Bessent to commit to analyzing Black unemployment rates and their impact on financial stability, and he agreed to do so. She requested a tentative date of March 6 for him to report his findings, though he indicated he would not be able to meet that deadline.
“At the end of the day, Black families, Black futures, and the lives and livelihoods of all who call this country home are depending on you to act. And with that, Happy Black History Month,” Pressley told Bessent.
Pressley Pushes For Solutions
Pressley has been advocating for Black women as unemployment rates continue to rise. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, she penned a letter to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in September 2025, calling on him to address troubling jobs data showing a disproportionate spike in Black unemployment and to provide a detailed plan outlining how the Fed intends to address the rising unemployment rate among Black women.
Pressley cited mass federal workforce layoffs and ongoing attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) — which have escalated under President Donald Trump’s administration — as compounding factors that have disproportionately harmed Black women, according to AFROTECH™.
And Pressley isn’t the only one raising concerns about the data. In a Feb. 11 blog post, Jessica Mason and Katherine Gallagher Robbins of the National Partnership for Women and Families also noted that Black women are struggling in the economy under the Trump administration.
As of January 2026, Black women’s unemployment rate remains higher than a year ago — 6.3% compared to 5.4% — despite a slight decrease from December, per the blog, which points to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their unemployment rate is higher than that of women overall (4%) and nearly double that of white women (3.4%).
“The Trump administration’s harm to Black women continues a long history of racist policymaking that has deliberately impaired Black women’s economic security and well-being,” the authors state, according to the blog.
