Trump administration disputes that U.S. workers’ wages have flatlined

By Jeff Stein
September 5 at 4:33 PM

The Trump administration Wednesday disputed government data showing that workers’ wages have remained largely stagnant despite low unemployment and robust economic growth.

Government statistics have shown wage growth for American workers has been largely flat over the past year, inching up by about 0.1 percent. That finding has become a key criticism of President Trump's economic record, cited by Democrats to back their argument that the economy is not as healthy as the president claims.

But in a report released Wednesday, the White House Council of Economic Advisers said workers’ wages have increased by about 1.4 percent over the past year, contradicting official statistics showing they have barely budged.

Trump has claimed on Twitter that “in many ways this is the greatest economy in the HISTORY of America,” drawing scorn from Democratic members of Congress who say the president is ignoring a flattening in take-home pay for most workers.

"The reality is that wages for workers in the middle class remain flat and the income inequality gap continues to widen,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said last month.

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