WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 -- Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, ranking Republican member of the House Small Business Committee, issued the following statement after the Labor Department announced that nonfarm employment rose by 164,000 in July and hourly earnings increased by 3.2 percent over the past 12 months:

In addition, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reported that 32 percent of small business owners reported raising wages, an increase of 4 percent from June.