The national unemployment rate is still at 3.6%, its lowest level since 1969, but Fridays jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor offered signs of weakness in the American economy as the presidential race gets underway.

The economy added just 75,000 jobs in May, bringing average job growth over the past three months to 151,000 down from 216,000 this time last year. And while worker wages continued to grow, the pace slowed, rising at a 3.1% rate, down from a peak of 3.4% in February.

Most economists believe a low unemployment rate puts upward pressure on wages: With fewer desperate workers willing to take low-paying jobs, businesses are forced to offer higher pay to keep and attract talent.

While the slower job growth reported for May is discouraging, probably the most disconcerting aspect of the report is the evidence that wage growth is actually slowing in spite of the 3.6 percent unemployment rate, said Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in his review of the data .

The numbers prompted an uncharacteristically bleak statement from Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House tax committee.

These numbers are less than hoped for but not surprising given the uncertainty over global trade tensions and a dysfunctional Congress led by Democrats obsessed with investigations, impeachment, and raising taxes rather than working with Republicans to solve Americas challenges, Brady said.

Predictions of economic doom have followed every major economic policy decision from President Donald Trump, from his bankers-and-brokers-first tax cuts to his chaotic tariff program. But while none of Trumps top-line economic initiatives have accomplished much for working people, they have also not disrupted the economy enough to throw growth off track. Back in 2017, most economists considered the American economy to be at full employment meaning it could not create more jobs without fueling inflation. Instead, millions of jobs have been created without a substantive increase in prices.

But the economy wont just keep roaring ahead on its own forever. As of this month, the recovery from the Great Recession, which ended in June 2009, is tied for the longest on record . Some economists fear it could run out of gas in the next year.

What happens next could be up to the Federal Reserve.

The Fed regulates overall employment and inflation in the American economy by adjusting interest rates the price of loans for consumers and businesses. Raising rates typically slows down the economy by making it more expensive for consumers and businesses to take out loans and spend money to grow the economy. By making it cheaper to borrow money, lowering rates can help grow the economy. But growth can also fuel inflation, as higher wages increase worker purchasing power.