President Biden said Tuesday that Congress could ease record-high inflation by spending more taxpayer dollars on his plans to fund more services like child care and elder care for struggling families.
Speaking at a National Association of Counties conference in Washington, the president said families “are getting clobbered” by inflation, which hit a 40-year high of 7.5% last month. Wholesale prices also rose last month at an annual rate of 9.7%, near a record, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.
“I know gas and food prices are up. We’re working to bring them down,” Mr. Biden told county officials in a crowded hotel ballroom. “If Congress acts, we could take care of things with the stroke of a pen tomorrow.”
He said working-class families would benefit from his spending proposals to limit child-care costs to 7% of income, to fund more for elder care services and to limit price increases of prescription drugs.
Those plans, originally part of the president’s failed $1.75 trillion “Build Back Better” legislation, would cost hundreds of billions of dollars in individual pieces.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that the high inflation is a result of Democrats’ massive government spending last year under Mr. Biden.
“Any American who hasn’t managed to secure an 8% pay raise in the last year has actually received a real pay cut, thanks to Democrats’ inflation,” the Kentucky Republican said. “This is where Democrats’ policies have left working families.”
The president urged county officials to press Congress for more financial aid.
“I need your voices,” Mr. Biden said to the crowd.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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