Labor Sec’y Walsh on Inflation: It’s About ‘Getting People Back to Work’ – ‘Jury’s Still Out’ on What Numbers Mean for Long Run

On Friday’s “CNN Newsroom,” Labor Secretary Marty Walsh stated that while the White House believes inflation numbers are temporary, “the jury’s still out on what does this mean long-term as far as inflation goes” and that the issue is “about getting the economy, getting people back to work in some places.”

Walsh said, “Well, one of the biggest conversations we had today at the Department of Labor was we talked about inflation when we were going over the numbers for the jobs report. We’re looking at increased wages. We’re looking at the areas that gained, and we talked about inflation. And again, I think that the jury’s still out on what does this mean long-term as far as inflation goes. And I don’t think necessarily, as we think about moving forward, if it continues we’ll have to come up with, obviously, a solid plan. But right now, as the White House said, our feeling is that it’s a temporary increase, a temporary inflation number and not a long-term inflation number.”

Host Poppy Harlow then cut in to ask, “You said we’ll have to come up with a plan. Does that mean there’s not a plan?”

Walsh responded, “No. I’m just saying — I’m talking about the Department of Labor, what we’re doing at the Department of Labor. Certainly, this conversation came up today in our morning briefing. And it’s going to be a conversation that we’re going to continue to have, internally, to talk about what the long term could be.”

He added that “it’s about getting the economy, getting people back to work in some places.”

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