On Thursday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Jose Diaz-Balart Reports,” House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) stated that “all of us knew” prices would increase “when we put in place this recovery program. Any time you put more money into the economy, prices tend to rise.” Clyburn also stated that President Joe Biden put kids back in school and has ensured schools are “getting fixed up for climate change” and said, “I resent people who feel that we would much rather not have jobs and education so long as we can pay ten cents less for a gallon of gasoline.”
Clyburn said, “Well, let me make it very clear, all of us are concerned about these rising costs. And all of us knew this would be the case when we put in place this recovery program. Any time you put more money into the economy, prices tend to rise. And we do know that price gouging takes place. … We knew that the moment we went to aid the Ukrainians, the Russians would do what they could possibly do to undercut this administration. So, they cut this deal with the OPEC nations to reduce the production of oil so as to drive the price of gasoline up.”
He later added that Biden “has restored the Americans’ confidence in this democracy. He came into office at a time when COVID-19 was running rampant throughout the country. People were dying, over a million people died. He arrested all of that. He put cash in people’s pockets. He put children back in school, unshuttered businesses. And we are now tackling our infrastructure, the largest infrastructure plan since Eisenhower’s interstate highway we have now put in place, broadband in every home, schools getting fixed up for climate change. And we are doing the things that are necessary to reduce costs for medicine and other things that people need. People are not going to be making choices now whether to take half a pill or half a dose of their medicine so as to buy groceries. We are taking all that into account. And this has been a great success of this President. I call this the great recovery as opposed to the Great Society. Lyndon Johnson gave us the Great Society program. And President Joe Biden has given us a great recovery, the largest infrastructure since Eisenhower, the largest progressive program since Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. This is nothing to sneeze at, and the American people recognize that. And I resent people who feel that we would much rather not have jobs and education so long as we can pay ten cents less for a gallon of gasoline.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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