MARIA: WELCOME BACK ECONOMISTS
PAUL ADMITTING HE WAS WRONG
ABOUT INFLATION IN A NEW OP-ED.
NOW HE SAYS HE BRUSHED OFF FEARS
OF PRESIDENT BIDEN’S
$1.9 TRILLION RELIEF BILL.
SOME WARNED THAT THE PACKAGE
WOULD BE DANGEROUSLY
INFLATIONARY AND OTHERS FAIRLY
RELAXED.
I WAS TEAM RELAXED AS IT TURNED,
OF COURSE, THAT WAS A VERY BAD
CALL.
NANCY MAY, MEMBER OF OVERNIGHT
AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEES,
CONGRESSWOMAN THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR BEING HERE THIS
MORNING.
THAT’S NOT THE ONLY THING PAUL
WAS WRONG ABOUT.
IN 2016 WHEN DONALD TRUMP WAS
ELECTED HE SAID THAT THE ECONOMY
WOULD PLUMMET AND IT WOULD NEVER
COME BACK.
IN FACT, WE WENT ONTO HAVE GREAT
GROWTH AND THE INCOME DISPARITY
GAP ACTUALLY BROUGHT NARROWER
AND THE HIGHEST EARNERS WERE
LAGGING THE LOWEST EARNERS IN
TERMS OF WAGE GAINS,
CONGRESSWOMAN.
HOW DO YOU SEE THE ECONOMY RIGHT
NOW?
CONGRESSWOMAN: THE ECONOMY IS IN
THE TANK AND YOU SAW JOE BIDEN
AND HIS ADMINISTRATION THIS WEEK
CELEBRATE THE HIGHEST GAS PRICES
IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
IT’S GREAT THAT THEY ARE
DROPPING RIGHT NOW.
THEY DROP AT A REALLY SLOW RATE
BUT SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER TODAY
THAN THEY WERE A YEAR AGO TODAY.
IT’S LIKE CELEBRATING A
TOUCHDOWN WHEN YOU ARE 50 YARDS
BEHIND BUT UNDER THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION WE HAD SOME OF
THE BEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATES FOR
EVERY AMERICAN REGARDLESS OF THE
COLOR OF YOUR SKIN, WOMEN HAD
GREAT UNEMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES.
WE HAD LOWER TAXES WITH THE TAX
CUTS AND JOBS ACT.
WE HAD CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM
AND PRISON REFORM.
THEY WERE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES
FOR EVERY SINGLE HARD-WORKING
AMERICAN AND TODAY YOU ARE
SEEING COMPANIES LARGE AND SMALL
STRUGGLE TO GET EMPLOYEES IN THE
DOOR AND WE ARE HAVING HUGE
PROBLEMS WITH REGARD TO SUPPLY
CHAIN AND LOGISTICS AND
INFLATION AT 9.1%.
MARIA: THE WHITE HOUSE SEEMS TO
BE CELEBRATING DROP-OFF IN THE
PRICE OF GASOLINE.
SECRETARY TOOK TO TWITTER TO
CELEBRATE ABOUT GAS PRICES.
>> HEY, EVERYBODY, SO GAS PRICES
HAVE BEEN DECLINING ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
IN THE PAST MORE THAN 30 DAYS WE
HAVE SEEN GAS PRICES GO DOWN BY
MORE THAN 50 CENTS PER GALLON.
SO LET’S GET INTO SOME -- IT’S
SO EXCITING, GUYS, I’M IN THE
GRAPH.
MARIA: JEAN-PIERRE BLASTED OIL
REFINERIES AND LEFT OUT THAT
GASOLINE PRICES ARE $2 HIGHER
THAN WHEN BIDEN TOOK OFFICE, WE
ARE TALKING ABOUT A 40%
INCREASE.
>> IT’S VERY EXPENSIVE TO FILL
UP YOUR TANK AND OBVIOUSLY THEY
ARE CELEBRATING THE LOWER,
LOWERING OF PRICES OVER THE LAST
COUPLE OF WEEKS BECAUSE BIDEN’S
APPROVAL RATINGS ARE HIGH 20’s
AND LOW 30’s AND ON AVERAGE
THEY WILL LOSE ONE MONTH’S
SALARY AND INFLATION AND
INFLATION IS TAXATION AND YOU DO
NOT SEE JOE BIDEN AND THE
ADMINISTRATION TO DO ANYTHING AS
FAR AS I’VE SEEN.
>> CONGRESSWOMAN, IT IS
INTERESTING THE SEE THE WHITE
HOUSE CELEBRATING LOWER GAS
PRICES, YOU MIGHT ASK THE
QUESTION, WELL, WHY IS THAT
HAPPENING, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO
MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
THE ANSWER IS THEY’VE DONE
NOTHING AND THE REASON GAS
PRICES HAVE COME DOWN IS BECAUSE
OIL PRICES HAVE COME DOWN AND
THEY HAVE COME DOWN BECAUSE
EVERYONE IS WORRIED ABOUT
RECESSION.
CONGRESSWOMAN, HOW WORRIED ARE
YOU ABOUT RECESSION AND THE FACT
THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS NOT
CHANGED COURSE ON THE SPENDING
AND THE REGULATION THAT IT WANTS
TO IMPOSE IN THIS ECONOMY.
>> RIGHT, I WILL ADD ONE THING.
WE KNOW IT WASN’T THE FIST BUMP
WITH SAUDI ARABIA WITH THE CROWN
PRINCE THAT LOWERED PRICES.
THAT’S WHAT JOE BIDEN WANTS
EVERYONE TO BELIEVE AT THIS
POINT.
THERE ARE REAL FEARS AND I KNOW
WHEN I GO TO THE GROCERY STORE
WITH MY KIDS WE ARE MAKING
DECISIONS THAN WE WERE A YEAR
AGO.
WE ARE TRYING TO DRIVERLESS THAN
A YEAR AGO.
IT COST ME A SET OF EXPENSIVE
BASKETBALL SHOES EVERY TIME I GO
AND FILL UP THE TANK AND OTHER
AMERICANS ARE HAVING THE SAME
PROBLEMS BECAUSE WAGES ARE NOT
KEEPING UP WITH INFLATION.
MARIA: YEAH, MEANWHILE WHO IS
TELLING HIM TO CONTINUE PUSHING
THIS AGENDA THROUGH?
THE CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDA, HE’S
GOT A WHOLE GOVERNMENT APPROACH
TO THIS, THE SEC COMING OUT WITH
ITS RULE, ALEXANDRIA
OCASIO-CORTEZ OBVIOUSLY PUSHING
THIS CLIMATE AGENDA.
SHE’S THE ONE WHO SAID WEEKS AGO
THAT HE COULD BE DOING MORE AND,
OF COURSE, YESTERDAY HE SAID
THAT HE’S GOING TO DO EXECUTIVE
ORDERS.
HE’S DENYING MEANWHILE THAT SHE
PRETENDED TO BE HANDCUFFED AFTER
HER TUESDAY PROTEST WHERE WE
COULD SEE IT WITH OUR OWN EYES
WHAT’S GOING ON HERE.
THERE ARE NO HANDCUFFS AND YET
SHE HAS HER HANDS BEHIND HER
BACK AS IF SHE HAS THEM ON.
CONGRESSWOMAN, SHE DID RESPOND
TO ONE OF YOUR TWEETS.
NO FAKING HERE, PUTTING YOUR
HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK IS BEST
PRACTICE HANDCUFFED OR NOT TO
AVOID ESCALATE CHARGES.
SHE’S ANSWERING YOUR TWEET.
>> WE SOMETIMES GET INTO IT ON
TWITTER BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T TELL
THE TRUTH AND SHE’S BEEN
DISHONEST ABOUT ONE OF THOSE
THINGS AND I CALL IT PERFORMANCE
ART.
IT’S MORE ABOUT PERFORMANCE AND
RAISING MONEY AND FIST PUMPS IN
THE AIR THAN IT IS ABOUT POLICY
AND WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE AND
SHE FUNDRAISED OFF OF THIS AND
LIED ABOUT IT.
YOU CAN PUT YOUR HANDS IN FRONT
OF YOU LIKE BEHIND YOU AND
PRETEND THAT YOU’RE HANDCUFFED
WITH FAKE ARREST TO TRY TO
ESCALATE THE SITUATION WITH FIST
IN THE AIR IS RIDICULOUS AND
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE FALLING
FOR THESE KINDS OF TRICKS.
IT’S IN THE RIGHT.
WE ARE HERE TO DO A JOB AND HERE
TO WORK FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
I WORK ON CLIMATE ISSUES THAT
ARE IN MY DISTRICT AND IT’S
IMPORTANT TO SEE ECONOMY, TAXES,
THOSE ARE THE BREAD AND BUTTER
ISSUES THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS
INSTEAD OF POLITICAL STUNTS.
MARIA: TRUE, CONGRESSWOMAN.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.