Biden Attempts to Deflect Blame for State of Economy

(NewsReady.com) – Americans have dealt with higher prices in almost every aspect of their lives in the wake of the pandemic. Inflation began to rise in November 2020 and reached as high as 9.1%. During President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address (SOTU) he tried to deflect responsibility for the state of the economy.

On February 7, Biden spoke in front of a joint session of Congress. During the SOTU, he talked about the global inflation crisis, saying the pandemic disrupted supply chains and blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for record high prices. He went on to celebrate falling food and gas prices. He also pointed out that inflation has fallen every month for the last six months.

President Biden skirted blame for rising prices in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, insisting it's a global problem caused by Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. https://t.co/wAmJbvhPrc

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) February 8, 2023

Although Biden was correct that inflation is dropping, it’s still incredibly high. The Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed inflation is 6.5%, up from 1.4% when he took office in January 2021. On January 8, AAA reported the nationwide average price for a regular gallon of gas is $3.44, more than a dollar than the average $2.40 per gallon on January 21, 2021. The food index is 10.4%, up from 3.8% in January 2021. The bottom line is that people across the country are still paying more for goods across the board.

During the SOTU, Republican members of Congress often yelled at Biden. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) repeatedly called the president a liar when he discussed Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-FL) “Rescue America” plan that would force all government laws, including Social Security and Medicare, to sunset, forcing Congress to reauthorize them.

Biden responded to the lawmakers who booed when he mentioned the plan, telling them that if they wanted to contact his office, he would send the proposal the senator introduced over, though he never mentioned Scott by name.

The president’s victory lap was obviously premature, no matter how rosy a picture he painted.