On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” DNC Senior Adviser Cedric Richmond argued that “Republican opposition just for the sake of opposition to legislation that would bring household costs down is what’s continuing to spark” inflation, but refused to place the same blame on Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) for blocking the same legislation because “when you have united opposition from the other party, this is what you get.”
Host Jake Tapper asked, “[E]conomists were predicting that all of the money being injected into the U.S. economy in 2020 and 2021 could help cause inflation. Doesn’t President Biden bear some responsibility for how bad things are?”
Richmond responded, “No, if you look at — Jake, if you look at the president’s three-pronged plan in the beginning, it was to pass the American Rescue Plan so we could get shots in arms, get schools back open, get the economy open and not shut down again, which all happened. And then it was to go do the bipartisan infrastructure bill so that we could finally start investing in American infrastructure, creating jobs right here in the United States, jobs that pay well. And then the third prong was to reduce those household costs, the cost of health care, the cost of elder care, the cost of child care, and continue to bring household costs down. And all of the economists said if we passed the last portion of it, it would do that. And so, what you have is Republicans purposely obstructing it and keeping it from happening, then, at the same time, saying inflation is high. And we know we have work to do there. But the Republican opposition just for the sake of opposition to legislation that would bring household costs down is what’s continuing to spark it.”
He continued, “But the president also laid out his plan to continue to deal with inflation, to continue to deal with rising gas prices. He wants to continue to pay down the debt. We’ve done that more than — or the president has done that more than any other president in this short time period. And the question becomes why won’t the Republicans really seriously take up the end of the president’s agenda, which would allow him to tax the rich so that we can continue to pay down the debt, reduce the deficit, which would also reduce inflation.”
Tapper then asked, “Well, you’re blaming that on Republicans, but Democrats control the Senate, and it was two Democrats, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who actually blocked that. Yes, the Republicans are not participating or cooperating at all. But if you’re blaming it on Republicans, then is it also not the fault of Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin that there’s inflation?”
Richmond answered, “Well, I’ll just tell you that you have united Republican opposition. All 50 Republican senators are sitting on their hands and not doing anything to address these inflationary pressures, which there is a plan to deal with. And we’ll continue to talk and work with Sens. Sinema and Manchin to continue to try to push the agenda, but when you have united opposition from the other party, this is what you get. And I think that’s what Americans are so frustrated with, is congressional gridlock when it’s their lives that are being affected by it. And there’s a plan, there’s a bill, and we just urge Congress to act.”
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