Democratic Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin said Friday the American people can sense a “spin” from the Biden administration on inflation.
The representative said the Biden administration has the responsibility to be honest with the public about inflation, which rose to a 40-year high of 9.1% in June.
“I’m from Michigan and we’re just straight about what’s going on,” Slotkin said. “And I think people can feel and see spin and I don’t think they like it. What we need to be saying is ‘Look, we know that salary increases in people’s pay is not keeping up with inflation,’ so when you’re sitting around the kitchen table at night, your kids have gone to bed and you’re trying to figure out how much money is coming in and how much is going out. Those math equations are not looking great right now for the majority, at least, in my state.”
CNN host Brianna Keilar pointed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claiming inflation has reached its peak. Slotkin said she has not seen any basis for that claim.
“I have not seen any substance on which that is based,” she said. “I remember very clearly in November when gas prices were really starting to go up and in my district we drive 40 miles on average one way to work. I started hearing about it, and I would bring up ‘I’m really worried about gas prices, I’m really worried about inflation.'” (RELATED: CNBC Anchor Slams Biden Administration For List Of Excuses About Inflation)
She described the several claims in late 2021 that prices would decrease in 2022, which have not yet come true. She said she cannot confirm that inflation has hit its peak when it is not a known fact.
“I’m just not privy to what she’s [Pelosi] looking at,” she added. “Look, the Speaker of the House and leaders here have lots of opportunities to be briefed by eminent economists so I am just not privy to what the substance is behind that. I’m not saying there’s not substance, I’m just saying I don’t know it, I don’t see it, I don’t feel it. I can only speak for myself and my constituents.”
She said she has heard a variety of opinions regarding the future timeline of inflation from economists.
Biden assured the public in December that inflation reached its peak and the administration has the tools to bring costs down. Over half of Americans felt personal strain from inflation in November as prices jumped by 6.2% from the previous year.