Former Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota lambasted Democrats over the Inflation Reduction Act, saying “so little” of its provisions have “kicked in,” the New York Post reported Tuesday.
“The unfortunately named Inflation Reduction Act — unfortunately, mainly because so little of it has kicked in and we are not seeing inflation reduced, of course, since this package,” Franken said on his weekly podcast, according to the NYP. (RELATED: ‘He’s Gotta Own It’: Harris Faulkner Spars With Dem Consultant Over Biden’s Blame For Economy)
Franken criticized Democrats for their efforts to claim inflation in the United States was not as bad as it was in other countries, saying many voters would not care what inflation was in Hungary.
“’When my family’s having peanut butter sandwiches again for dinner, I’ll bring up Hungary’s rate of inflation,’” Franken said, doing a satirical impression of a voter.
Al Franken jabs Democrats over Inflation Reduction Act’s name: ‘So little of it has kicked in’ https://t.co/j20JLp9K7s pic.twitter.com/F4Hz39yN7p
— NY Post Business (@nypostbiz) October 25, 2022
Franken said the Democrats’ response to the issue made him feel “stressed” about the midterm elections. A Morning Consult/Politico poll released Wednesday reported that 93% of respondents were concerned about inflation.
Democratic Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina admitted that Democrats knew inflation would go up with the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which President Joe Biden signed into law in March 2021. Experts, including former Obama administration official Steven Rattner, claim the spending from that legislation fueled inflation to the highest levels in four decades.
The Consumer Price Index increased 8.2% year-to-year in September after rising by 8.3% in August.
“Things have not been trending in the right direction as of late. Americans are rightly concerned about inflation. Gas prices are trending back up, rent, food,” Franken said. “It’s hard to care about anything else when you don’t know if you’re gonna make it month to month or even week to week.”
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