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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre floundered when pressed on what the so-called Inflation Reduction Act will do for Americans in the short term Tuesday.
Reporters pressed Jean-Pierre during a White House press briefing, pointing out that the measures in the IRA aren’t expected to impact most Americans until later in the decade. Jean-Pierre listed a handful of programs subsidizing some purchases but did not point to examples of how the bill would cut inflation.
“What exactly would the inflation Reduction Act do to reduce inflation in the short term?” a reporter asked.
“Look, experts economists have said themselves that … the Inflation Reduction Act would be beneficial to let three hundred the extra three hundred billion dollars in deficit,” Jean-Pierre responded. “That is really important as we have right now $1.7 billion in deficit reduction under this administration. It would help lower that even more, which is incredibly important.”
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First Lady Jill Biden listens as President Biden talks to reporters about inflation before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, June 17, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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“And so, look, we’ve heard from Republicans and Democrats who [were] US Treasury secretaries who said it would lower inflation. We’ve heard from more than 126 economists said it would lower inflation,” she added.
The reporter then pressed again, pointing out that many of the policies won’t reach Americans until 2024 or 2026.
“Is it fair to suggest to people that somehow they’re going to see some inflation reduction right now while they’re hurting the most?” the reporter pressed.
“Well, that is actually not true,” Jean-Pierre said before listing several programs granting tax credits or rebates for installing things like home solar panels and energy-saving windows and doors.
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The exchange came the same day the U.S. announced an uptick in inflation to 8.3%, according to the Consumer Price Index. Inflation continues to hit Americans hardest at the grocery store, which Jean-Pierre did not mention.
