White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing on Monday that the White House expects the upcoming consumer price index report to have a “highly elevated” headline figure.
The press secretary said that, “June CPI data is already out of date because energy prices have come down substantially this month and are expected to fall further.”
Americans have been feeling the financial sting caused by roaring inflation that has been eroding the purchasing power of their savings and earnings.
Drivers have been facing significant pain at the pump. As of Monday, the AAA national average price for a gallon of regular gas is $4.678. That figure has declined slightly since it surpassed the $5.00 mark last month.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is slated to release new CPI data on Wednesday. In the CPI report released last month, the BLS noted, “The all items index increased 8.6 percent for the 12 months ending May, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending December 1981.”
Last week, Jean-Pierre claimed that the nation is “stronger economically than we have been, ah, in history,” pointing to unemployment and jobs numbers. She said that the administration recognizes that fuel and food prices are high, but then blamed the COVID-19 pandemic and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine as the culprits.
On Monday, Jean-Pierre continued blaming Putin for higher food and fuel costs — she also claimed that the U.S. has “a strong economy.”
If Americans continue to suffer the painful economic repercussions of high-flying inflation in the months ahead, the issue could serve as a significant drag on Democrats during the 2022 midterm election cycle.
“Republicans are doing nothing but obstructing our efforts to crack down on gas-price gouging, lower food prices, lower healthcare costs, and hopefully, soon, lower your prescription drug costs,” a tweet posted on the president’s @JoeBiden Twitter account declares. “This is not right. And that’s why this election is going to be so darn important.”
In response to the president’s tweet, GOP Rep. Cliff Bentz of Oregon tweeted, “This is the man who ran on the promise to take responsibility for his actions. First, it’s Russia, now it’s Republicans.”