Wicker blames Biden economics for massive inflation

Miss. Senator says inflation is a tax increase on every consumer.

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., spoke from the Senate floor lamenting the effects of inflation on Mississippi residents because of Democratic overspending.

During his speech, Wicker referred to the recently announced 5.4 percent consumer price index increase.

“This represents the largest year-over-year price surge since 2008,” Wicker said. “It’s a tax increase on every American consumer.”

Wicker pointed to the economic pain caused by inflation on families.

“Loss of purchasing power makes it harder for Americans to buy a home, start a family, or send their children to college,” Wicker said.

Additionally, Wicker explained how this inflationary trend is a direct result of Democrat overspending this year.

“The hard reality is that our economy is now saturated with a tsunami of spending unleashed by the Democratic majority back in March, when party leaders abandoned what had been a balanced and bipartisan approach in the year 2020 to COVID relief,” Wicker continued.

Full remarks below, as delivered:

Thank you, Madam President.

What the Senior Senator from Iowa just said is exactly right. Unfortunately, the Biden inflation tax increase is real and it is already here.

We warned about it earlier this year when our friends on the Democratic side decided to spend almost two trillion dollars that was unnecessary. And here it is: just the other day, consumer prices increased by 5.4%.

This represents the largest year-over-year price surge since 2008. It’s a tax increase on every American consumer. And then today, even worse news. The producer price increased 7.3%. We are in an inflation problem. It is caused by this unnecessary spending spree that we’ve been on this year.

We’ve known about it. Now we see the statistics. Because we’ve felt it at home. The senior senator from Iowa mentioned what he was hearing during the break.

Mississippians are paying more for a tank of gas, for a gallon of milk. They’re paying more for a new home and a used car. Used car prices have shot up by 10% since May and by 45% since June of last year. Used cars up by 45% — that is real inflation and it affects real working Americans.

The hard reality is that our economy is now saturated with a tsunami of spending unleashed by the Democratic majority back in March, when party leaders abandoned what had been a balanced and bipartisan approach in the year 2020 to COVID relief.

I would remind my colleagues that in February, the Congressional Budget Office had predicted our economy was already going to return to its pre-pandemic size by mid-year – without the spending of a new $2 trillion.

As the senior senator from Iowa mentioned, Larry Summers, a longtime Democratic advisor, an advisor to President Obama, warned that more stimulus could overheat the economy and cause inflation. And more spending came and the economy got overheated and we are faced with real statistics about inflation that cannot be denied.

Our Democratic friends brushed off that warning and instead pumped trillions more of borrowed money into our economy. Our nation’s money supply has increased by an unheard-of 31% since the pandemic. Now some of it we had to do in the year 2020, when the economy had fallen off a cliff. But we are half-way through 2021. The Fed is still printing cash and the majority party in this body seems intent on spending trillions more. 

As a result, inflation is now eating away at family earnings, at bank accounts, at 401k savings accounts – most of which are shrinking as a share of the economy. 

Loss of purchasing power makes it harder for Americans to buy a home, start a family, or send their children to college.

Madam President, all of this should serve as a caution to all of us, to our friends on the other side of the aisle. This week’s Consumer Price Index is an early alarm bell signaling that this Congress and the Biden Administration are courting runaway inflation.

I yield the floor.

Press Release

7/15/2021