Same as RM was
UPDATE 2-Biden advisers say pandemic, not policies, fueling inflation
WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's economic advisers defended his policies on Sunday amid rising inflation that they said was a global issue related to the COVID-19 pandemic, not a result of the administration's programs.
U.S. consumer prices https://www.reuters.com/business/us-consumer-prices-surge-weekly-jobless-claims-fall-2021-11-10 last week posted their biggest annual gain in 31 years, driven by surges in the cost of gasoline and other goods. Republicans have pounced on inflation worries, claiming that the increase reflects Biden's sweeping spending agenda.
"There's no doubt inflation is high right now. It's affecting Americans' pocketbooks. It's affecting their outlook," Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "But it's important that we put this in context. When the president took office, we were facing an all-out economic crisis."
The United States is hardly alone in enduring a bout of stiff inflation, with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development showing inflation running high across its 38 member countries and oil prices quadrupling in the last 18 months as energy demand recovered with economies reopening from COVID-19 shutdowns.
On Monday, Biden is scheduled to sign a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that is expected to create jobs across the country by dispersing billions of dollars to state and local governments to fix crumbling bridges and roads, and expanding broadband internet access to millions of Americans.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Deese in separate television appearances said they expect that measure, as well as the $1.75 trillion "Build Back Better" domestic spending and climate investment bill to help bring down inflation.
"There's an urgency to act," Deese said on CNN.
Deese said he was confident that House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi would bring the "Build Back Better" bill to a vote this week. That, however, will only be a first step as the Senate has not yet taken up the bill, and Democratic divisions could threaten its chances in that chamber.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in an open letter to fellow Democrats on Sunday said his chamber will not take up the bill until the House passes it. Congress faces an extremely crowded agenda in the month ahead as it also needs to avert an economically catastrophic debt default by the federal government and a partial government shutdown that would be politically embarrassing for Democrats.
more bs
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/1-inflation-caused-pandemic-not-144133873.html