Biden calls rising costs 'necessities' — while standing behind 'lowering costs for families' sign



During a speech in Culpeper County, Virginia, on Thursday, President Joe Biden called rising costs "necessities" and told Americans we should all "have peace of mind" amid record inflation, all while standing on a stage ironically arrayed with signs that said, "Build Back Better: Lowering Costs for Families."

"Look, the fact is that we’re in a situation now where, you know, you should have peace of mind. I know food prices are up, and we’re working to bring them down. As I said, I grew up in a family where the price at the pump went up, you felt it. And I understand. But these things are necessities," Biden said.

Admittedly, it was hard to make sense of what he was actually saying, so here's the video so you can try for yourself:


Biden amid record inflation:\n\n"We're in a situation now where you should have peace of mind."pic.twitter.com/UvSErP15Zg
— TheBlaze (@TheBlaze) 1644517261


Now, it's hard to say whether the irony of the situation was lost on the president or if the president was simply lost, but the ever-attentive folks on Twitter didn't miss a beat.

Prices going up daily and he's standing behind signs that say they are lowering costs for families. I guess he didn't say when.
— Lauren Jessop (@Lauren Jessop) 1644518349
\u201cLowering costs for families\u201d
— Jencie31-on-GETTR (@Jencie31-on-GETTR) 1644518118


Just like the sign says, "Lowering Costs for Families"\n#BuildBackBroker
— Bill is Right (@Bill is Right) 1644518514



7.5 % more than it used to
— gabe (@gabe) 1644518102


These are the same people who said inflation was transitory.
— Robert John (@Robert John) 1644533208


See! You should be happy to pay twice as much for everything!
— Lisa Benfield (@Lisa Benfield) 1644521390


pic.twitter.com/0CkbRjgsWT
— Blank182 (@Blank182) 1644517394

House passes Biden’s $1.75 trillion social and climate spending plan. CNN warns it's 'too soon' for Dems to celebrate as showdown looms in Senate.



The House of Representatives on Friday passed President Joe Biden's trimmed-down but still behemoth $1.75 trillion social and climate spending package, but now the bill is headed for the Senate, where its fate is less certain.

Anticipated opposition in the upper chamber has prompted a warning from left-leaning media outlet CNN that it's "too soon for Democrats to declare victory as Build Back Better bill moves forward."

What are the details?

The bill, known as the Build Back Better Act, was narrowly approved by House lawmakers in a 220-213 largely party-line vote, CNBC reported. Only one moderate Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, voted against the bill.

The BBB Act will fund many of the president's key progressive initiatives, including the installment of universal pre-K, Medicare expansion, green energy policies, and expanded child tax credits. The Biden administration's original proposals for the spending package totaled between $3 trillion and $3.5 trillion.

Despite the setbacks — which included cutting the measure in half and a delayed vote due to House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy's eight-and-a-half-hour filibuster speech — Democrats celebrated the bill's passage as a transformative achievement.

"Today, the United States House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act to take another giant step forward in carrying out my economic plan to create jobs, reduce costs, make our country more competitive, and give working people and the middle class a fighting chance," Biden said in a statement after the bill's passage.

The president once again claimed that the measure is "fully paid for" in spite of the Congressional Budget Office's score, which suggests that the plan will add $367 billion to the deficit over 10 years from 2021 until 2031.

It should be noted, too, that the CBO's score is actually generous to the administration. TheBlaze has previously reported that a separate analysis of the bill suggests its cost could be more than twice as high as what the White House claims.

Nevertheless, Biden went on to guarantee that the bill "will not add to inflationary pressures" but instead "will boost the capacity of our economy and reduce costs for millions of families."

What's next?

Now that the bill has passed the Democrat-controlled House, it will move on to the Senate, where stiffer opposition and calls for significant revision are anticipated.

Democrats narrowly control the Senate, but only with the tie-breaking vote from Vice President Kamala Harris, which means that every single Democratic senator will need to be in favor of the bill for it to pass.

That outcome is considered somewhat shaky given the opposition that the bill has already faced from moderate Democrats like Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.).

Manchin has said that the bill as written would end up "hurting" American families already under pressure from soaring inflation and that "the real cost" of the bill is being masked by "shell games and budget gimmicks."

His opposition has been slammed by progressives as "anti-Black, anti-child, anti-woman, and anti-immigrant." But Manchin's constituents appear to be on his side, increasing the chances that he may stand firm and sink the bill.

In its report on the House passage, CNN notes the "triumph is tempered by new questions over whether the $1.9 trillion measure can survive the Senate and then offer the short-term jolt of political energy Biden's wobbling presidency needs."

Biden claimed his spending plan would be 'fully paid for,' but the CBO says it will add $367 billion to the deficit



The Congressional Budgeting Office released its estimate of the cost of President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" plan and it is far from being "fully paid for," as he promised.

The CBO report said Biden's plan would add $367 billion to the deficit over 10 years from 2021 until 2031.

Biden had promised many times that his bill would be "fully paid for," despite that claim being ridiculed in the media.

"My plans are fiscally responsible. They are fully paid for. They don't add a single penny to the deficit," tweeted Biden at the end of October.

The estimate does not include things like increased tax revenue from increased spending and the IRS's intentions to help the agency improve tax enforcement. If that estimate is added, then the cost of the bill reduces to about $165 billion.

The White House has already argued that the estimate of tax revenue from the CBO is far too conservative, and says instead that their estimate finds that they will raise about $400 billion from the effort.

The CBO rating is pivotal for the legislation to pass since Democratic moderate holdouts said that they wanted to see the estimate before deciding on whether to support the bill or not.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has said that he is worried more spending would lead to greater inflation, which is already stifling the economy and hurting consumers' purchasing power.

"If the CBO is not as expected, I think negotiations will continue but definitely make this a longer process," said a spokesperson for Manchin's office on Nov. 8.

The bill had originally come in at the hefty price tag of $3.5 trillion, but objections from moderates whittled it down to $1.75 billion.

Some in the media are already downplaying the findings from the CBO.

"This whole process is an exercise in smoke and mirrors," said CNN's Erin Burnett. "The CBO can only score and give these estimates based on the bill given to them. No one actually knows the price."

Others are accusing Biden of lying.

"CBO confirms that Biden LIED. His Socialist Spending Scam is NOT paid for. It will add BILLIONS of dollars to our deficit over the next decade," tweeted the official account of the House Republicans.

Here's more about the CBO estimate:

The CBO score is outwww.youtube.com

Analysis of Biden's Build Back Better bill says the plan could cost more than twice what White House claims



An analysis of President Joe Biden's Build Back Better framework finds that the multi-trillion dollar social spending plan could cost more than twice what the White House claims it will over the next decade.

An estimate from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that the House Build Back Better Act as currently written will cost roughly $2.4 trillion with about $2.2 trillion in offsets. But the legislation relies on budget gimmicks, sunset provisions, and expirations of certain tax credits and programs in order to keep the topline cost artificially low.

"If the plan's temporary policies were made permanent, we find the cost would increase by as much as $2.5 trillion," the CRFB analysis stated. "As a result, the gross cost of the bill would more than double from $2.4 trillion to $4.9 trillion."

In late October, the White House released the framework for the Build Back Better Act, a plan to provide free child care, expand Medicare and Medicaid, enact new climate change policies, extend the Earned Income Tax Credit, and more. Biden's administration claims the plan will cost $1.85 trillion and will "reduce the deficit" by increasing taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

In reality, the plan as it stands now is projected to add $200 billion to the deficit over 10 years. But that figure relies on the Child Tax Credit increase and Earned Income Tax Credit expansion from Biden's coronavirus stimulus package ending after one year, as well as subsidies for universal pre-K and childcare ending after six years, the healthcare program expansions lasting only through 2025, and other measures expiring in the near future.

"To be sure, lawmakers may choose not to extend some or all of these provisions. However, if they do, they would need to more than double current offsets in order for the bill and the extensions to be paid for. The alternative would be a substantial increase in the debt," CRFB stated.

While it's technically possible that Congress could allow some or all of these tax credits and subsidy programs to end, doing so would be politically unpopular and would be met with vocal protestations from lawmakers that favor an expansive social welfare safety net.

If each piece of Biden's Build Back Better plan is made permanent without additional spending offsets, it will add nearly $3 trillion to the deficit through 2031.

"The Build Back Better Act relies on a substantial amount of short-term policies and arbitrary sunsets to reduce its cost, raising the possibility of deficit-financed extensions in future years," CRFB concluded. "A more robust and fiscally responsible package would not rely on these gimmicks to achieve deficit neutrality."

Religious groups raise concerns over Biden's child care plan: 'It will be detrimental to our ability to participate'



Conservative religious groups are working to have a non-discrimination provision removed from President Joe Biden's proposed universal child care plan, arguing the way the bill is written threatens their ability to serve families with young children.

American leaders of the Catholic Church and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America say that the strings attached to the pre-kindergarten and child care plans in Biden's $1.85 trillion "Build Back Better" plan could force religious groups to violate their conscience rights. These groups fear that non-discrimination language in the bill — language supported by most congressional Democrats — could lock them out of providing child care to families in need, the New York Times reports.

The language is typical for federal legislation. It requires that any organization that receives funding from the government or participates in a federal program comply with federal non-discrimination statutes. These laws would forbid a Christian day care center, for example, to refuse to hire a gay employee or an atheist.

Biden's child care plan would spend nearly $400 billion to aid states in developing universal pre-K and child care programs over six years. The plan aims to ensure that four-person households earning up to $300,000 annually spend no more than 7% of their yearly income on child care. Any family that earns less than 75% of their state's median income would get state-funded care and would pay nothing out of pocket.

Organizations with a religious affiliation make up a substantial number of early childhood care providers in the United States, serving as many as 53% of families, the Times reports. The groups lobbying Congress to amend the child care plan say the non-discrimination language could hurt their ability to teach religious content, force them to compromise all-boys or all-girls programs, and prohibit them from selecting staff who adhere to their religious precepts.

"It will be detrimental to our ability to participate," Jennifer Daniels, the associate director for public policy at the United States Conference of Bishops, told the paper in an interview. "It would impact our ability to stick with our Catholic mission in a variety of ways. We've worked really hard to make our concerns known."

Democratic lawmakers counter that the anti-discrimination language is needed to ensure that groups receiving federal money do not discriminate.

"The Build Back Better Act must not allow government-funded discrimination — in employment or in the provision of services to participants — in publicly funded programs," Reps. Robert Scott (D-Va.) and Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) wrote in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Scott is the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee and the author of the child care plan.

"We believe that allowing such discrimination financed with public funds collected from all taxpayers is wrong," the lawmakers wrote. "We are asking you to oppose any effort to remove or change the nondiscrimination provisions included in the child care and universal preschool provisions of the Build Back Better Act."

According to the Times, Scott's legislation would change how child care providers are treated under federal law:

At issue is what's arguably a major change the bill would make in how the federal government treats institutions that receive aid for the care of small children. For decades, low-income families have received funds from the Child Care and Development Block Grant program that they may use at a variety of child care centers. But since those centers are not necessarily considered direct recipients of federal funds, they are not bound by some nondiscrimination laws.

A similar situation exists for religious elementary schools that receive money through local school systems to educate low-income students.

Mr. Scott's legislation would categorize any prekindergarten or child care center that participates in the new program as a federal financial recipient, requiring it to either comply with nondiscrimination laws or turn away families, the conservative religious organizations argue.

Left-wing civil rights groups support the change, contending that religious groups should not have a right to discriminate by claiming religious liberty protections.

"Who do they want to shut out? Is it the lesbian mom you want to shut out?" said Liz King, the director of the Education Equity Program at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. "Is it the children with autism you want to shut out? Since at least 1964, the law and basic principle has been that federal funds cannot be used to discriminate. No one should have to subsidize their own discrimination."

But the religious groups have an advocate in Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a moderate who has reportedly expressed their concerns in private meetings with his colleagues. According to the Times, Manchin told his fellow Democratic lawmakers federal funding would greatly help religiously affiliated groups provide child care and insisted that they not be prevented from participating in Biden's program.

Manchin's argument "found widespread agreement" among Democratic senators, but the child care plan has not yet been amended.

Jen Psaki says record inflation is being weaponized as a 'political cudgel' against Biden, claims massive spending bills will lower inflation



White House press secretary Jen Psaki attempted to defend the Biden administration against rising concerns about record inflation. Psaki also asserted that President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" agenda would help alleviate inflation and not exacerbate it.

During Friday's White House press briefing, Psaki was asked about inflation and how it adversely affects Americans.

Psaki dismissed "a lot of talk about inflation" and claimed it is being weaponized as a "political cudgel and it shouldn't be."

She did admit, "It's impacting, as you said, millions of Americans no matter their political party. And that's certainly of concern to the president."

Psaki said the Biden administration expects inflation "to substantially decelerate next year."

The White House press secretary then touted the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill and Biden's sweeping $1.75 trillion social-policy and climate change Build Back Better bill as a remedy for the current inflation fiasco.

"Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill that he will sign on Monday and the Build Back Better Bill that we're working to move forward — will not add to inflationary pressure, and will ease inflationary pressure over the long term," Psaki claimed, adding, "Our view is that the real risk here is inaction."

However, a recent ABC News/Ipsos poll found that more Americans believe the vast government spending will hurt them than those who believe it would help them.

Americans are concerned that the massive federal spending bills could fuel even more inflation — which is currently at record levels.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed this week that the Consumer Price Index for October recorded a 6.2% increase over the last year, the largest increase in prices for consumer goods recorded in over 30 years. Grocery prices in October were 5.4% higher than a year ago. Prices for steak skyrocketed 24.9% compared to last October, eggs jumped 11.6% annually, chicken was 8.8% more expensive, cereal increased by 5%, and baby food prices were inflated by 7.9%. Heating oil prices have soared by a whopping 59% in the last year. Month-to-month prices for energy spiked 4.8%.

"One-in-four consumers cited inflationary reductions in their living standards in November, with lower income and older consumers voicing the greatest impact," according to a survey by the University of Michigan.

Peter Schiff, chief economist and global strategist at Euro Pacific Capital, warned, "Inflation is going to help push the economy into recession."

"It's a bunch of nonsense what everybody is saying about how inflation is a good problem, and it's just a consequence of our strong economy," Schiff told Fox Business. "A strong economy doesn't produce inflation. It actually produces the reverse, because a strong economy means that your economy is productive, you're producing more goods and services, and you're growing the supply. We have shortages because we have a weak economy."

Goldman Sachs — one of the largest investment banks and financial institutions in the world — proclaimed this week that inflation is a bigger threat to economic growth worldwide than the COVID-19 pandemic.

The biggest risk to the global economy may no longer be a renewed downturn because of fresh virus outbreaks, but may now be higher inflation because of tight goods supplies and excessive wage pressure. Although we expect a significant part of the goods supply squeeze to abate over the next year, at present the stress on supply chains is substantial and inventories in semiconductors, durable goods, and energy markets are very low. In such an environment, even a moderate production outage resulting from covid outbreaks in China, an energy demand spike related to a cold winter, or other short-term disruptions could have sizable economic effects.

'We CAN shut it down': Congresswoman reveals INSANE plans in 'Build Back Better' bill — and what you can do to stop it



Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) is a small business supporter who knows firsthand how government overreach can hurt everyday Americans. She joined Glenn Beck on the radio program to dig into President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" bill and expose how the shocking proposals in the bill will destroy our country.

"I have seen this movie before. I've lived it. My family, we lost everything because people in Washington did not read the damn bill," began Cammack, whose family was evicted from their home and livelihood in 2011 when an Obama-era program forced them to lose their cattle ranch.

"And now you see that it's happening again. This is the Twilight Zone. You've got bills that are being changed in the dead of night. And not only is no one reading it, but then [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi changes the procedures and the rule on the bill, which is really just a way of saying they're going to prevent us from forcing a reading of the bill on the House floor. And, call me crazy, but I think that you should have to sign a piece of paper that says, 'I read this bill. I understand what is in it' in order to vote on it. Because when you're spending that kind of money, and you're making decisions for millions of Americans, are you or are you not a member of the House of Representatives? Do you represent the people, and can you speak on their behalf? Certainly not, if you cannot read the bill," she added.

Cammack goes on to describe some of the most "insane" proposals hidden inside the "Build Back Better" bill and what you can do to "shut it down."

"It's up to us to make sure that we are louder than ever in voicing our concerns and shutting [the bill] down," she warned. "Call your members of Congress. Go to House.gov. You type in your zip code. You find out who your member is. You call their D.C. office. Don't send an email. Emails can be ignored. Phone calls cannot. Call their offices. Tell them to vote no on the 'Build Back Better' plan. And call every single day. Get every coworker, family member, neighbor you've got. We can shut it down. But they need to know they're on notice and that we, the American people, are watching.

Watch the video clip below to catch more of the conversation:


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Pelosi stops mid-speech after Republican laughs at claim 'Build Back Better' bill will reduce the debt



Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) snapped back at a member of Congress who laughed at her claim during her floor speech that President Joe Biden's multitrillion-dollar spending proposal would reduce the debt.

On Friday, Pelosi spoke in the House of Representatives, extolling the claimed benefits of the Democrats' $1.75 trillion spending proposal for Biden's "Build Back Better" agenda.

"It will be one of the most significant legislative undertakings that any of us have ever been part of," Pelosi said.

The bill, which is still under negotiation in the U.S. Senate, will expand the social safety net and enact several climate policies supported by progressives. Originally intended to be a $3.5 trillion bill that included free college tuition, paid family leave, expanding Medicare and Medicaid, and much more, Democrats were forced to compromise because moderate lawmakers like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are concerned about rising economic inflation.

Despite cuts to the bill, Pelosi asserted Friday that it will be bigger and more impactful than the Affordable Care Act, the transformative health care law enacted under President Barack Obama.

"So if you're talking about how we want to have immediate and enduring difference for the workers and families, creating jobs, securing middle class tax cuts, lowering costs for families, and making the wealthiest pay their fair share, all the while contributing to reducing the national debt," Pelosi said.

She then stopped speaking as someone else in the House apparently let out a guffaw.

"Did I hear a laugh over there?" she asked.

"Did I hear a laugh from those who added $2 trillion in tax cuts for the richest people in America, 83% of it going to the top 1%?" she fired back.

"This is paid for and more than paid for," she claimed.

In reality, the funding for this $1.75 trillion bill is a point of contention in the negotiations. Some Democrats want to add a massive tax cut for the wealthy into the bill by changing the cap on state and local tax deductions. These so-called SALT tax deductions were capped at $10,000 by the 2017 tax reform law passed under President Donald Trump.

House Democrats put forward a proposal last week to increase the SALT cap to $72,500 through 2031, which would lower government revenues by an estimated $50 billion per year through 2025.

Ironically, Pelosi claimed that the "Build Back Better" bill would not increase the deficit at the same time Democrats are arguing for a tax cut for the rich that would not be paid for. And she called out a Republican for apparently laughing at that contradiction.

Isn't that funny?

(H/T: Mediaite)

Breaking: House Democrats pass massive $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill despite progressive infighting



House Democrats were able to pass their massive $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill during a late-night session on Friday despite infighting between centrist Democrats and the progressives.

The largest infrastructure bill in history passed by a vote of 228 to 206, with 13 Republicans voting with Democrats.

The measure, which was passed by the Senate in August, goes to the desk of President Joe Biden for his signature.

Several far-left Democrats voted no on the measure because they wanted assurances from Democrat leadership that they would be able to pass the far more ambitious $3.5 trillion spending bill.

Among those were Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who reportedly said, "I'm a no. This is bulls***."

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) also said they voted no on the bill.

The massive spending will be touted as a great victory for Biden's political agenda. It will also be considered a huge loss for the Republicans, who could have killed the bill had they stuck together against it.

Here's more about the debate over the infrastructure bill:

Biden close to moving forward on domestic agenda l WNTwww.youtube.com

BREAKING: In a huge blow to progressives and President Biden, paid family leave dropped from massive spending bill



Democrats reportedly dropped paid family leave and medical leave from their massive spending bill, a blow to the agenda of progressives and President Joe Biden (D).

Biden had publicly named the policies as priorities for his "Build Back Better" spending bill but they were tanked by objections from Democrats Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.

Some Democrats hope to get them back into the bill.

"Until the bill is printed, I will continue working to include paid leave in the Build Back Better plan," said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

"I am not done pushing," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). "I am going to keep fighting for the inclusion of paid family and medical leave until I see the final bill text. This is not over."

Democrats had previously planned to pass $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, which would amount to more than the entire federal government revenue from the 2020 fiscal year, and more than half of the total expenditures, which were $6.6 trillion.

That bill has been whittled down to about $1.75 trillion dollars in an attempt to appease Sinema and Manchin. Democrats have only 50 votes in the U.S. Senate, meaning just one vote could sink their efforts to pass any bill without Republican support.

Manchin has also signaled that he objects to efforts to raise taxes on the wealthy.

"I don't like the connotation that we're targeting different people. There's people that basically, they've contributed to society, they've created a lot of jobs, and invested a lot of money and give a lot to philanthropic pursuits," Manchin told reporters on Wednesday. "But it's time that we all pull together and row together."

In its place, he said a 15% minimum tax on billionaires would "be nothing we should be scorned about" and said "it doesn't harm anybody."

"That's called a patriotic tax," Manchin said.

Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who had called for more than $6 trillion in new spending, lamented on Wednesday at the state of spending negotiations.

"Every sensible revenue option seems to be destroyed," said Sanders to an NBC News reporter.

He added that every progressive option had been "sabotaged."

Democrats and progressives have lashed out viciously at Manchin and Sinema for dragging down their massive spending schemes.

Here's more about the newest spending negotiations:

Paid family leave, billionaire tax likely cut from spending bill over Manchin oppositionwww.youtube.com