President Joe Biden responded to Republicans who claim he is failing to address inflation.
While delivering remarks Friday, Biden commented on the economy and jobs report.
“Today, America’s the only leading economy in the world where the economy as a whole is stronger than before the pandemic. Now I hear Republicans say today that my talking about this strong record shows that I don’t understand…a lot of people are still suffering, they say. Well, they are,” Biden said.
He continued, “Or that I’m not focused on inflation. Malarkey. They want to talk down the recovery because they voted against the legislation that made it happen. They voted against the tax cuts for middle-class families. They voted against the funds we needed to reopen our schools, to keep police officers and firefighters on the job, to lower healthcare premiums. They voted against the funds we’re now using to buy COVID booster shots and more anti-viral pills.”
The president said he refuses to “let them stand in the way of this recovery, and now my focus is on keeping this recovery strong and durable, notwithstanding Republican obstructionism.”
He added, “I know that even as jobs and families’ incomes have recovered, families are still feeling the pinch of prices and costs. So we’re taking that on as well.”
According to the labor department, the economy added 199,000 jobs in December. The unemployment rate fell to 3.9%.
“I think it’s a historic day for our economic recovery,” Biden said during his speech.
He argued the “Biden economic plan is working. And is getting America back to work, back on its feet.”
Some Republicans expressed their disappointment with the jobs report on Twitter.
Still, others remain confident in Biden’s plan, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
“Today’s jobs report shows that the Biden economy is working,” Pelosi tweeted.
She added, “Democrats will keep working to create good-paying jobs and lower families’ costs – including our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, our strong action to bring production back to American shores and the Build Back Better Act, which will dramatically cut costs for the middle class.”