Hawkeye Reporter

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) recently criticized President Joe Biden for downplaying inflation during a 60 Minutes interview.

Biden downplayed inflation during a recent 60 Minutes interview, stating that the inflation rate has "hardly" risen, and that the month-to-month rate is "up just an inch, hardly at all," Fox Business reported. Interviewer Scott Pelley pointed out, "It's the highest inflation rate, Mr. President, in 40 years." Biden responded, "I got that. But guess what we are? We're in a position where for the last several months, it hasn't spiked, it is just barely, it's been basically even. And in the meantime, we created all these jobs."

"Inflation – unlike what you saw this weekend on 60 Minutes where it was pooh-poohed and downplayed," Miller-Meeks said in a statement. "Inflation is an issue every single American is facing right now, and the Biden administration has made it abundantly clear that fixing the problem is not a priority." 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics issued its latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) summary on Sept. 13, which found that the rate of inflation over the last 12 months stands at 8.3%. In the last year, food costs have risen by 11.4%, energy costs have increased by 23.8%, gas prices have risen by 25.6% and the cost to purchase a new vehicle has increased by 10.1%.

An analysis of Biden's Inflation Reduction Act conducted by the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School states that the Act will cause inflation to rise until 2024, at which time it could decrease.

Miller-Meeks has worked as a nurse, an ophthalmologist and served in the Army for 24 years, according to Ballotpedia. She will face Democrat Christina Bohannan in November's general election.