Biden says he's helped lower inflation as he hosts first meeting of his new supply chain council
President Joe Biden has opened the first meeting of his supply chain resilience council by warning companies against price gouging and saying that his administration is working to lower costs for U.S. families
WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday opened the first meeting of his supply chain resilience council by warning companies against price gouging and saying that his administration was working to lower costs for U.S. families.
“We know that prices are still too high for too many things, that times are still too tough for too many families,” Biden said. “But we've made progress.”
The president has blamed inflation on issues such as supply chains and Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, while Republican lawmakers say the run-up in prices was triggered by the $1.9 trillion in coronavirus relief that Democrat Biden signed into law in 2021.
Biden used the council meeting to announce 30 actions to improve access to medicine and needed economic data as well as other programs tied to the production and shipment of goods.
He said he was tackling “junk fees,” hidden charges that companies sneak into bills just because they can and customers have no alternative.
The council follows an earlier task force that was meant to address the supply chain problems that partially fueled higher inflation in 2021 as the United States recovered from the coronavirus pandemic.
Inflation remains a sore point for Biden's approval ratings ahead of next year's presidential election. After the annualized increase in the consumer price index peaked at 9.1% in June 2022, inflation has eased to a moderate 3.2%. The slowdown has not so far improved U.S. adults' feelings about the economy.
Biden said GOP policies would leave
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