Kamala Harris Receives Backlash for Claiming Inflation Reduction Act Distributes ‘Trillions of Dollars’ on American Streets

In Milwaukee, she claimed that the Inflation Reduction Act is “dropping trillions of dollars on the streets of America right now to build back up our roads and our bridges, our sidewalks, to invest in a clean energy economy, to deal with the climate crisis in a way that is about building up adaptation and resilience.” This statement quickly attracted attention for its bold imagery.

The latest view on inflation, based on the minutes from a policy meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee Participants on April 30-May 1, is that “while inflation has eased over the past year, in recent months there had been a lack of further progress toward the Committee’s 2 percent objective.”

The minutes reported, “Many participants noted signs that the finances of low- and moderate-income households were increasingly coming under pressure, which these participants saw as a downside risk to the outlook for consumption. They pointed to increased usage of credit cards and buy-now-pay-later services, as well as increased delinquency rates for some types of consumer loans.”

After all, this isn’t the first time Harris has been roasted for saying a verbal gaffe — something awkward, illogical, repetitive, or downright silly. Conservative media has often highlighted Harris’ confused speeches.

What she said was: “The governor and I, we were all doing a tour of the library here and talking about the significance of the passage of time, right, the significance of the passage of time. So, when you think about it, there is great significance to the passage of time in terms of what we need to do to lay these wires. What we need to do to create these jobs. And there is such great significance to the passage of time when we think about a day in the life of our children.”

Meanwhile, a Republican former congressional aide, Matt Whitlock, likened Harris’ “passage of time” repetition as something similar to a character in the HBO show, “VEEP,” would say. He wrote, “Kamala Harris on the ‘significance of the passage of time’ is the most VEEP thing we’ve seen in at least a few weeks.”

A list of Harris’ statements was compiled just to prove this point. A short example is her response to the Highland Park shooting incident in Illinois, where she argued against the Second Amendment: “We got to take this stuff seriously, as seriously as you are because you have been forced to have taken this seriously.”

And when asked by Colbert if she often felt, as Selina Meyer did, “frustrated by the sometimes vague duties of the role,” Harris wisely replied instead, “I have the great privilege of serving with Joe Biden.”

His question captured a common reaction among observers who noted the apparent irony in discussing massive spending in the context of reducing inflation.

However, the phrasing used by Harris to describe the impact of the legislation as trillions of dollars being deployed directly onto streets has led to confusion and criticism.

The remarks about trillions of dollars led to a variety of memes and satirical posts, highlighting the widespread attention the statement received.

The tour is designed to promote the administration’s efforts to enhance economic opportunities through significant federal investment in infrastructure and renewable energy.

This reflects a broader criticism from conservative circles about the perceived ineffectiveness of the Inflation Reduction Act in combating inflation.

This indicates a missed opportunity in public relations while critiquing the substance of Harris’ statement.

He posted, “Because of the Pacifism Now Act, we are bombing Americans from sea to shining sea.” 

They pointed out that the root cause of inflation is, according to former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke, “the federal government dropping trillions of dollars on the streets of America,” which reduces the “value of a dollar.”

His comment reflects a segment of the punditry that finds the administration’s approach to inflation counterintuitive.

This illustrates how her statement captured the imagination and critical eye of the public.

Iannucci told Politico his views on Harris, saying, “You’re number two in a world, in a country, that only looks out for number ones. It’s not about her and ultimately it’s up to the president.”

The controversy has sparked a broader conversation about federal spending and its impact on inflation, highlighting divergent views on fiscal policy and economic management.

But 56% of Wisconsin voters, who are focused on economic issues, thought that Trump would do a better job than Biden about the economy. Only 41% of registered voters in Wisconsin thought Biden would do better.

One of them, Jaquilla Allen, met the vice president and seemed to have only nice comments. “It was even more exciting because she looks like me, she’s part of our organization, so it was lovely, just an experience,” Allen said to FOX 6 Milwaukee.

State GOP Chair Brian Schimming wrote in a statement, “Every time Kamala Harris visits Wisconsin, voters are reminded of the failed agenda of the Biden Administration. From higher inflation to lower wages, voters know they cannot afford another four years of Biden and Harris in the White House.”

These Wisconsin visits emphasized the state’s reputation as a battleground state for both Republicans and Democrats. In the last two elections, the winning party only won by a small, less-than-1% margin over the other. It would be interesting to see whether Harris’ gaffe will swing the vote the other way in November.