The American people are in a "bad situation" with the nation's economy, despite President Joe Biden's "best efforts to paint a rosy picture," Rep. Ben Cline said Wednesday on Newsmax.
His said as much before the Federal Reserve's meeting and anticipated .75 percentage-point interest rate hike.
"You know, this is not 'Animal House' with Joe Biden standing around saying everything is fine, and remain calm," the Virginia Republican said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "This is a bad situation for the American people.
"They're getting hit in their pocketbooks with inflation at record levels, 40-year record levels, and the Fed aggressively taking action to raise rates by three-quarters of a point for the second quarter in a row.
The rate hike, he added, "is going to have an impact on everything from car loans to home purchases, and Americans are going to feel it in their wallets. Joe Biden is just asleep at the wheel."
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday slashed its global growth projects for this year and 2023, and consumer confidence index numbers marked another slide as well.
Cline said both point to a crisis, which means Americans want a change — and they want Republicans to "deliver on the promises that they're making."
"When it comes to energy independence, controlling our border, and reining in wasteful government spending, we're ready to lead, and if the voters give us that opportunity in November, we're going to move quickly to take action to combat this harmful Biden agenda," the congressman said.
Meanwhile, the administration has been pushing away arguments that the nation is already in a recession, and Cline said the American people are "fed up with this administration and the effect that their policies are having on their wallets."
Gas prices may have dropped by 50 cents, but they're still "nearly twice as high as gas prices were when Biden took office," said Cline.
In addition, mortgage and food prices are on the rise; farmers are dealing with an energy crisis; and most people "have not seen this type of crisis since the ’70s when it comes to inflation," the congressman continued.
Meanwhile, he said he expects Biden to be a candidate in 2004, "if they can prop him up and have a 'Weekend at Bernie's'-style nominating convention," said Cline.
"I wouldn't put anything past the Democrats to try and prop him up for another four years," he said. "But we all know that the powers behind Joe Biden are truly the ones calling the shots and pushing their socialist agenda," Cline said. "He is just a prop that is rolled out to make speeches from a teleprompter.
"Those policies are really hurting American families. It's time for a change again."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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