President Joe Biden used his infamous whispers to declare his Inflation Reduction Act “is working,” but his one-year anniversary celebrations have been overshadowed by his own handling of the Hawaii wildfires, Donald Trump’s latest indictment and the absence of Senator Joe Manchin.
At a well-attended event in the East Room of the White House, Biden claimed his bill increased jobs, lowered inflation and reduced the deficit. He even got a reference to an ice cream.
“I’m not here to proclaim the victory of the economy,” he said. “We have more work to do.”
And he made what is becoming a signature move. He leaned into the microphone to whisper to get his point across and stated that Bideneconomics is “working.”
Biden and his cabinet fanned out to tout the benefits of the $1.2 trillion Social Security bill that incentivized consumers to go green, expanded Obamacare, and asked the wealthy — along with corporations — to foot the bill.
But instead, the White House has had to push back criticism that Biden did not adequately address the wildfires in Maui that have devastated the island and killed at least 106 people. In addition, Trump was indicted for a fourth time on Monday, bringing a total of 91 charges against the former president and diverting attention from Biden.
Finally, the celebration of Biden in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday had one notable absence: Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, a key player in the passage of the legislation.
President Joe Biden raises his fist at an event at the White House to mark the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act
Manchin helped write and name the bill, but stayed away as Democrats applauded Biden during his remarks.
The East Room was packed with Democratic legislators and representatives of groups and corporations that supported the legislation.
And Biden was in a celebratory mood, bringing up his favorite dessert: “I want to say one thing to your kids. I know some really great ice cream parlors around here and Dad owes you something, so talk to me afterwards.”
He ended his points with a signature shout into the microphone about how America can do nothing when it feels like it. The friendly crowd gave him a standing ovation as Biden saluted them and raised his fist in victory.
Ahead of the president’s remarks, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer take the stage to praise Biden.
“At a time when our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Maui,” Pelosi said, “there is no more urgent task than saving our planet. This is not new to our president.”
Schumer noted that Pelosi had many Democratic House members with him at the event, when he only had one senator: Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
But he praised Joe Manchin — and other Democratic senators — in his remarks.
“I have to give credit to each of my 57 colleagues with the Senate caucus — from Bernie Sanders to Joe Manchin. We only had 50 votes and we needed them all.’
Manchin co-sponsored the legislation with Schumer. He was in the White House when the bill was signed, so his absence on Wednesday was notable.
Relations between the West Virginia senator and the Biden administration are said to be strained amid speculation that Manchin could launch a third-party presidential bid next year.
He has also said he is considering changing his party membership from “Democrat” to “independent”.
Senator Joe Manchin (far left) was in the White House a year ago when President Joe Biden (top center) signed the inflation reduction bill into law
Donald Trump’s fourth indictment has led to distraction from President Biden’s celebration of his signature climate, health care and tax legislation
The White House has also had to criticize Joe Biden’s handling of the Maui wildfire — over a circle of flames engulfing Lahaina, Hawaii
Manchin released a statement on Wednesday marking the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, targeting those who “from both parties and the government have chosen to play political games with this important piece of legislation.”
“This country needs leadership and I hope that elected leaders in both parties and in the White House will lay down their political swords, stop playing ideological extremes and focus on the very purpose of this legislation – helping and building a better society for our hard-working families.” , stronger and safer nation for this generation and the next,” he said.
He also warned the administration not to go too far with the climate stipulations, noting that he would continue his “unrelenting fight against the Biden administration’s efforts to implement the IRA as a radical climate agenda rather than overthrow the IRA.” implement that has been turned into law’.
The White House said it appreciated Manchin’s work on the law.
“We appreciate the senator’s work in this area,” John Podesta, Biden’s top climate adviser, said Wednesday at the White House’s daily press briefing. “We’re extremely grateful that I think we share a lot of the same goals.”
The White House balked at the idea of their signature legislation being lost in the shuffle.
You will all make your editorial decisions, but this president will remain focused on reaching out to the American people. That’s his job. That’s his priority,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Oliva Dalton told reporters traveling to Milwaukee with the president on Tuesday.
That trip to Wisconsin was meant to kick off the festivities but was dominated by Biden’s first major public remarks about the Hawaii wildfires, where he said he wanted to visit but seemed to forget Maui’s name, referring to the island as ‘the island you see all the time on television.’
But the president had dug himself into a hole when he said “no comment” to a question about the death toll in Maui over the weekend on the beach in Rehoboth.
The answer made the president, who touts his compassion and empathy, seem out of touch.
He and Jill Biden are visiting Hawaii on Monday.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised Biden’s work on the Inflation Reduction Act during Wednesday’s celebration at the White House
“I’m not here to declare the economy’s victory,” Biden said. “We have more work to do.”
But President Biden used his signature whisper to claim Biden economy ‘works’
But his focus Wednesday was marking the one-year anniversary of his signature law.
The Inflation Reduction Act contains provisions that allow consumers to buy electric vehicles and companies to produce renewable energy. It also helps seniors pay for prescription drugs, expands some elements of Obamacare and asks wealthy Americans and businesses to pay for them.
“Most one-year-olds can barely walk, but this one-year-old is running,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of the IRA on Wednesday.
The administration also debuted a new online tool at invest.gov that relays stories from around the country about the impact of the president’s economic agenda.
Biden and Democrats promised the IRA bill would cut the US budget deficit by $300 billion over 10 years by imposing a 15% minimum corporate tax on wealthy companies, hiring more auditors to audit wealthy Americans’ tax returns and by allowing the federal government to negotiate drug prices at drug companies.
The law’s name was intended to help Democrats who feared voters would penalize them for rising prices in the 2022 congressional elections.
But Biden said last week he regrets the name, “because it has less to do with reducing inflation than with providing alternatives that generate economic growth.”
The inflation rate has cooled to a more manageable 3.2% per year over the past year, while job growth has remained solid and the economy has avoided the recession many analysts say would be necessary to drive prices down.
But voters have given Biden low marks for his economic stewardship, worrying some Democrats as voters look to the 2024 presidential election.