The best indication that the Biden White House is not about to ease 40-year high inflation anytime soon can be found in the remarks being made about what’s causing it, beginning with the inane “Putin’s price hike” line that President Biden keeps repeating, and in the focus on areas the administration claims will ease rising prices.
The latest being to blame shipping companies for raising their fees — never mind that energy prices have skyrocketed under Biden’s watch.
Speaking from the White House on Thursday, Biden slammed shipping conglomerates while signing legislation he claimed would improve inflation at least on the margins, according to the Daily Mail.
“He ripped the industry of consolidated foreign-flagged vessels a day after tearing into oil companies, and once again laying much of the blame for inflation at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s feet,” the British outlet reported.
That coming after his eyebrow-raising display of sympathy was expressed to the head of the Ohio-based specialty retailer Jo-Ann Stores, who was in attendance. The company’s chief financial officer died suddenly on Wednesday and Biden eloquently noted that the officer “dropped dead.”
“And by the way, my sympathies to your family of your… CFO, who dropped dead very unexpectedly,” the president said. “My best to their family. It’s tough stuff.”
“And by the way my sympathies to the family of your… uh, fffffff, your CFO, who DROPPED DEAD very unexpectedly, and my best to their family. It’s tough stuff.” pic.twitter.com/kSRvhPNutK
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) June 16, 2022
Taking a similar approach to the attack on the oil industry, Biden zeroed in on the profits of the nine major shipping companies that he said controlled the industry, claiming they were “sticking it to American families and businesses,” the Daily Mail reported.
“These carriers made $190 billion in profit in 2021, seven times higher than the year before,” he said. “The cost got passed on, as you might guess, directly to consumers, sticking it to American families and businesses because they could.”
The president signed legislation — see more regulations — being billed as “the first major overhaul of U.S. maritime laws in nearly 40 years, claiming this will help lower retail prices and “give American families a bit more breathing room.”
The Ocean Shipping Reform Act “empowers the Federal Maritime Commission to investigate late fees charged by carriers while prohibiting ocean carriers and marine terminals from refusing to fill available cargo space,” the Associated Press reported.
According to the White House, the bill “authorizes appropriations for the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) for fiscal years 2022 through 2025; establishes additional requirements and prohibited conduct for ocean carriers; requires the FMC to issue rules related to certain fee assessments, prohibited practices, and establishment of a shipping registry; and authorizes the FMC under certain circumstances to issue an emergency order requiring common carriers to share information directly with shippers and rail and motor carriers.”
But the “dropped dead” line was the day’s money quote… here’s a quick sampling of responses from Twitter:
“Sorry to hear about your corpse”
— Rafe Guttman (@ErnstFitzpatri1) June 16, 2022
He sure has a way with words 😱
— Candace Wallace (@Candace21437099) June 16, 2022
Spoken so eloquently, truly profound. Exemplary bedside manner
— Brantley Goodrich (@bgoodrich210) June 16, 2022
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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