Manchin Warns About Record Inflation: ‘Inflation Tax is Real’

Democratic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin had a stark warning for Americans Wednesday as consumer data for the month of October showed inflation reaching record highs.

In a tweet posted Wednesday morning, Manchin warned lawmakers in Washington DC that they could no longer ignore Americans who are struggling with rising inflation.

“By all accounts, the threat posed by record inflation to the American people is not “transitory” and is instead getting worse,” Manchin wrote. “From the grocery store to the gas pump, Americans know the inflation tax is real and DC can no longer ignore the economic pain Americans feel every day.”

By all accounts, the threat posed by record inflation to the American people is not “transitory” and is instead getting worse. From the grocery store to the gas pump, Americans know the inflation tax is real and DC can no longer ignore the economic pain Americans feel every day.

— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) November 10, 2021

Manchin’s tweet comes as the Department of Labor released its Producer and Consumer Price Indexes for the month of October, both of which showed inflation rates at record highs. The Producer Price Index showed that inflation rose 0.6% from September and matched the 8.6% year-over-year rate increase set in that same month. The increase, spurred on by rising food and gas prices, was the highest rate recorded by the Department, whose records go back to November 2010.

The Consumer Price Index showed a 0.9% month-over-month increase and a 6.2% year-over-year increase from October 2020 to October 2021, the fastest annual rate increase recorded since 1990. The inflation spike also exceeded economists’ expectations of both monthly and yearly increases. The increases were led by fuel, used vehicles, and food.

Manchin’s comments also continue a trend in which the West Virginia Senator has expressed sincere concern about the costs of the Biden administration’s spending plans and the impact it would have on American consumers.

“Throughout the last three months, I have been straightforward about my concerns that I will not support a reconciliation package that expands social programs and irresponsibly adds to our nearly $29 trillion in national debt that no one else seems to care about. Nor will I support a package that risks hurting American families suffering from historic inflation,” Manchin said at a press conference earlier this month, according to The Hill.

Manchin also criticized the Biden administration for its poor handling and shifting of blame for rising fuel