The Congressional Republican National Committee ads are part of a six-figure campaign that seeks to tie anger over inflation to the Democrats’ bold political agenda.
The back-to-school announcements, first reported by Axios, target 15 vulnerable Democrats, including New Jersey Rep. Tom Malinowski, California Rep. Josh Harder, and Pennsylvania Rep. Matt Cartwright. Advertisements announce the rising prices of shoes, electronics and dresses.
“The Democrats’ reckless economic policies have caused a massive price spike, and parents across the country are feeling the sting as they send their children back to school,” NRCC Chairman Tom Emmers said in a statement. communicated.
NRCC spokesperson Michael McAdams told CNN that the cost of the back-to-school advertising campaign was in the five-figure range.
“Voters know Democrats caused an inflation crisis, and we will continue to hold them accountable,” Emmers said in the statement.
It is true that inflation is there. Consumer prices in the United States climbed 5.4% in the 12-month period ended in July. This was on par with June for the fastest annual consumer inflation since 2008.
However, as CNN has previously reported, it is misleading to suggest that Covid-19 stimulus packages are the only reason for the price hike. And before this year, many Republicans backed Trump-era stimulus plans to kick start the economy after the pandemic.
The reality is that the rise in prices also reflects the nature of the crisis: a sudden shutdown of the economy followed by a rapid reopening. Unsurprisingly, supply is struggling to catch up with the surge in demand.
At the same time, the Federal Reserve kept interest rates very low and launched aggressive stimulus measures even as prices rose rapidly.
The Fed and the White House, as well as many economists, argue that inflation will subside as the economy continues to reopen.
– CNN’s Phil Mattingly contributed to this report
