Republicans fact-check White House on cause of inflation
The Biden administration was forced to delete a Twitter post taking credit for a boost in retirees’ Social Security checks Wednesday after social media users pointed out the increase was tied to decades-high inflation.
“Seniors are getting the biggest increase in their Social Security checks in 10 years through President Biden’s leadership,” read the tweet from the official White House account Tuesday afternoon.
Twitter, which was purchased last week by billionaire Elon Musk, appended a note to the claim that said: “Readers added context they thought people might want to know.”
”Seniors will receive a large Social Security benefit increase due to the annual cost of living adjustment, which is based on the inflation rate,” the note said, linking to the Social Security Administration’s website for an explanation on the Nixon-era legislation behind the increase – known as COLA.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was among those who that the White House statement never mentioned what led to the bump in benefits.
”Biden social media geniuses are giving Biden credit for the biggest Social Security COLA in 10 years, but neglect to mention that [Social Security] COLA is an automatic formula based on government inflation metric,” he wrote, referring to the Consumer Price Index.
Republican Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri also turned to Twitter to clear up the White House’s posting.
“Biden’s leadership’ is solely responsible for record inflation, according to the White House,” she wrote.
The White House was promoting the 8.7% increase in Social Security benefits — announced last month on the same day that the latest federal inflation rate showed prices increased by a higher-than-expected 8.2% in September.
The cost-of-living adjustment is the biggest recipients have received since 1981, when benefits were boosted 11.2%, and will take effect in 2023.
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) acknowledged that the Biden White House is responsible for the COLA increase.
“Even with one-party Democratic rule in DC, the Biden Administration continues to blame others for their failed policies. There is nobody to blame but themselves,” he wrote on Twitter.
Rep. Kelly Armstrong predicted the administration’s next move.
“The increase is adjusted upwards because cost-of-living has gone up. They are literally taking credit for record high inflation. Up next from The Surgeon General: ’Why the high cost of eggs is good for your health,’” the North Dakota Republican wrote on Twitter.
At least one Twitter user wondered who’s going to set the White House intern straight.
“LOL. Who wants to tell the intern at the @WhiteHouse why seniors are getting their biggest increase in SS checks in 10 years???” David Giglio wrote. “It ain’t because Joe is acting out of the goodness of his heart. It’s because Bidenflation has run unchecked for nearly 2 years.”
Others were aghast at the White House trying to take credit for such a mixed blessing.
“My sweet lord,” wrote conservative author Noah Rothman Tuesday night. “Who on earth thought taking actual credit for a COLA increase pegged to the cost of consumer goods was a brilliant stroke?”
The original post had been deleted as of noon Wednesday.
This is not the first time the White House has gone off the rails on Twitter. This past May, the account wrongly claimed there was “no vaccine available” for COVID-19 when President Biden took office in January 2021.
Last year, the administration was mocked for posting a pun-filled tweet claiming that average cost of a July 4th BBQ was down 16 cents over 2020 — contradicting its own Agriculture Department and ignoring the skyrocketing price of gas.
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