Lawmaker presses agency official over whether inflation is higher than a year ago

A lawmaker pressed an agency official on whether inflation is higher now than it was a year ago during an exchange at a session of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

"Is inflation up, or is it lower than a year ago today?" the lawmaker asked, seeking a direct comparison. The agency official replied, "It's much lower than the 9% that was historic under Bridal administration because of spending," and later cited an ongoing situation in Iran as a factor affecting prices.

The lawmaker demanded a clearer answer and reiterated the question: "Is it higher or lower than a year ago?" The official again framed the situation in geopolitical terms, saying the U.S. is "in the middle of a situation in Iran" and expressing hope the country will be "on the other side of that" soon. The official also asserted that "the policies of the Democratic Party contributed to highest inflation since the 1980s," a partisan claim presented during the exchange.

The lawmaker countered by asserting a straightforward factual point: "Inflation is higher right now than it was a year ago," noting the president took office a year ago and urging colleagues to "be honest with the American people," concluding with the remark, "figures don't lie, but liars can figure."

The record of the exchange does not include contemporaneous supporting data or a consensus answer; both participants made opposing assertions about causes and trends. The agency official cited a "9%" historic peak without specifying the time frame or data source in the transcript. The lawmaker pointed to the year-over-year comparison and linked timing to the presidential term.

No vote or formal action was recorded in the provided segment of the hearing; the exchange remained a contested back-and-forth between a lawmaker seeking a simple factual answer and an agency official offering contextual and partisan explanations.