MSNBC’s Chris Hayes slams Senate Republicans for complaining about inflation while doing nothing about it

Liberal economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has been arguing that despite inflation, the U.S. economy is in generally good shape during the Biden era — and that the U.S. is enjoying low unemployment and healthy job growth under President Joe Biden. Regardless, countless Republicans have been blaming Biden for inflation. But MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, during a recent segment, slammed Senate Republicans for complaining about inflation while missing a chance to help combat it.

Hayes opened the segment highlighting some of the good economic news of the Biden era, including the unemployment rate and the U.S. adding 6.6 million new jobs since January 2021. But the liberal MSNBC host added, “There is one thing that is distinctly not good news, and that is high inflation — which is making people pretty dissatisfied and is also custom-made as an issue for Republicans to bang on every chance they get.”

Hayes went on to show clips of GOP senators complaining about inflation, from Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas to Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana — then slammed them for failing to show up for a hearing on the confirmation of five U.S. Federal Reserve nominees.

Hayes explained, “The institution best equipped to deal with rising inflation is the Federal Reserve. The Fed, they control monetary policy. So, you would think the Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee would, at the very least, show up for a vote on the confirmation of five Fed nominees, including the chair and vice-chair because, again, they are so worried about inflation. But useful action appears to not be something this Republican Party could do.”

The MSNBC host added that when the Senate Banking Committee “met earlier this week, not one Republican showed up.” Republicans, Hayes argued, are more interested in complaining about inflation than “actually doing anything to help Americans deal with it.”