House Speaker Mike Johnson said that “Bidenomics,” which he described as marked by high levels of government spending, is responsible for inflation and current economic challenges. He pointed to several Republican policies that he said have helped lower inflation and strengthen economic growth, including reduced gas prices and stronger economic indicators.
During an interview on Fox News, Johnson spoke with co-hosts Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino about Republican economic policies, Democratic calls to defund and abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and what he described as false claims regarding the Stop Insider Trading Act.
“What the president is referring to when he calls affordability a ‘hoax’ is the Democrats’ spin; it is Bidenomics that got us into this mess,” Johnson said when discussing Republican efforts to address rising costs of living.
“It is Bidenomics — the outrageous spending levels that drove inflation to 40-year highs — and that’s why prices are up now,” he added.
Johnson said Republicans moved quickly after gaining control of Congress and the White House.
“We got to work on it immediately in January when Republicans took over Congress, the House, the Senate, and the White House,” he said. “We did exactly what we said we were going to do: bring down inflation, cut taxes, and grow the economy.”
According to Johnson, current economic indicators support that claim.
“Inflation is going down, gas prices are at a five-year low, and the growth rate is over 5%. That would have been unimaginable — even conservative economists didn’t think that was possible,” he said.
Johnson argued that these results demonstrate the effectiveness of Republican policies.
“When our policies are implemented, they work. Trump policies and Republican policies are doing right by the American people,” he said, adding that he believes voters will respond during upcoming midterm elections.
Johnson also criticized Democrats who have called for defunding or abolishing ICE.
“They can’t because Republicans control Congress,” Johnson said. “This is no time to play games with national security and public safety.”
He explained that ICE’s role is to enforce immigration laws and apprehend individuals who have entered the country illegally.
Johnson argued that large numbers of migrants entered the United States during President Joe Biden’s administration, creating challenges for communities across the country.
“A lot of them have collected in cities like Minneapolis and other sanctuary cities,” Johnson said. “ICE has to do its job.”
He added that law enforcement officers should be allowed to perform their duties without interference.
Johnson concluded the interview by addressing comments from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about the Stop Insider Trading Act.
“AOC is wrong as usual; she clearly hasn’t read the legislation,” Johnson said. “It bans trading stocks for anyone in Congress.”
He said the measure is designed to strengthen public trust in lawmakers by preventing insider trading among members of Congress.
“It’s against the law, but we have to enforce it here because people’s belief and trust in Congress are at stake,” Johnson said.
He added that the legislation was created by rank-and-file lawmakers rather than wealthy members of Congress and described it as an important step toward restoring public confidence in government.
