April 9, 2025 Editor, The News-Gazette: Our congressman Ben Cline says in his March newsletter: “thanks to the leadership of House Republicans and President Trump, inflation is finally easing.”
Yet House Republicans have passed no inflation-related legislation and have taken no other inflation-related action. Thanking them embeds the lie that they in any way have caused inflation to ease.
The same is true of Trump. He said at his inauguration, “I will direct all members of my cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices.” What are these powers? What specifically have his cabinet members done? The only inflation-related actions have been tariffs which instead threaten to increase prices.
Cline also says: “Americans are finally seeing relief as inflation drops faster than expected.”
Yet Trump promised, “I will rapidly bring down costs and prices for all Americans.” He promised, “I will immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One.”
Cline even lies about inflation easing. The inflation rate for February was 2.8. It was lower last fall: 2.5 in August, 2.4 in September, 2.6 in October, and 2.7 in November.
Finally, Cline says: “The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s leadership.”
This echoes the lie that Trump’s election was a “landslide,” when he won only 49.9% of the vote, a historically tiny margin of victory. Since then, Trump’s approval has dropped below his disapproval rating in all aggregate polling. An NBC News poll ending March 16 showed his approval at 47% and disapproval at 51%.
Yet Cline claims Trump support is “overwhelming.”
Our congressman needs to stop lying to his constituents. CHRIS GAVALER Lexington
