Vulnerable Rep. Axne latest Democrat to claim high gas prices, inflation not Biden’s fault

FIRST ON FOX: Vulnerable incumbent Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, is the latest Democrat to claim that high gas prices and inflation are not the faults of President Biden or her party.

FOX Business has learned Axne made the claim during a June TV interview with local press, asserting that the GOP is running on "narratives" they think will "scare people" and that the blame does not lie with the president or Democrats in Congress.

"Well, the unfortunate thing is that the Republicans don't have anything good to run on," Axne claimed in the June 12 interview. "So what they're running on are narratives that they believe will scare people."

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"Some of it’s incredibly misleading, and certainly some of it isn't even the president's fault or anything in Congress," the Iowa Democrat continued.

A few days later on June 15, Axne took part in a House Democrats press conference on the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act where she blamed "decades of bad policy making" for the inflation being felt by Americans right now.

At the same press conference, Axne noted how she hears about high gas prices "every day" from constituents back in her district and how they are having a "rough time making ends meet."

Additionally, Axne said two days later in a June 17 radio spot that if "this inflation continues and we end up down the road in a worse position we’re going to have to address that, so my job is to stay on top of all this."

"What we do know, too, is people do have money in their pockets," Axne claimed. "We were able to keep Main Streets alive during COVID."

"We kept people with jobs, which is why we have low unemployment. And so there are a lot of really good things as well," she continued. "And let’s figure out how we can best balance those opportunities with the impacts that we’re having right now."

Axne’s claims on inflation fly in the face of reality, though, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projecting that the sky-high inflation is forcing the average American to pay $5,200 more this year for the same goods they bought last year.

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Axne isn't the only Democrat who has been defended Biden's handling of inflation and the economy. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., claimed in May that "so much is being done" by the president to tackle inflation. 

"Supply is down, so prices are up. We passed the other day two bills in terms of price gouging and market manipulation. Bring down the cost of price at the pump. That has something to do with the war in Ukraine, but not everything. But a good deal of it," Pelosi argued. 

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, also defended Biden's handling of inflation, saying the Biden administration is "keeping this country afloat and alive."

"[Democrats] have a record of helping the American people survive," Jackson Lee added.

Axne’s inflation claims come ahead of a midterm election that is heavily predicted to favor Republicans.

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The Iowa Democrat’s race is considered to lean towards the GOP, meaning Axne faces an uphill battle to keep her seat this cycle.

Democrats have pushed different scapegoats for the rising costs of groceries and gas across America, previously claiming inflation is transitory and the fault of Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the war in Ukraine.

Axne’s campaign did not respond to FOX Business's request for comment.