'Here We Are': Rep. Congressman Blames The Trump-Era $2.2 Trillion CARES Act for Inflation

Lawmakers sparred during a heated political debate this week during which Rep. Thomas Massie blamed the CARES Act for the inflation in America today, RadarOnline.com has learned.

Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) accused Congress of passing far fewer bills, to which Congressman Massie fired back and declared, "We shouldn't confuse activity with progress."

"Well, included in this statistic [pertaining to the prior congress] is the CARES Act, which has been you know, that was the $2 trillion that Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, and Nancy Pelosi," added Massie (R-KY).

Neguse was quick to point out that "almost your entire conference voted for" the economic stimulus bill passed by the 116th U.S. Congress and signed into law by then-President Trump.

"Yes," Massie said with a laugh in the clip reported on by Mediaite. "And I was against it because I said it would cause inflation. And yeah, I said it would cause inflation and shortages and a lot of long-term mal-effects to the economy. And here we are."

Americans got their first round of checks, up to $1,200, in April 2020, when the unemployment rate was at a dramatically low 14.7 percent as part of the Coronavirus Aid AKA CARES Act.

Researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco later determined that despite its benefits, the stimulus bill may have raised U.S. inflation by about 3 percentage points by the end of 2021.

During the signing of H.R.748, Trump said it was an important step for the country to take.

"I want to thank Republicans and Democrats for coming together, setting aside their differences, and putting America first. This legislation provides for direct payments to individuals and unprecedented support to small businesses," he said at the time.

"We're going to keep our small businesses strong and our big businesses strong. And that's keeping our country strong and our jobs strong."

Senate Minority Leader McConnell (R-Ky.) also sang his praises. "Let me just say this is a proud moment for our country, for the President. The Republicans and the Democrats all pulled together and passed the biggest bill in history in record time."

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Trump is now seeking reelection as he fights against four indictments, vowing to stay in the presidential race even if he is convicted.

"I'll never leave," Trump said in an interview, Politico reported. "Look, if I would have left, I would have left prior to the original race in 2016. That was a rough one. In theory that was not doable."