Smith Claims Democrats’ Affordability Criticism Is ‘So Rich’

By Eric Mack | Monday, 17 November 2025 10:52 AM EST
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., criticized Democrats for attacking President Donald Trump on affordability, calling the issue “so rich.” Smith told Newsmax’s “National Report” that Sen. [Elizabeth] Warren has the audacity to claim people are getting more rich while she flies on her private jets, noting she is one of the wealthiest members of Congress. He said it’s absurd how she talks about class warfare when she and her party represent the richest Americans.
Smith pointed out that under Democrat President Joe Biden, the lack of affordability in blue states and Democrat-run cities has made them the most unaffordable places in America. “Affordability is a very big issue to most Americans,” Smith admitted, noting it’s something caused by Democrats, not fixed by them. In his congressional district, where average income is just over $40,000 a year, food and clothes prices have been a struggle for people to maintain, requiring careful consideration of every approach.
Smith praised Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill for “delivering on the working-families tax cuts,” including “no tax on tips, no tax on overtime.” He noted that the president has focused on lowering the price of eggs, which are now much lower than when President Biden was in office. However, Smith highlighted that inflation rose 21.4% when Joe Biden was president over four years, with current inflation at 2.5%, the lowest it’s been in four years. “We’re moving in that right direction, but we have a lot more work that needs to be done,” he said.
Instead, Smith lamented that Democrats are using dead talking points from Jeffrey Epstein smear campaigns. “Epstein’s been dead for years and this is the topic of conversation,” Smith said. He emphasized that while people in Missouri care about the affordability crisis, “let’s release all the information, let the public see everything about who’s connected and who’s not connected with Epstein. And let’s move on and solve the real problems at hand. That’s my focus.”