Biden Refuses All Questions, Buttigieg Suggests Public Transit for Gas Prices, Fed Raises Rates, Psaki Blames Trump for Iran

On 3/16/2022, Biden refused to answer any questions from reporters — including on the Polish MiG jets Zelensky was begging for and gas prices. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg suggested Americans who “can’t afford to drive to work” should use public transportation. Treasury Secretary Yellen said inflation was “no longer transitory” but insisted “nothing is permanent.” The Fed raised interest rates for the first time since 2018, and Psaki blamed Trump for the Iran nuclear crisis while refusing to say whether Biden would delist the IRGC from the foreign terrorist list to secure a deal.

Biden: “I’m Not Going to Comment”

When reporters shouted questions about sending Polish MiG fighter jets to Ukraine, Biden was blunt. “I’m not going to comment. I’m not going to comment on what I said,” Biden said before walking away. He also refused questions on gas prices and inflation.

A reporter noted the administration’s pattern. “He’s not going to comment. It’s not an option. We’ve spoken to it approximately 167 times. So maybe — yeah, well, here’s 168,” the reporter said.

Buttigieg: Take Public Transit

With gas prices surging past $4 per gallon nationally and far higher in many cities, a reporter asked Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg whether the public transit system could “handle a potential influx of people that just can’t afford to drive to work anymore.”

“We do have a lot of capacity in public transit, and that’s something that I hope becomes a means of choice alongside driving — that people have good options and good affordable options to get to where they need to be,” Buttigieg said.

“One of the tools that we have in our toolkit is to make sure there’s access to excellent public transportation,” Buttigieg added — a solution that was of little use to the vast majority of Americans living outside major urban transit areas.

”No Longer Transitory” — But Not Permanent

Treasury Secretary Yellen was pressed on whether inflation had become permanent. “We talked to a lot of business leaders, a lot of CEOs. I just noticed a shift in their tone where they’re thinking inflation is no longer transitory,” a reporter said. “Do you think it’s permanent?”

“I don’t think anything is permanent, but I think it’s clear that this is a serious economic issue,” Yellen said — dropping the “transitory” label entirely while refusing to call it permanent.

Fed Raises Rates

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the first time since 2018, acting to combat inflation that had reached 7.9%. A reporter asked whether the White House was “confident that the Fed can beat inflation through rate hikes and not risk a recession.”

“We continue to believe that the United States economy is positioned well to deal with the challenges ahead,” Psaki said.

Corporate Greed Narrative

Psaki offered her explanation for inflation. “Look at the oil industry. Look at the meat industry. Look at groceries generally,” she said. “What’s happened is these companies have said, ‘We’ll pass along costs,’ but while we’re at it and everyone’s talking about rising costs, let’s just add an extra big dollop of cost increases to expand our profits.”

Iran: Blaming Trump While Delisting Terrorists

A reporter asked whether Biden was willing to remove Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the foreign terrorist organization list to secure a nuclear deal — particularly given that the IRGC was “likely the group responsible for firing missiles at U.S. facilities in Iraq.”

Psaki deflected. “We’re still in the negotiations, so I’m not going to speculate or outline from here what the final details look like,” she said.

When pressed on consequences for missile attacks, Psaki pivoted to blame. “We are here thanks to the actions of the last president and the last administration,” she said. “It is in our interest and the global interest to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.”

Biden’s “Intimate Images” Aside

During remarks on a cybersecurity initiative, Biden went on an unusual tangent about a provision creating a civil rights cause of action for sharing intimate images. “How many times have you heard — I bet everybody knows somebody somewhere along the line — that in an intimate relationship, what happened was the guy takes a revealing picture of his naked friend or whatever in a compromising position, and then literally in a sense blackmails or mortifies that person, sends it out, puts it online,” Biden said.

Psaki’s 200th Briefing

A reporter noted it was Psaki’s 200th briefing. “Time flies when you’re having time,” Psaki said. When asked whether Biden was “more of a morning person or an afternoon person,” Psaki said: “He is more of an evening person.”

Key Takeaways

Biden refused all questions from reporters on both the Polish MiG jets and gas prices, saying “I’m not going to comment.”
Buttigieg suggested Americans who can’t afford gas should use public transportation — a solution unavailable to most Americans outside major cities.
Yellen dropped the “transitory” label entirely, saying inflation was “a serious economic issue” but “not permanent.”
The Fed raised interest rates for the first time since 2018 to combat 7.9% inflation.
Psaki refused to say whether Biden would delist the IRGC from the terrorist list for an Iran deal, blaming Trump for the situation.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

What will it take to send the Polish MiGs? I’m not going to comment.
Can the public transit system handle people who can’t afford to drive to work? We do have a lot of capacity in public transit.
Do you think inflation is permanent? I don’t think anything is permanent, but this is a serious economic issue.
These companies said, let’s just add an extra big dollop of cost increases to expand our profits.
We are here thanks to the actions of the last president. It is in our interest to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
This is your 200th briefing. Time flies when you’re having time.

Full transcript: 1188 words transcribed via Whisper AI.