Inflation to Remain High

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told senators on Tuesday that she expected inflation to remain high and the Biden administration would likely increase the 4.7% inflation forecast for this year in its budget proposal.

During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Yellen said that the United States was dealing with "unacceptable levels of inflation," but that she hoped price hikes would soon begin to subside, Reuters reported.

US Consumer Price Index inflation has been tracking above 8% in recent months, the highest readings in over 40 years and well above President Joe Biden's administration's forecast for its fiscal 2023 budget.

But another metric, the core Personal Consumption Expenditures price index excluding volatile food and energy costs, has begun to cool, edging down to 4.9% in April

"I do expect inflation to remain high although I very much hope that it will be coming down now," she said.

Yellen repeatedly rejected Republican assertions that inflation was being fueled by Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) Covid-19 spending legislation last year.

"We're seeing high inflation in almost all of the developed countries around the world. And they have very different fiscal policies," Yellen said. "So it can't be the case that the bulk of the inflation that we're experiencing reflects the impact of the ARP."

The Biden administration is still pushing for a scaled-back version of its stalled climate and social spending agenda, which would offer tax credits for clean energy technologies and reform prescription drug pricing - policies that Yellen argued would help lower expenses for American consumers weary of price hikes.