White House Pushes Back Against Jeff Bezos’ Biden Inflation Criticism

Mr. Bezos responded by saying the two issues should be discussed separately. “Mushing them together is just misdirection,” he tweeted.

U.S. inflation remained close to a four-decade high in April, easing slightly to an 8.3% annual rate after hitting its highest rate in four decades in March.

Mr. Bezos, who stepped down as Amazon’s chief executive in July and remained as executive chairman, again tweeted on Sunday that the passage of the $1.9 trillion America Rescue Plan, which Mr. Biden signed into law in March, contributed to high inflation. He also said that Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D., W.Va.) objection to Mr. Biden’s other spending plans kept the administration from adding to inflation.

“In fact, the administration tried hard to inject even more stimulus into an already overheated, inflationary economy and only Manchin saved them from themselves. Inflation is a regressive tax that most hurts the least affluent. Misdirection doesn’t help the country,” Mr. Bezos tweeted.

Mr. Biden had initially proposed a child-care, healthcare and climate package, which the party had pegged at $3.5 trillion before passing a roughly $2 trillion package in the House. The package has been in limbo in the Senate, where Mr. Manchin’s support is necessary for Democrats to pass the legislation through the 50-50 Senate over Republican opposition. The senator has raised concerns about another spending package leading to higher inflation.

Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the White House, said in a statement that “it doesn’t require a huge leap to figure out why” Mr. Bezos would oppose Mr. Biden’s economic proposals that would raise taxes on the wealthy.

“It’s also unsurprising that this tweet comes after the president met with labor organizers, including Amazon employees.”

Mr. Biden recently stopped by a meeting at the White House with labor organizers, including Christian Smalls, a former Amazon employee who has led unionization efforts of Amazon workers on Staten Island. Mr. Biden shook hands with and hugged Mr. Smalls, jokingly saying: “You’re trouble, man.”

Asked if his policies were responsible for inflation, Mr. Biden said Tuesday: “I think our policies help, not hurt.”

Mr. Biden didn’t mention Amazon in his tweet, but he has previously called out the company as not paying enough in corporate taxes.

Former President

Donald Trump

frequently called out chief executives of the nation’s largest companies, including Mr. Bezos, during his time in office. He attacked Amazon in tweets over taxes, its use of the U.S. Postal Service and its effect on other retailers. He also called the Washington Post, which Mr. Bezos owns personally, a lobbying arm.

Amazon has been hit hard this year by inflation, including from higher labor costs, and the company has also struggled with supply-chain woes. In April, the company reported its first quarterly loss in seven years, a result that reflected broad economic trends but also surprised some investors who had come to see Amazon as a safe haven during the pandemic.

The company saw about $6 billion of incremental costs during the quarter related to productivity loss, inflation and situations where its warehouse capacity exceeded demand, Chief Financial Officer

Brian Olsavsky

said in April. He also said Amazon is no longer constrained by labor or capacity issues as it was at various times during the pandemic.

Mr. Bezos has been posting more on

Twitter

in April and so far in May than in previous months this year. He has also been more direct in offering his opinions about a variety of issues, including about

Elon Musk’s

takeover of Twitter, his views on inflation and even about the need for civility in discourse.

Mr. Bezos has been quick to celebrate Amazon’s successes or defend the company. The Wall Street Journal reported in March that Mr. Bezos has been irked by criticism of Amazon in Washington and has pushed for the company to be more assertive in defending itself.

The Amazon founder’s social-media posts in the past have largely focused on his business interests, including periodic space launches from his rocket company, Blue Origin, fundraising for philanthropic endeavors such as the Bezos Earth Fund and even celebrity gatherings.

But in more recent posts, Mr. Bezos has offered unvarnished opinions on issues or has appeared eager to show more of his personality or perspective. Last month, after Mr. Musk joked on Twitter that the company should use its headquarters as a homeless shelter, Mr. Bezos noted that Amazon had done so successfully in Seattle.

“Worked out great and makes it easy for employees who want to volunteer,” he tweeted.

Write to Tarini Parti at [email protected] and Bradley Olson at [email protected]