Sean Patrick Maloney, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, remembers eating Chef Boyardee as a child when costs were rising and said that “that’s what families have to do” in terrible times.
The Democratic representative for New York’s Hudson Valley told Halston Media in late October that his family of eight switched to canned pasta as gas prices increased.
Cans of Chey Boyardee’s Beefaroni, Mini Ravioli and Lasagna sell for $1.24 on Walmart’s website.
Maloney, who is in charge of ensuring that the Democrats maintain control of the House, is competing against Assembly man Mike Lawler of the Republican Party. The contest is a toss-up according to the impartial Cook Report, and when the results are announced on Tuesday, they could indicate how the Democrats fare nationally.
As Democrats are accused of focusing more on issues like abortion and threats to democracy than the economy, which polls show is Americans’ top concern in these elections, projections predict Republicans sweeping the House.
‘Hudson Valley residents are feeling pain at the pump and at grocery stores, what have you done and what do you plan to do to help solve our inflation problem?,’ Maloney was asked during the interview published on October 27.
‘Yeah, well, I grew up in a family where, you know, if the gas price went up, the food budget went down,’ Maloney responded.
‘So by this time of the week, we’d be eating Chef Boyardee if that budget wasn’t gonna change. So that’s what families have to do, here’s what we should do.’
Maloney then discussed the actions that he says would lower inflation. Despite rising prices being a top worry of American voters, Democrats have spent ten times as much on abortion campaign commercials.
‘We’re capping seniors’ out-of-pocket costs in the Medicare program. That’s a big deal.
‘So now, only $2,000 a year will come out-of-pocket rain or shine,’ Maloney said. ‘That allows seniors to budget. We’re also negotiating, finally, in the Medicare program with the big prescription drug companies to lower the cost of everybody’s prescription drugs. That’s long overdue’.
Maloney also admitted in the interview that Democrats have a ‘likeability problem’ and releasing 90 million barrels from the strategic petroleum reserve will help ease the pain at the pump.
‘We’ve got to do more to keep that price from going back up and keep it coming down. And there’s other things we can do.
‘We can absolutely bring health insurance premiums down for those on the Affordable Care Act. We’ve done that,’ he added. ‘We can pay for these things, by the way, with a tax on big corporations, so they will finally pay what they owe. We finally did that.’
Maloney’s spokesman blasted Lawler for spreading the interview clip on social media and making fun’ of struggling families.
‘Unlike Lawler, who is profiting off his own campaign and made bank lobbying for big oil companies, Rep. Maloney understands what families are dealing with,’ the spokesman told Fox News.
Mia Ehrenberg, Maloney’s communications director, said on Twitter of Lawler sharing the clip: ‘Mike, your desperation is showing. Candidates who are winning don’t resort to taking things horribly out of context. How about explaining to voters why you oppose the Inflation Reduction Act which cut prescription drug costs and is lowering energy costs?
The remarks, according to Lawler, demonstrate Maloney’s disconnect from low-income households.
‘Sean Maloney’s solution to tackling inflation is: let them eat Chef Boyardee!,’ Lawler said. ‘It shows just how out of touch he is work [sic] the struggles of seniors, working families, and those in need of assistance. Voters understand the only way to fix it, is to fire the very politicians who have created this mess in the first place, which is why Sean Maloney will lose on Election Day!
