Fact check: No, Biden didn't sign a new stimulus bill to fight inflation

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·4 min read
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The claim: Congress approved monthly inflation relief for Americans earning less than $50,000

While inflation has cooled in recent months, prices for most goods – including groceries – are higher than they were a year ago. Some social media users are claiming the government has approved a relief bill in response.

"U.S Senate Approves Monthly Health Credits," reads the caption accompanying a video shared on Facebook on Dec. 1. "BREAKING: The House Just Approved Inflation Relief For Americans Making Less Than $50 000/year (sic)."

In the video, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is speaking at a press briefing.

"People in the country will start seeing ... those direct deposits in their bank accounts this weekend," Psaki says. "And payments to eligible Americans will continue throughout the course of the next several weeks."

A clip of President Joe Biden signing a document is also featured in the video.

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The video garnered more than 200,000 views in 13 days. Similar viral versions have been shared on Facebook.

But the claim is false. Congress has not recently passed an inflation relief bill, and the video clip is a mashup from three different sources.

The video footage of Psaki is from February, while the audio dates back to a 2021 press briefing in which she discussed COVID-19 relief. The clip of Biden is from his signing ceremony on Inauguration Day.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment.

Video is unrelated to inflation relief

Psaki has not stood at the press briefing room podium and spoken on behalf of the White House since she left her position as press secretary in May. She now works for MSNBC.

The footage of Psaki is from a February press briefing when she was press secretary, based on a USA TODAY review of the White House's YouTube channel. Psaki discussed topics such as the beginning of Black History month, Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law and gun violence. She did not mention an inflation relief bill.

Fact check: No plans for fourth stimulus check, contrary to claims on social media

The video's audio track does not come from that February briefing. It is from a March 2021 press briefing, which can be seen on C-SPAN. During the briefing, Psaki discussed COVID-19 relief programs, including a law that led to the delivery of stimulus checks to millions of Americans during the pandemic.

The clip of Biden is from the day he took office in 2021 and signed the Inauguration Day Proclamation and nominations to the cabinet and sub-cabinet.

The White House has not announced a monthly inflation relief plan in any of its press briefings or public statements. There is also no reputable news coverage of any such action in Congress.

Biden did sign a bill dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act in August, but it did not include stimulus checks.

USA TODAY has previously debunked similar claims that a fourth stimulus check was being sent out.

This claim has been debunked by Lead Stories as well.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Congress approved monthly inflation relief for Americans earning less than $50,000. Congress has not recently passed an inflation relief bill. In addition, the video in the claim uses footage of Psaki who is no longer press secretary, and the audio of her is from a different briefing. Also, the footage of Biden is from the day he took the oath of office, not a recent event.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim that Congress passed inflation relief bill