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mark pocan
Trump Economic Adviser Boasts That US Consumers Are 'Spending More on Gasoline' and 'Everything Else'
"Is this supposed to be a brag?" said Democratic US Rep. Mark Pocan.
May 06, 2026
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Wednesday tried to put a rosy spin on President Donald Trump's economy by highlighting the large credit card bills being racked up by US consumers.
During an interview on Fox Business, Hassett cited credit card spending as a purported sign of strength in the economy as a whole.
"I had the head of one of the Big Five banks in my office yesterday, going through credit card data," he said. "Credit card spending is through the roof! They're spending more on gasoline, but they're spending more on everything else too."
Hassett on American consumers: "Credit card spending is through the roof. They're spending more on gasoline, but they're spending more on everything else too." pic.twitter.com/zayCSaxhwr
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 6, 2026
The price of oil has been surging since Trump launched an illegal war with Iran in late February, and on Wednesday the average price for a gallon of gasoline in the US topped $4.50, a high not seen since 2022 in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
As the Iran crisis persists, economists project that the price of energy will be reflected in increases in other consumer goods, most notably food.
Given this, many critics were astonished that Hassett decided to brag about consumer credit card spending as a way to reassure Americans concerned about the economy.
"Working-class Americans are maxing out their credit cards to pay for groceries and gas," wrote House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). "The Trump Cartel thinks this is something to celebrate. Shameful."
Hassett's claims about credit card spending also earned a swift rebuke from Warren Gunnels, staff director for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
"Americans are putting more stuff on credit cards because they don’t have enough money to pay for the skyrocketing cost of virtually everything," Gunnels wrote. "Trump promised to put a 10% cap on credit card interest rates. Instead, the average credit card interest rate today is 22%. Obscene."
Fred Wellman, a Democratic candidate for the US House of Representatives in Missouri, could not hide his disgust at Hassett's performance.
"He’s smiling," Wellman observed. "He's celebrating that we are all maxing out our credit cards because they have torched the economy. He’s not smiling for working people. He’s happy for the corporations and billionaires. It's good for them. We can all die poor. This is why I'm running for Congress."
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) expressed bewilderment at Hassett's argument.
"Is this supposed to be a brag?" Pocan asked.
Jon Favreau, former speechwriter for President Barack Obama and current co-host of Pod Save America, found Hassett's messaging so tone-deaf that "we must consider the possibility that Kevin Hassett is secretly working for the Democrats."
The Democratic House Majority Political Action Committee had a response similar to Favreau's, recommending that the GOP make Hassett "the spokesperson for the entire Republican Party."
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'Medicare Advantage Is Not Medicare': Democrats Proposal Would Unmask For-Profit Fraudsters
"We don't allow banks to call themselves the U.S. Treasury Investment Fund," said Rep. Mark Pocan. "We don't allow anyone to call themselves USPS Plus. So why allow insurance companies to call private insurance Medicare Advantage?"
Mar 05, 2026
A group of Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday reintroduced legislation aimed at reining in for-profit insurance companies who use the Medicare name to market their plans.
The "Save Medicare Act," being reintroduced by US Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), bars private insurers from using the word "Medicare" in marketing their plans, imposing "significant fines" for any insurer that doesn't comply.
At issue, the lawmakers said, is that insurers are flooding the airwaves with ads for Medicare Advantage plans during open enrollment periods. The ads are deceiving Americans into thinking their plans are just variations of Medicare services offered by the federal government, they said.
"Let’s be clear: Medicare Advantage is not Medicare," said Schakowsky. "These private insurance plans use Medicare’s trusted name while too often denying medically necessary care, restricting providers, and overcharging taxpayers by billions. That is unacceptable. We have seen insurers exploit the system to boost profits at the expense of seniors."
Khanna noted that Medicare Advantage is "a private insurance program that too often boosts profits by limiting coverage," even as it "misleads seniors into thinking it's traditional Medicare."
"That's wrong," Khanna emphasized. "This legislation will stop private insurers from cashing in on the Medicare name. We should be working to protect and expand real Medicare instead."
Pocan declared that "only Medicare is Medicare," adding that Medicare Advantage plans "often leave patients without the benefits they need while overcharging the federal government for corporate profit."
"This bill makes clear what is—and what is not—Medicare," added Pocan, "and ensures this essential program will continue to serve seniors and other Americans for generations to come."
Pocan also posted a video on social media where he talked about his elderly mother being unable to see the physician that came to her assisted living home because she relied on Medicare Advantage and the doctor in question was out of network.
"She would have had to go all the way across town to get that care," Pocan explained. "The problem is, she wasn't very mobile and she never got the medical care."
We don't allow banks to call themselves the U.S. Treasury Investment Fund. We don't allow anyone to call themselves USPS Plus.
So why allow insurance companies to call private insurance Medicare Advantage?
I’m reintroducing the Save Medicare Act with @RepRoKhanna and… pic.twitter.com/c6dAXpEJqY
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@RepMarkPocan) March 4, 2026
"We don't allow banks to call themselves the U.S. Treasury Investment Fund," said Pocan. "We don't allow anyone to call themselves USPS Plus. So why allow insurance companies to call private insurance Medicare Advantage?"
Many progressive critics have for years pointed to Medicare Advantage as a legitimate example of wasteful spending by the federal government.
A report released in January by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), an independent congressional agency that advises lawmakers on Medicare, estimated that overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans could total $76 billion in 2026.
One major factor in the overpayments is that patients using Medicare Advantage plans tend to be healthier than patients on traditional Medicare, with the result being that private insurers charge the government more than is necessary to meet these patients' needs.
On Wednesday, Schakowsky said that the "crucial legislation" she joined Khanna and Pocan in introducing "will end deceptive marketing and ensure beneficiaries understand the difference between traditional Medicare and private insurance plans."
"Seniors deserve transparency, accountability, and the full benefits they have earned," she said.
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House Dems Call Out Israel's 'Near-Daily Violations' of Gaza Ceasefire
In a letter demanding action from the White House, US lawmakers noted "continued bombardment against civilians, destruction of property, and insufficient delivery of humanitarian aid."
Dec 22, 2025
Dozens of congressional Democrats wrote to the White House on Monday to highlight "the long-standing relationship between the US and Israel," and urge President Donald Trump "to exert maximum diplomatic pressure" to end the Israeli government's violations of a ceasefire deal with Hamas that took effect in the Gaza Strip on October 10.
As of Monday, Gaza's Government Media Office accused Israeli forces of 875 ceasefire violations, which have killed 411 Palestinians and injured 1,112 others. The official death toll in the strip since October 7, 2023 is at least 70,937 Palestinians, with another 171,192 wounded, though global experts warn the true figures are likely far higher.
In the letter, Democratic Reps. Mark Pocan (Wis.) and Madeleine Dean (Pa.), along with 45 of their House colleagues, pointed to Israel's "continued bombardment against civilians, destruction of property, and insufficient delivery of humanitarian aid."
"It's imperative that we hold the Israeli government accountable for its actions," they wrote. "It's also vital that we hold Hamas accountable for the violent crackdown it has pursued against any potential competitors in Gaza in violation of its commitment as part of the ceasefire to step back from governing the Gaza Strip."
Under both the Biden and Trump administrations, the US has given Israel more than $20 billion in military aid since it began retaliating for Hamas' attack over two years ago. The lawmakers on Monday called for Trump to take whatever action needed, "including leveraging US assistance, to ensure full compliance with the terms of the framework and an end to the continued acts of violence and destruction that undermine this fragile agreement and threaten the prospect of lasting peace in the region."
"We recognize that both Hamas and Israel have committed ceasefire violations... However, we are deeply concerned that the Israeli response to violations by Hamas have been severe and disproportionate, resulting in massive loss of life," they wrote. For example, "on November 29, the Israeli military killed two brothers, aged 8 and 10, in a drone strike after they crossed into an Israel-controlled area of Gaza, referring to the children as 'suspects' in a statement that failed to acknowledge they were children."
In addition to "attacks by air, artillery, and direct shootings," the House Democrats highlighted, "since the beginning of the ceasefire, Israeli forces have reportedly destroyed more than 1,500 buildings, many of which did not appear to be damaged prior to being destroyed... These include homes, entire neighborhoods, gardens, and small orchards."
"We also are gravely concerned that the Israeli government is not allowing sufficient levels of humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks per day to enter Gaza, but recent reports indicate that far fewer trucks are actually getting through," they continued. While the global initiative that tracks hunger crises concluded last week that Gaza is no longer facing "famine," it also stressed that "the situation remains critical" for 1.6 million Palestinians.
The mass starvation of Palestinians in Gaza has been a factor in the ongoing genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice as well as the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, which the Trump administration has retaliated against with sanctions targeting ICC judges.
"Mr. President, this ceasefire agreement is supposed to represent an opportunity for permanent, lasting peace in the region," the Democrats said Monday. "While the agreement is not perfect, and the proposed peace plan faces many obstacles, we are hopeful that this moment is one that can be met with the conviction needed to end the cycle of bloodshed that has plagued the region for so long."
"Unfortunately, the near-daily violations of the ceasefire threaten to plunge the region back into full-scale war," they warned. "It is imperative that your administration exerts maximum diplomatic pressure on the Israeli government, including by leveraging US assistance, to bring an end to the near-daily attacks on civilians, including children, destruction of civilian property, and insufficient delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid."
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