During an interview with Univision that took place on March 20 and was released on Tuesday, President Joe Biden responded to a question on what he would say to people who don’t feel economic growth or job creation in their paychecks and pockets by stating that “it’s not yet” reflected and touting his work on overdraft and junk fees.
Interviewer Enrique Acevedo asked, “I’ve heard you talk about economic growth, job creation. What do you say to the families — not just Latino families — but families across the country, that don’t feel that economic growth, that job creation reflected in their paychecks and their pockets?”
Biden answered, “Well, it’s not yet. But guess what? Of the 15 million jobs that we’ve created so far, more than any president has in that time period, more than 4.5 million are Latinos. 4.5 is more than any other time, number one. Number two, but also, it’s about changing [what] happens at the kitchen table. For example, we talk about a trickle-down economy, as long as the wealthy do well, it will trickle down to the rest of us. Well, nothing ever trickled down to my dad’s kitchen table, okay. But guess what? When you have to pay $35 for an overdraft of a check, and — but guess what? I changed it to $8. If, in fact, you’re in a situation where you’re going to have a junk fee that if you’re in a situation, your credit card is overdraft[ed], instead of paying, 30, 40, 50 bucks, you have to pay $3. The point is, the thing the thing[s] that affect people’s — my dad used to say, Joey, a job’s about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity, it’s about your ability to have something left at the end of the month so the family can make it. Well, these junk fees cost hundreds of bucks for people, and we’re eliminating them.”
Biden also touted the progress he made on the “gigantic” issue of insulin costs.
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
