A conservative economic expert warned on Monday that a Republican lawmaker who is worth millions made a mistake after an interview with CBS.
Jessica Riedl, a researcher at the Brookings Institution and a budget policy expert who has worked on four presidential campaigns, explained why Senator John Kennedy’s (R-LA) remarks on “Face the Nation” might hurt the Republican Party as midterm elections approach.
“Americans aren’t even willing to pay for causes they believe in that directly help them,” Riedl wrote on X.
“Telling them to pay a lot for causes they don’t care about — especially right before an election — is bad politics.”
During the interview, Kennedy — who is estimated to be worth $21 million — said people need to hold on, even though the cost of living is rising and energy prices are climbing due to the Iran conflict.
“If we can handle the pain of higher energy prices, we need to keep going — at least for a few more months,” Kennedy said.
Political experts and critics noticed Kennedy’s comments.
“It would be easier for people to accept the pain if wages kept up with inflation and all these higher prices,” Beth Bourdon, a criminal defense attorney and writer, said on X.
“But in one of the richest countries in the world, apparently that’s not something anyone cares about doing for Americans.”
“Kill a few chickens to scare the monkeys.
We need some fresh faces in the Senate,” progressive commentator and veteran Mason wrote on X.
“No!!
Why are we paying for the electricity bills of data centers?Why are we paying for water?Why are we paying for a stupid war that wasn’t planned properly?Why are we even at war?We can’t pay for everything!!The well is running dry!!!!!!!” X user LizzyR, who calls herself “fact-checking, for voters,” wrote.
“Translation: Republicans will do nothing to stop Trump.
Gas prices will keep going up.More Americans will die and Trump will continue to waste billions of dollars a week in a failed war with Iran,” political and media consultant Marty Taylor, executive director of New Blue USA PAC, wrote on X.
Americans aren't even willing to pay for causes they believe in and that directly benefit them (trust me, I'm a federal budget expert).
— Jessica Riedl 🧀 🇺🇦 (@JessicaBRiedl) July 27, 2026
Telling them to pay significantly for causes that most don't even care about (and right before an election!) is political malpractice. https://t.co/G4z00EC1nv
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