• The Biden administration plans to take a tougher stance toward meatpacking companies it says are causing sticker shock at grocery stores 
  • Republicans have ridiculed the administration’s argument for it on Twitter
  • Rep. Byron Donalds said in a statement to DailyMail.com that the rise in grocery prices is due to ‘Bidenomics and the socialist spending spree in Washington’
  • National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appeared at Wednesday’s press briefing 
  • About half of the overall increase in grocery prices are coming from significant hikes in the cost of beef, pork and poultry, Deese said 
  • Four companies control much of the U.S. meat processing market, and White House officials blamed those companies for rising food prices 
  • He and Vilsack outlined some of the steps the administration is taking to mitigate what Deese called ‘pandemic profiteering’ from the top companies 

Republicans are ripping the Biden administration on Thursday over its plan to crack down on big meatpacking companies and for blaming a sharp increase in grocery prices under President Biden’s watch on beef, pork and poultry.

It comes after the Biden administration announced plans to take a tougher stance toward meatpacking companies it says are causing sticker shock at grocery stores.

Four companies control much of the US meat processing market, and White House officials blamed those companies for rising food prices.

During Wednesday’s press briefing, National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke about the actions the administration was taking to help alleviate what Deese called ‘pandemic profiteering’ from the top meat processing companies.

‘Thank you, Brian Deese, for again proving why the rest of America cannot stand coastal elites,’ Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida wrote on Twitter. ‘NEWS FLASH: People in REAL AMERICA are impacted by the increase in beef, pork, and poultry prices.’

‘America doesn’t run on tofu; it runs on real food.’

Donalds told DailyMail.com in a Thursday morning statement, ‘The Biden-Harris administration needs to stop shifting the blame onto everyone for the policies they created.’

Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida (left) said the rising cost of groceries isn’t due to meat, as Biden officials said on Wednesday, but instead blamed ‘Bidenomics and the socialist spending spree in Washington’

‘The rise in beef, poultry, and pork prices amongst several other essential goods and services directly results from Bidenomics and the socialist spending spree in Washington,’ the lawmaker wrote.

From the White House podium Wednesday, Deese blamed ‘about half of the overall increase in grocery prices’ on ‘significant increases’ in beef, pork and poultry products.

‘If you take out those three categories, we’ve actually seen price increases that are more in line with historical norms,’ he continued. ‘And we’ve seen some categories – for example fresh fruits and vegetable prices – have actually declined since the end of last year.’

Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw mocked the Biden administration’s argument on Twitter Wednesday.

‘America: our food prices are too high what are you doing about inflation?’ Crenshaw posed. ‘Biden admin: just be vegan and stop complaining you bunch of rubes.’

New York Rep. Claudia Tenney said Deese ‘stood at the White House podium today and said that grocery price increases are in line with historical norms if you just ignore meat, poultry and pork.’

‘Just like Biden saying all Americans were evacuated from Afghanistan if you just ignore the 10% that he stranded,’ she added.