Biden advisers say pandemic, not policies, fueling inflation

FILE PHOTO: Shoppers browse in a supermarket while wearing masks in St Louis
FILE PHOTO: Shoppers browse in a supermarket while wearing masks to help slow the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in north St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. April 4, 2020. REUTERS/Lawrence Bryant/File Photo

By Doina Chiacu

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden’s economic advisers defended his policies on Sunday amid rising inflation that they said was a global issue related to the COVID-19 pandemic, not a result of the administration’s programs.