Trump’s Shutdown and Cost of Living Crisis Are Pulling the Rug Out From Under Working Families Arrow

Trump's reckless economic agenda has created a cost-of-living crisis - pricing millions of working families out of everyday essentials like groceries and child care. Trump keeps kicking Americans while they're down. He's building a $350 million ballroom in the White House while Americans' paychecks are being stretched thin - so it's no surprise that his approval on the economy has hit the lowest for any president on record at this point in their presidency.

The Guardian: 'Empty shelves, higher prices': Americans tell of cost of Trump's tariffs

Key Point: "Harris says the tariffs' impact on her daily life contradicts promises from the Trump administration to 'cut prices and make living affordable for everyone'. She said: 'You see prices soaring. It has become very clear that this administration did not and does not care about the everyday lives of Americans.'"

CBS News: Soaring electricity bills are squeezing households as utilities seek higher rates

Key Point: "Those rate hikes are expected to show up in the bills of over 124 million customers this year, PowerLines found. For those Americans already struggling to make ends meet the hikes will mean additional economic hardship, the organization said in its report."

Bank of America Institute: The many costs of childcare

Key Point: "U.S. childcare costs are rising 1.5 times faster than overall inflation, up 5.2% year-over-year (YoY) in September. This could be why the number of households making monthly childcare payments has declined, with the year-over-year percent increase in the number of households paying for childcare down 1.6% YoY September, despite the average monthly payment up 3.6% YoY, according to Bank of America payments data."

Working families across America are already struggling to make ends meet because of how Trump's economic agenda has increased their costs. And Republicans are ripping away essential programs Americans rely on at every chance they get, even if it takes food off the table of children or leaves families without access to health care. Even as Americans struggle just to get by, Republicans are still finding ways to pull the rug out from under them.

CBS News: With food stamps set to dry up Nov. 1, SNAP recipients say they fear what's next

Key Point: "The loss of SNAP funding threatens some of the most vulnerable people in the U.S., with the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities noting that two-thirds of food-stamp recipients are children, seniors or people with disabilities."

ProPublica: "Trump Canceled 94 Million Pounds of Food Aid. Here's What Never Arrived."

Key Point: "In the spring, the Trump administration abruptly cut $500 million in deliveries from a program that sends U.S.-produced meat, dairy, eggs and produce to food banks and other organizations across the country - about a quarter of the funding the program received in 2024. The items that were delivered through the Emergency Food Assistance Program were some of the healthiest, most expensive items that organizations distribute. The cancellation of these deliveries comes at a critical time for food banks. Food insecurity is higher than at any time since the aftermath of the Great Recession, according to federal data, and many food banks are reporting higher need than they saw at the peak of the pandemic. Demand is only expected to increase; this summer, President Donald Trump signed into law the largest cut to food stamps in the program's history."

Washington Post: Health insurance sticker shock begins as shutdown battle over subsidies rages

Key Point: "Premiums nationwide are set to rise by 18 percent on average, according to an analysis of preliminary rate filings by the nonpartisan health policy group KFF. That, combined with the loss of extra subsidies, have left Americans with the worst year-over-year price hikes in the 12 years since the marketplaces launched."

Politico: Trump admin looks at deep cuts to homeless housing program

Key Point: "The Trump administration is expected to dramatically cut funding for a permanent housing program - a move that could potentially reexpose tens of thousands of people to homelessness."

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