For Thanksgiving this year, many Americans will travel to be with family and enjoy a feast. It truly is one of our country’s best holidays, where we get to spend cherished time with family and give thanks for the many blessings we enjoy. But sadly, thanks to the decisions made under one-party Democrat rule over the last two years, this year’s celebration will be significantly more expensive compared to previous years. That’s a cruel consequence of Washington Democrats’ trillion-dollar spending spree, which ignited and continues to fuel the highest increase in the cost-of-living in 40 years.
Back in December 2020, a month before Biden took office, the economy was well on its way to recovery. But just a few months later, Washington Democrats sent the economy into a death spiral when they passed their $2 trillion so-called American Rescue Plan – a bill they claimed was to fight COVID but less than 9% of its funding went to things like putting shots in arms. The other 91% was spent on ridiculous things like $400 million to upgrade state parks and trails in Michigan and more than $783 million for stimulus checks to prisoners, including the Boston Marathon Bomber. This major economic crisis could have been avoided if Washington Democrats had only listened to warnings by hundreds of economists, the Congressional Budget Office, and even members of their own party that spending trillions of dollars wasn’t needed for the economy to recover and could even lead to the cost-of-living crisis we are seeing today.
Growing up in a working-class family, I know first-hand what it’s like celebrating Thanksgiving on a tight budget. A government focused on the priorities of the working class would make decisions that make it easier for Americans to put food on their table, clothes on their backs, and gasoline in their cars. But what’s incredibly frustrating is that big government is the reason why Thanksgiving and Christmas are shaping up to be the costliest on record.
Let’s start by looking at how much more expensive it will be for families to take a road trip to visit family. In 2019 – when America was energy independent – the price of gas for driving from Cape Girardeau to Kansas City and back was around $64. Today, the cost to fill up the tank for that very same trip would be $116. Paying nearly twice as much for gas compared to recent years means that some families will make the difficult decision to cancel their annual road trips, holding out hope that next year they’ll be able to afford to spend the holidays with loved ones.
