Western South Dakota News

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) addressed the Senate floor today, highlighting the economic challenges faced by American families due to the Biden-Harris administration's policies. Thune criticized what he described as a "tax-and-spend agenda," attributing rising costs for essentials such as groceries and gas, increased interest rates, mounting debt, and diminishing savings to these policies.

In his prepared remarks, Thune stated: “Mr. President, America has always been a place where if you work hard, you can get ahead. But it’s a lot more challenging in the Biden economy.” He argued that inflation has created significant setbacks for working families and linked this to what he called "reckless spending" by the current administration.

Thune pointed out that Vice President Harris cast her first tie-breaking votes in favor of $1.9 trillion in spending under pandemic relief measures three and a half years ago. He claimed that despite warnings about potential inflationary effects, the legislation was passed and led to immediate price increases.

“Three years later, prices have gone up by more than 20 percent,” Thune said. He detailed specific increases: groceries up 21 percent, car repairs up 31 percent, and energy costs up 40 percent. According to Thune, these rising costs have left many Americans struggling financially.

Citing personal stories from individuals across various states, Thune illustrated the impact of inflation on everyday life. A new mother from Missouri described moving towards "survival mode," while another woman from Pennsylvania spoke about taking on debt for the first time due to inflation.

Thune emphasized that it now costs an average family $13,000 more annually just to maintain their standard of living compared to when President Biden took office. He also noted that efforts by the Federal Reserve to combat inflation through high interest rates have further strained Americans' finances.

“The average monthly mortgage payment is a staggering $2,600,” he remarked, attributing this figure to higher mortgage rates combined with elevated home prices.

Despite efforts by the White House to portray the economy as strong, Thune contended that many Americans are not convinced. “An economy where people are working harder and still struggling to get by isn’t what most Americans consider a strong economy,” he said.

Thune concluded his speech with a warning against continued fiscal policies under the current administration: “The American people have suffered enough... I don’t want to think about what kind of economic pain we could see from another four years of Democrats’ reckless spending.”

He then yielded the floor.