Y’all Politics

Across the country, consumer prices jumped 6.2% in October – most since December 1990

Mississippi officials point to Biden Administration, Democrat policies as cause for inflation-induced increases.

By Anne Summerhays

Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released a report on the Consumer Price Index. The data showed that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.9% in October on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.4 % in September.

Over the last 12 months ending in October, the all items index increased 6.2% before seasonal adjustment. This is the largest 12-month increase since the period ending November 1990.

The food index increased 0.9% in October, the same increase as in September. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs continued to rise sharply, increasing 1.7 percent following a 2.2-percent increase in September. The index for beef rose 3.1 percent over the month.

The energy index rose 4.8 percent in October after rising 1.3% in September. The gasoline index rose 6.1% in October, its fifth consecutive monthly increase. The medical care index increased in October, rising 0.5%, its largest monthly increase since May 2020.

The index for used cars and trucks also rose 2.5% after declining in August and September. The index for new vehicles rose 1.4% in October, its seventh consecutive monthly increase.

Elected officials in Mississippi have spoken out against the rising consumer prices, laying the blame at the feet of Democrats and President Joe Biden’s inflationary policies.

Congressman Michael Guest (R-MS03) has said now is the time to cut federal spending and reintroduce fiscal responsibility to combat inflation. He tweeted earlier this week that Americans are expected to see the most expensive Thanksgiving in history due to the “inflation-induced policies Democrats in Washington, D.C., have pursued.”

Mississippi U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R) decried the President’s “Build Back Better” agenda, saying it will only make matters worse as the nation sees the worst inflation in more than 30 years.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves has said that whether it is inflation, the border crisis, or unlawful federal mandates, it is clear that President Biden does not have answers to any of America’s challenges.
“With gas prices up about 50% in 2021, President Biden’s solution is… ‘I don’t have a near-term answer,” Reeves recently tweeted.

Mississippi U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has pointed out that in addition to the highest inflation rate since 1990, “small business expectations for a better economy are at their lowest level since Nov. 2012.”