Granite State Times

U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster (D-Hopkinton) continues not to answer questions about her position on the U.S.'s current inflation level following the approval of a mutitrillion-dollar infrastructure plan in the House and rise in the consumer price index.

The Granite State Times first requested comment on Aug. 13 from Kuster on the issue and again on Aug. 27.

The $3.5 trillion spending package would provide new funding for social programs, such as child care and education, among other federally supported programs.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 5.4% over the last 12 months, ending in July 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is the highest rate of inflation since August 2008, preceding the Great Recession. The consequence is increased costs of living everywhere for Americans, according to the The Washington Times.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI reported notable upticks over the past 12 months on items particularly important to average American households: food (+3.4%), energy (+23.8%) and used vehicles (+41.7%).

A recent Morning Consult poll published in The Washington Times found that more than 60% of Americans blame President Joe Biden’s administration for the accelerating inflation causing price increases.

Jason Furman, former President Barack Obama’s chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors and a Harvard economist, said inflation has eaten up all of the wage gains for Americans going back to the Trump administration, according to Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Authors of the initial $1 trillion infrastructure bill said the bill would be "fully paid for," according to The Wall Street Journal. The Congressional Budget Office has since shattered those claims, finding that the $1 trillion installment of the infrastructure plan would add $256 billion to the federal deficit over ten years.