Cornhusker State News

Those numbers are important — they tell us the big picture story of where our economy is and where it’s going. And right now, it’s not a pretty picture.

But as elected representatives, we work for our people. It’s critical that we listen to the voices of the people who live in our states and who are being deeply affected by the numbers we read in Bloomberg or The Wall Street Journal.

In a speech he made last week, President Biden promised that his economic policy is helping across the board, “in rural America, the heartland, all across America.”

He claimed that Bidenomics is the silver bullet for financial struggles among middle-class Americans around the country.

I don’t know who the President’s talking to, but my experience hearing from Americans in the heartland is a lot different than what he said in that speech. Many Nebraskans are struggling under an unforgiving load of inflation, kickstarted by this administration’s almost two trillion-dollar stimulus package in 2021.

So today, let’s zoom in on Nebraska. When I’m back in my home state, I’m constantly hearing stories of hardship from my fellow Nebraskans — whether they’re farmers, teachers or small business owners. It’s truly painful to hear about some of the experiences people are having due to inflation.

So let me tell you about Bidenomics in Nebraska.

When I stopped by a coffee shop in 2022, the owner told me his electric bill had skyrocketed from $40 a month to over $300 a month. That coffee shop owner is now gone. He couldn’t afford Bidenomics and closed his shop. That’s Bidenomics in Nebraska.

A year later, not much has changed. As one of our Nebraska farmers told me a few weeks ago, “Prices take the elevator up, but the stairs down.”

Inflation causes costs to rise quickly, and they stay up there for a long time. One big economically irresponsible move from the administration sets the stage for years of struggles. That’s Bidenomics in Nebraska.

Several rural businesses in the state shared their struggles with a local newspaper earlier this year. Many of these business owners feel “at a loss” for what to do as their livelihoods crumble under pressure.

A honey farmer shared that consistently rising prices squeeze his family into a difficult position when doing things as simple as putting their honey in jars. Sometimes they could only afford to get containers or lids for their honey — but not both.

He said, “We’re kind of forgotten about way out here.”

That’s Bidenomics in Nebraska.

That doesn’t line up with the President’s boasts of an economy that works for middle-class Americans in the heartland.

Instead, while the Biden administration chatters about its support for the middle class, thousands of people in that category are pulling out all the stops to pay their necessary expenses.

The Salvation Army of Lincoln reported a couple months ago that it’s seen a 50% increase in service requests in just a year. People are going to charities to get help paying rent and utilities as the economy suffers.

A Salvation Army officer said, “For people who are on medical equipment, having their electricity on is a very important aspect.”

That’s Bidenomics in Nebraska.

The president has a middle class problem. Average Americans are hollowing out their savings and taking on record debt just to keep up with stunning levels of inflation — or as the White House calls it, Bidenomics.

The President said last week, “Bidenomics is just another way of saying restoring the American Dream.”

Wrong.

Since when does the American Dream include taking a second job just to be able to afford rent? Or having to choose between containers and lids for honey jars? Or racking your brain for ways to catch up with an electricity bill that won’t stop rising?

The President should step off the podium, stop delivering empty promises, and actually get down to business fixing the bloated economy he’s created.