On the recordSeptember 19, 2023
Mr. President, when it comes to the economy, we hear a lot of statistics. Since President Biden took office and put his Bidenomics plan into action, prices have risen by 17.37 percent. Rent is up by 17 percent, grocery prices by 25 percent, and energy costs by 43 percent. Gas prices have risen by an unbelievable 65 percent. As alarming as those percentages are, I am most concerned about the individuals who are hurting because of these increases. That is why I was struck by new numbers I saw last week from the Census Bureau. Bidenomics is making life harder for children in Nebraska. The number of children living in poverty in my home State increased by almost 5,000 from 2021 to 2022--5,000 more kids living in poverty. That is thousands more families who are living below the poverty line, thousands of families who are struggling to pay bills, to buy food, to afford a place to sleep. Some of these 5,000 children are from families who cannot afford any of these things. They are going hungry. They are couch surfing--or worse. That is Bidenomics in Nebraska. Bidenomics is making life harder for the more rural parts of Nebraska. Soaring prices caused by inflation are especially affecting those areas in my State. They are especially affecting kids in more rural areas. According to an analysis by an Omaha nonprofit, from 2021 to 2022, there was a 25-percent increase in the number of kids below the poverty line who are located in nonmetro areas of Nebraska.…





