On the recordSeptember 6, 2023
22 years ago, Apple released the first desktop version of its macOS operating system. The first Harry Potter movie and the first Lord of the Rings movie both came out. Alicia Keys and Destiny's Child were topping the charts, and Bill Clinton left office. Twenty-two years ago was also the last time that mortgage rates were as high as they are now. Yes, they are higher now than they were during the 2008 financial crisis. Mortgage rates were the lowest in American history in January of 2021. Then Joe Biden became President. Over the past 2\1/2\ years, mortgage rates have almost tripled. In the meantime, inflation rates are still climbing higher. This past month, as I traveled Nebraska during the Senate's State work period, I visited with dozens and dozens of middle-class Americans. It is truly the best part of my job--meeting with small business owners, ag producers, schoolteachers, nurses, students, and employees all across my home State, but this year it was so frustrating to hear about the economic struggles that Nebraskans are facing. Middle-class Nebraskans are scraping by financially, and what is ironic is that they are doing it on the watch of a President who calls himself ``Middle-Class Joe.'' President Biden's line recently has been, ``When the middle class does well, everyone does well.'' You know, I agree with him. I would just add that, right now, everyone is not doing well.…
