OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
One of the White House’s main talking points is that under President Joe Biden, the U.S. economy has dramatically improved, but the reality throughout the country is that his “Bidenomics” policies are not translating into visible results.
Prices are still much higher today than when he took office, and while jobs are plentiful, the inflationary pressures mean that worker salaries are not going nearly as far as they otherwise would.
One place where Bidenomics appears to be having a negative impact is food banks around the country, many of which are struggling to keep up with higher demand as the country heads into the final year of Biden’s first term.
According to Fox News, the nonprofit group Feeding America says that, according to its data, the amount of money Americans earn is not keeping up with the escalating prices of nearly everything they need. As such, the group says that about 1 in 7 people are struggling to feed themselves.
Jen Muzia with the Seattle Ballard Foodbank told the network that operating the food bank has become much more expensive during the Biden era.
“It’s not only our guests that come in to shop. We’re also seeing it on us as we go to buy food. It’s costing us way more to buy food,” she said, adding that her food bank had to buy a lot more this year to keep up with demand.
“For us, we are seeing more than double what we saw pre-pandemic. And then we’ve seen even a greater increase when snap benefits were rolled back in February or March,” she said.
Brian Greene, president of the Houston Food Bank, told Fox News that inflation — which reached double digits for months — has had a major impact in a number of ways.
“Food inflation is only running about 3% now, but rent inflation is over 7%. And for low-income or working families, rent can account for about 50% or more of their income. So, as those costs are continuing to go up, the money just isn’t going as far, and food tends to be a flexible expense”, Greene told Fox News.
The Department of Agriculture reported that between 2021 and 2022, 13.5 million more people became food insecure as inflation skyrocketed.
Feeding America’s Vince Hall said: “We estimate that almost 50 million people have visited food banks in the past year seeking help. The Federal and State governments have rolled back nearly all support that was provided for people during the pandemic at the very time that inflation was taking an extra large bite out of their income.”
The only fix, he noted further, is adding more volunteers and bringing in more donations.
Meanwhile, most Americans hold Biden responsible for the economic conditions. In key swing states crucial for the 2024 elections, Democrats have largely disassociated themselves from the term “Bidenomics” and are moving away from using it as the election cycle gains momentum.
Biden trotted out the phrase earlier this year after claiming it was first coined by members of the media. NBC News reported, “But early on, it became clear that the phrase wasn’t resonating with voters, and by the end of November, Biden had only used the phrase once since the start of the month.”
The network also noted that the phrase never caught on with most Democrats.
A poll earlier this fall found that only 39 percent of voters in four key swing states—Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina—have confidence in the president’s ability to handle the economy, RealClearPolitics reported.
Steve Cortes, the chairman and founder of the League of American Workers, said in a column posted to the site that the reason 77 percent of the voters surveyed said that the nation is on the wrong track is because of the economy.
Of the 39 percent that had a favorable opinion of the president’s handling of the economy, a mere 9 percent said they gave him “strong approval.”
“So, despite the propaganda of media apologists and cherry-picking of a small set of data points that appear temporarily uplifting, voters clearly understand their tough economic slog and place blame squarely upon Biden and his allies,” the author said.
