Dear john, According to a Gallup poll from last week, a record 55% of Americans say their financial situation is worsening, with many expressing anxiety about covering monthly bills and making credit card payments. That percentage is the highest Gallup has recorded since it began asking Americans about their finances in 2001, showing consumers are less optimistic than they were during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the Great Recession in 2008.  Families across the country are being crushed by Republican policies that have resulted in rising costs, with groceries, rent, gas, and healthcare becoming more expensive by the day. And now, instead of proposing policies that prioritize working families and their needs, Senate Republicans have introduced legislation with $1 billion in federal funding for the new White House ballroom project. This comes after Donald Trump himself said "no government funds" would be used. "This is a GIFT (ZERO taxpayer funding!) to the United States of America, of 300 to 400 Million Dollars (depending on the scope and quality of interior finishes!), for a desperately needed space," Trump wrote on his social media site in January.