Since the start of the Biden administration, Americans have seen a near constant increase in their cost of living. The highest inflation in 40 years is undercutting any wage growth workers may be seeing.
 
Americans have felt the pain of decade-high gas prices at the pump, in heating bills, and through higher shipping costs. Weekly trips to the grocery store provide a mystery to shoppers, as even when you buy less, you pay more to check out. Rent prices have increased 20-50% and the price of cars has increased as much as 35%. To top it all off, workers effectively received a 2.4% pay cut in 2021. 
 
In President Biden’s State of the Union, he offered no realistic solutions to address these problems plaguing Americans’ daily lives. In fact, he barely acknowledged these issues. 
 
Conservative state leaders have taken concrete steps to protect Americans’ paychecks and pocketbooks. Income tax cuts have provided relief to families and small businesses, gas tax cuts have reduced prices at the pump, and lifting COVID restrictions early on has allowed conservative states to surge past pre-pandemic economic metrics.

Sincerely,
 
Matt
Deputy Executive Director
State Government Leadership Foundation