Just over one year ago, the Biden administration promised that inflation would be “temporary.” Since then, Joe Biden’s spending has sent our economy into a downward spiral, with inflation reaching a four-decade high of 9.1 percent. While the White House continues to deny responsibility, Tennessee families have had to get creative to make ends meet between paychecks.

Across all 95 counties, local leaders are battling price spikes and supply chain headaches. County and city officials are frantically crunching the numbers to figure out how they can provide the same services they did last year with much less purchasing power. In Jackson, utility and sanitation costs are already 10% above budget, and the bill for fueling public works and first responder vehicles is expected to beat last year’s total by $450,000. Even as communities manage to stay afloat, Biden has made it nearly impossible for them to make long term investments in infrastructure and economic development. For instance, in Dayton, the cost of a foot of pipe has gone up by 200%, straining construction budgets. In Jackson, they’ve had to delay and scale back plans for a new homeless shelter. These problems are compounded in rural communities, which boast fewer people and fewer resources. McNairy County Mayor Larry Smith had to increase his budget by $700,000 just to cover the fuel, tires, and supplies that keep public vehicles running and potholes filled. He added another $50,000 for fuel for the sheriff’s department, but it may not be enough. A $600,000 increase in the cost of construction supplies has put the squeeze on plans for a new ag event center. For Mayor Smith, who helped the people of McNairy County get their budget under control and build up a healthy fund balance without raising taxes, Biden’s tax-fueled spending sprees remove the ability of a growing rural county to move forward.

Most Americans join in his frustration. Most Americans think the country is heading in the wrong direction under Biden. It’s not hard to see why; Democrats appear dead set on taxing and spending their way into a recession. Most recently, they’ve tossed aside any inkling of fiscal responsibility to tout a one trillion dollar spending plan. Biden’s package will levy crippling taxes on small businesses and break his own promise not to tax lower income Americans. Top economists warn about the risks of this kind of spending, but Democrats have demonstrated they won’t stop until they’ve drained the last cent out of Americans’ pocketbooks. 

The federal government is controlled by one president and one political party, which means that Joe Biden and the Democrats have nowhere to hide. That’s why I’ve made it my priority to bring more of Tennessee’s fiscal responsibility to DC. I led the charge to stop the left’s inflationary spending spree. Rather than voting for Biden’s wasteful proposals, I passed legislation to improve domestic supply chains and worked to take away unnecessary red tape for infrastructure investments and innovation. 

Over a year later, inflation has only gotten worse – and the left’s spending and higher taxes are to blame. Tennesseans have been able to hold their communities steady in the midst of unprecedented economic turmoil, but even the most able of leaders can’t keep this up forever. Biden should change course and learn a few lessons from the Volunteer State instead of forcing local leaders to bear the burden of leftist policies that are making this administration too expensive to afford.