Households feel the pinch as affordability crisis bites

Frozen dinners were useful when no one was home to cook. A fancy cheese or apple roll felt like a family treat. But not any more. “We can’t afford to do those little luxuries any more because they’re just too expensive to feed five with,” said Cat Hill.

- Lauren Aratani

The 43-year-old from Hornby, New York, has been hit by both higher grocery prices and rising costs for her small equine business. She is among millions of people feeling the pain of the US’s affordability crisis. The costs of groceries, housing, childcare, education and healthcare have become intolerable to many, who in turn put the blame on politicians.

During last year’s election campaign, Trump promised voters that he would bring down prices “starting on day one”. But two days after winning, he changed course by remarking: “Our groceries are way down. Everything is way down ... So I don’t want to hear about the affordability.”

Much of the first year of Trump’s second term was then dominated by his trade wars, his draconian crackdown on illegal immigration, his decision to send national guard troops into American cities and the longest government shutdown in history.

But voters had other concerns. Prices rose in five of the six main grocery groups tracked in the consumer price index from January to September. These include meats, poultry and fish (up 4.5%), nonalcoholic beverages (up 2.8%) and fruit and vegetables (up 1.3%).