Fresh economic data showing cooling inflation and stronger-than-expected job growth have done little to change Democratic criticism of President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy, with party leaders arguing that everyday costs remain too high for American families.
According to Fox News, January’s inflation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed prices rose 2.5% compared to a year earlier, edging closer to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.
The same month’s jobs report indicated the U.S. added 130,000 positions, far surpassing forecasts that had projected between 50,000 and 75,000 new jobs.
Despite the upbeat numbers, Democrats said the data does not reflect what Americans are experiencing at the grocery store, in housing markets, or on utility bills.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the president had failed to deliver on campaign promises to reduce costs.
“Donald Trump promised to lower costs ‘on day one.’ But one year into his second term, food continues to get more expensive, utility costs are soaring, and housing prices are rising,” she said. “Trump is making life less affordable for American families – and instead of fixing the economic pain he’s caused, he says this is the Trump economy, and he is ‘very proud’ of it.”
Rep. Brendan Boyle tied rising prices to the administration’s tariff policies.
“Donald Trump promised he would end inflation on ‘day one.’ Today is Day 389, and prices are higher than ever,” Boyle said, calling the tariffs “the highest … since the Great Depression” and arguing they function as taxes on consumers.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed those concerns even before the latest reports were released.
“Costs haven’t gone down in the United States of America. Costs have gone up under failed Republican policies. Housing costs are out of control. Grocery costs are out of control. Healthcare costs are out of control. Utility bills are out of control. And childcare costs are out of control,” he said.
Some Democrats also questioned whether the jobs report signaled lasting strength.
Rep. Richard Neal said, “Beating expectations once doesn’t absolve the pain of the meager monthly average of 15,000 jobs created last year,” pointing to downward revisions in earlier data.
Rep. Maxine Waters argued the administration’s own proposals show affordability remains a problem.
“Trump called this affordability crisis a ‘hoax,’ but he knows it’s real and now wants to cap credit card interest rates at 10%,” she said. “Well, President Trump, I’m pleased to know if you’re listening, we don’t agree on much of anything, but we do on this.”
The latest figures mark another round of strong economic indicators under Trump’s second term, but Democrats maintain that headline data has yet to translate into relief for consumers facing higher day-to-day expenses.
