Overview
- On ABC and CBS, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and NEC director Kevin Hassett argued prices are leveling or down, with Hassett claiming grocery costs are significantly lower.
- CNN’s Abby Phillip presented Bureau of Labor Statistics figures showing food prices up 2.7% year over year, including coffee up 18.9% and beef up 14.7%.
- A CBS News/YouGov poll found 62% of Americans say food costs are increasing, while 7% say they are decreasing.
- President Trump said he asked the Justice Department to investigate meatpacking companies for alleged collusion, price fixing and price manipulation.
- The dispute over affordability follows Republican gubernatorial losses tied in coverage to cost-of-living concerns, as layoffs rose sharply and a shutdown limited some new economic data releases.