GUEST EDITORIAL: Inflation Didn’t Just Show Up – It Was Funded by Decisions in Washington D.C.

By State Representative Will Wade (R-Dawsonville)

(566 words)

Talk with families in North Georgia or anywhere across our country, and you'll hear the same story: everyday life has gotten more expensive. We are all feeling it. Groceries, gas, rent, electricity, home insurance - costs that used to be manageable now feel like constant pressure. People are adjusting their spending, delaying major purchases and stretching paychecks in ways they didn't have to just a few years ago.

There are plenty of explanations floating around Washington D.C. Some point to global instability. Others blame supply chains or corporations. Those may be factors, but they don't tell the full story of the real cause. When you do look for the full story - it becomes clear that a series of policy choices made by Democrats in Washington helped ignite and prolong the cost-of-living crisis we are still battling today.

First: A hard turn on American energy.

One of the earliest and most consequential decisions came in the energy sector. In 2021, the Biden Administration halted the Keystone XL pipeline, slowed federal leasing and made domestic permitting more complicated. Energy producers and investors immediately understood the message: expect a tougher environment for American oil and gas.

Here in Georgia, we understand that when energy costs rise, everything else rises with it. Farmers pay more to fuel equipment. Truckers pay more to move goods. Families pay more to keep the lights on and to get to work, school or practices. Higher fuel and electricity prices ripple across the entire economy, and they did.

A $1.9 Trillion spending bill that overheated the economy.

Next came the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Democrats passed it alone, even as economists that included former Obama advisers warned it could overstimulate an economy that was already dealing with the effects of reopening after COVID. They were right. Too much money chased too few goods, and inflation accelerated at the fastest pace in 40 years.

Housing and groceries became a daily stress factor.

Housing costs soared as demand spiked, interest rates stayed artificially low and construction materials became more expensive. Food prices jumped as farmers faced higher diesel costs, fertilizer spikes, labor shortages and regulatory hurdles. Every link in the supply chain felt strained and our families paid the price.

A regulatory tide that added even more unnecessary cost.

At the very moment Americans needed relief, federal agencies under Biden added layers of new rules on agriculture, transportation, finance and energy. Every new requirement carried a cost that ultimately showed up on store shelves and monthly bills.

It is time to work of fixing what is broken.

Congress has started the slow process of correcting course. A good example is H.R. 4776, the SPEED Act, which speeds up energy permitting and helps rebuild reliable, affordable American energy production - a key step toward lowering costs.

Georgia offers a clear contrast and the right answer: balanced budgets, pro-taxpayer policies, consistent energy policy and a business climate that encourages investment rather than chasing it away through unneeded and costly bureaucracy. It's a model Washington should learn from.

In Georgia, this next legislative session, I believe we will continue to reduce and remove cost driving regulations, provide meaningful income tax reductions and aim to bring meaningful and sustainable property tax caps and reductions.

Inflation didn't appear by accident. It followed choices and a lot of bad ones. With better choices, we can restore affordability and give families room to breathe again.

Representative Will Wade represents the citizens of District 9, which includes portions of Dawson, Lumpkin and White counties. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 and currently serves as one of the Governor's Floor Leaders and as Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education Banks and Banking Committee. He also serves on the Education, Judiciary Juvenile, State Planning & Community Affairs and Transportation committees.

The views expressed above and information shared are those of the author.

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