State’s members of Congress weigh in on surging inflation

Five members of Arkansas' congressional delegation are shown in these file photos. Top row, from left: U.S. Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton. Bottom row, from left: U.S. Reps. French Hill, Bruce Westerman and Steve Womack. Not shown is U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford.
Five members of Arkansas' congressional delegation are shown in these file photos. Top row, from left: U.S. Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton. Bottom row, from left: U.S. Reps. French Hill, Bruce Westerman and Steve Womack. Not shown is U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford.

Arkansas Republicans in Congress criticized the Biden administration Thursday as new U.S. Labor Department figures showed that consumer prices continued to soar over the past year.

Members of the state's congressional delegation weighed in after the department reported that consumer prices surged upward by 7.9% in February compared with a year before, marking the largest 12-month increase in four decades.

Americans saw price increases over the past year when it came to food, gasoline and electricity, according to the new figures.

On Thursday, U.S. Sen. John Boozman said he considers inflation a "national emergency," arguing it's an issue that affects everyone.

"When costs go up on our farmers and ranchers, it's a bad day for rural America," Boozman said. "And it's a bad day for everyone who works so hard to purchase the food that they need."

The latest figures from the Labor Department showed food prices were up 7.9 percent in February compared with a year ago. The price of breakfast cereal, meats and fresh fruits all increased last month, compared with the same period last year, according to the figures.

In a recent letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Boozman urged the federal Department of Agriculture to focus on policies to increase domestic food production, noting that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is disrupting U.S. agricultural markets.

"Increase the supply and [thus] decrease the cost," Boozman said in an interview on Thursday.

In particular, Boozman asked for a delay in the sign-up deadline for the Conservation Reserve Program, a land conservation program. The program is administered by the Farm Service Agency.

In the program, enrolled farmers agree to "remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production" and "plant species that will improve environmental health and quality," according to the Farm Service Agency website. The farmers do this in exchange for a rental payment on a yearly basis, the website says.

In an interview Thursday about the inflation report, U.S. Rep. Steve Womack said: "This is absolutely wreaking havoc on American households and it is forcing lifestyle changes that affect virtually everybody."

Womack said he hears from trucking companies about their labor issues.

"We've got to figure out a way to get more people behind the wheel of these trucks that are delivering goods and services to people of America," he said.

When certain industries are forced to deal with a regulatory environment that affects the delivery of goods, that dynamic can drive up the cost of product, he said.

Also Thursday, U.S. Rep. French Hill described inflation as a tax on Americans.

"Another month, another 40-year high," the Little Rock Republican said on social media. "The White House needs to be held accountable for their policies contributing to these crippling prices."

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton also went on social media to state that "8% inflation is the cost of having incompetent socialists in the White House."

In a statement Thursday, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, acknowledged the inflation figures, saying that people's budgets are being stretched. However, he described the jobs recovery as strong after losses attributed to the effects on the economy of the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden also pointed to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"A large contributor to inflation this month was an increase in gas and energy prices as markets reacted to Putin's aggressive actions," Biden said in the statement.

Elevated energy prices are a particular point of focus for Republicans.

Higher energy costs lead to higher food prices, said U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman in an interview.

"Energy affects everything in agriculture," he said, pointing to the added costs of fuel for tractors, transporting goods and processing products, he said.

The nation needs to increase its use of hydropower, nuclear energy and wind and solar energy, along with expanding oil and gas production, Westerman said.

The more energy the U.S. can make, the more energy it will have to export to allies across the world, he said.

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