Republicans Doing Nothing Could Actually Yield A Win, For Once
'A whopping 40 states' residents saw an over 100% rise in their monthly premiums'
Exclusive: Lawmakers Call On USDA To End Biden Era Discriminatory Policies Against White Farmers
'Each day without reform further disadvantages farmers ... based on their immutable characteristics,' Wisconsin congressmen wrote..Most Americans feel worse off now than they did 4 years ago
For the first time in four decades, the majority of Americans said they are worse off now than they were four years ago, according to a Gallup poll released Friday.
Over half, 52%, of respondents said they are not better off than they were in 2020, while 39% said they are better off, according to the poll. This is the highest rate of dissatisfaction among Americans since 1992, when 46% said they were not better off than four years prior, while 38% said their situation had improved.
This trend coincides with the economic confidence index, which puts confidence at a 26-point deficit in 2024 compared to a four-point deficit in 2020, according to the poll. The ECI has remained in the negatives over the last four years, while Americans are burdened with inflation and surging prices.
Because of these hardships, the economy has risen to become the top priority for Americans, according to the poll. In January 2020, only 10% of Americans said the economy is the nation's most pressing issue, compared to nearly half in October 2024.
Because of the country's economic standing, Americans' confidence in the job market has reached the lowest point since the pandemic, according to the poll. Nearly three-quarters of Americans said it was a "good time" to find a job in October 2021, compared to just 44% in October 2024.
The economy and immigration are tied at 21% for the most important issue, followed by 17% of respondents who said the government and 14% who said inflation is the most important, according to the poll.
Concerns about the economy, immigration, and the government in general have come to a head under the Biden-Harris administration.
In July, the national debt surpassed $35 trillion for the first time in American history. At the same time, the Biden-Harris administration has signed off on the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act, which approved $1.9 trillion and $750 billion in spending, respectively.
The border crisis has also been on voters' minds. Over the last three and a half years alone, there have been over 8 million migrant encounters on the southern border, according to the latest data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
"Historical trends suggest that perceptions of personal well-being and economic confidence can significantly impact election outcomes," Gallup noted. "With a majority of Americans feeling they are not better off than four years ago, economic confidence remaining low, and less than half of Americans saying now is a good time to find a quality job, the economy will be an important consideration at the ballot box this year."
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Harris: I Can’t Think Of A Single Biden Decision I Would Change
Voters, however, see a problem with the record of the administration that Harris wouldn't change a thing about.Taxpayer dollars earmarked for COVID relief went to services for illegal migrants in Dem-run city: Report
Madison, Wisconsin, used taxpayer dollars earmarked for the city's emergency COVID-19 relief response to fund services for illegal migrants, according to a recent probe conducted by the Institute for Reforming Government's Center for Investigative Oversight.
The IRG's report, released Thursday, revealed that the city approved "a $700,000 budget for 'Services to Residents who are Undocumented,'" read a letter from state Sen. Duey Stroebel (R) to the city.
The funds were a part of the city's State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, which received funds from the federal government's American Rescue Plan Act to aid with the public health emergency. The taxpayer money was "intended to help residents recover from the pandemic," the IRG noted. Instead, 10% of the SLFRF funds went to organizations providing services to illegal migrants, the investigation revealed.
The city reportedly approved the funds in the fourth quarter of 2023.
"This earmark for illegal immigrants is alarming since you point out these individuals would normally be 'ineligible' for 'direct assistance' in many cases," Stroebel's letter to the city continued.
The state senator requested additional information regarding the redirected COVID relief funds, including a list of grant applications received by the city, a list of grant applications that were denied, and "a breakdown of what the $700,000 of grants were used for (i.e. direct cash assistance, gas cards, utility assistance, legal representation, etc.)."
Stroebel requested a time estimate regarding his open-records request.
In a Thursday post on X, Stroebel noted that according to Madison's fourth-quarter report, the "pandemic funding could be used to pay for utility bills, gas cards, and more."
"It's insane that, at a time when Wisconsinites are struggling to keep up with inflation, that taxpayer dollars are being used to help illegal immigrants pay their bills," he added.
Per Madison\u2019s Q4 report, pandemic funding could be used to pay for utility bills, gas cards, and more. \n\nIt\u2019s insane that, at a time when Wisconsinites are struggling to keep up with inflation, that taxpayer dollars are being used to help illegal immigrants pay their bills.— (@)
"Hardworking Wisconsin taxpayers deserve to know how their money is being spent," the IRG stated. "They especially deserve to know how sending tax dollars to provide services to illegal immigrants in 2024 was 'necessary' in response to and recovery from the 'COVID-19 public health emergency' of 2020. It is unclear how grants to local nonprofits for 'Services to Residents who are Undocumented' nearly five years following the pandemic meets the intent of the program."
United States Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) called the investigation's discovery "another example of the Biden admin and Democrats WASTING and ABUSING your tax dollars."
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