Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) pressed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday over affordability challenges facing Americans, including rising grocery and gas prices, accusing the administration of being indifferent to those concerns.
“The average Granite Stater has paid $3,000 more since Donald Trump took office for basic goods and services.
Meanwhile, the country lost 100,000 manufacturing jobs in 2025,” she said.
“Except for inflation, which is, I believe, going to be a short-term blip, the economic data is very strong,” Secretary Bessent maintained.
“What is very clear to me,” Sen. Hassan said, “is that neither you, nor the president, nor this administration are willing to acknowledge how much more people are paying at the gas pump, at the grocery store, in utilities, for health care, for all aspects of American life.”
“Americans are paying 2.5% more for groceries since President Trump took office, which is half the annual amount under the Biden administration,” Secretary Bessent replied.
“We’re not talking about Biden,” Sen. Hassan said. “We’re talking about this administration and its promise to lower costs, and the fact that this president says he doesn’t care.”
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