WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that inflation on all items increased 8.2% for the 12 months ending in September, rising faster than expected. The energy index rose 19.8% over the last year, the shelter index rose 6.6%, and the food at home index increased 13%. Real wages fell 3.8%.

Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) produces a monthly Inflation Tracker on popular household items that women purchase.

Patrice Onwuka, director of the Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) at IWF, issued the following statement:

“Inflation remains infuriatingly high at 8.2% compared to this time one year ago. Core prices, excluding food and energy, picked up pace last month, which tells us that all of the so-called inflation reduction efforts by this White House and liberal Congress are doing absolutely nothing. In fact, they are telling us not to believe what we see at the grocery store or the gas pump.

“Americans care about whether they can afford to feed their family and get to and from work. As the primary household shoppers, women are keenly aware that a 30% increase in prices for eggs, a 31% increase in chicken prices, and a 15% increase in milk prices means spending a lot more on food and less on other necessities. Paychecks just can’t keep up. For older Americans on a fixed income, decades-high inflation erodes their ability to maintain a decent quality of life.

“High inflation is the legacy of Biden and the Left’s inflationary federal spending policies in 2021. Instead of acknowledging the errors of their ways, they baited the American people with the misleadingly-named Inflation Reduction Act. Nonpartisan economists confirmed that the IRA will not reduce inflation. Americans are on their own to deal with rising prices.” 

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Independent Women’s Forum is dedicated to developing and advancing policies that aren’t just well intended but actually enhance people’s freedom, choices, and opportunities.

Independent Women’s Forum’s Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) aims to educate the public about how government policies impact people’s opportunities for economic development and upward mobility.