FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2025
CONTACT: press@opportunitywisconsin.org
NEW REPORT: Prices continue to rise as families pick up the tab for Republican-backed tariffs
Soaring gas and grocery costs are stretching family budgets even thinner, as more tariffs continue to go into effect
MADISON, Wis. – In case you missed it, new data released from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows inflation continues to rise, hitting Wisconsin families where it hurts most – at the grocery store and gas pump. Consumer prices rose in August, driving the annual inflation rate to 2.9%, the highest since January. Food prices also saw the highest monthly increase in nearly three years – while gas prices climbed 1.9%.
Costs are on the rise as tariffs backed by President Trump and Republicans in Congress including Representatives Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden continue to go into effect, including new tariffs at the end of August which will increase prices on small online purchases. Wisconsin families are also being hit with new costs thanks to the Republican Tax Law passed earlier this year, which cuts access to health care, SNAP, and more, all to fund new tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and big corporations.
"Wisconsin families are paying the price for the disastrous Republican Tax Law and Trump's tariffs that Congressmen Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden supported," said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. "While they voted to give massive tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations, working families are now struggling to afford basic groceries and fill up their gas tanks. It’s time for Congress to restore cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, and start giving struggling families the support they deserve."
CNN: Double whammy for Americans: Inflation continues to rise as jobs outlook grows weaker
The cost of living continues to increase for Americans at a time when the job market appears to be on shakier footing, creating a complicated economic problem that could be tricky to solve.
Consumer prices rose 0.4% in August, driving the annual inflation rate to 2.9%, the highest since January, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Thursday. The reading marked an acceleration from the 2.7% increase seen in July, with price hikes driving up the cost of Americans' most basic needs.
Grocery and fuel prices shot higher in August after falling the month before. Food at home prices rose 0.6% — the highest monthly jump in nearly three years — and gas prices climbed by 1.9% after falling 2.2% the month before.
The latest Consumer Price Index provided further evidence that some costs from President Donald Trump's policies, such as sweeping immigration reform and steep tariffs, are slowly being passed along to consumers, economist Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, told CNN on Thursday.
Paychecks also aren't going as far as they used to: Real (inflation-adjusted) hourly earnings slowed to 0.7% in August, the lowest gain in more than a year, BLS data shows.
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