‘Everything’s gone up’: Americans feel the squeeze from petrol to medicine as midterm elections loom

Fort Lauderdale, October 31 - Soaring prices for gas, medicine and other essential goods are weighing heavily on Americans as they vote in the upcoming midterm elections. According to a Pew Research Center survey, 84 per cent of early voters listed the economy as their top concern. Kyler Daugherty, a 43-year-old healthcare worker, lamented the rise in prices while filling his tank in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"It's ridiculous. I mean, everything's gone up, from food to transportation to gas prices," he told AFP. Fuel costs have surged globally since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran in February. U.S. gas prices jumped 9.1 per cent in September alone. Matthew Moore, a 63-year-old attorney, noted the impact on transportation and air travel, with Christmas tickets doubling in price since last year.

Broken promises, President Donald Trump won re-election in 2024 partly on his pledge to lower prices, a promise that seems less credible as costs have risen under his term. "I didn't believe that promise then and I probably won't continue to believe (it)," said Melissa Reer, a 49-year-old social worker concerned about her insurance costs.

William Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, pointed to Trump's decisions to launch the war on Iran and impose trade tariffs as contributing factors to rising costs. He suggested the president could lower prices by ending the war and lifting tariffs. However, for some voters, it may already be too late. "My vote was cast based upon my feelings about how they've handled the stewardship that the voters have given them," said Michael Childs, 62.

The White House maintains that Trump's policies are strengthening the U.S. economy and making life more affordable. Yet millions of households are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. "The financial hardship is creeping up in America, particularly the middle class," said Symeria Hudson, CEO of United Way Miami. The United Way's ALICE metric measures households whose income doesn't cover basic expenses.

Nearly 41 per cent of the 132 million U.S. households fall below this threshold. With fewer options to cut spending, one early voter said, "I'm literally cutting back on certain meds because I'm like, 'I can't afford them.' I don't know what to do next."