Rick Scott: Congress Must Get ‘Fiscal House in Order’ as Food Price Increases Rock U.S. Consumers

Congress must get the country’s “fiscal House in order” as price increases on food continue to rock U.S. consumers, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said on Thursday.

“This CPI is a shameful reminder that Americans have endured rising inflation for two full years under Joe Biden,” Scott said following the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, showing CPI up 6.5 percent.

“Two full years of hardworking and poor families, like mine growing up, having to make tough choices when it comes to gas, groceries, and paying the bills,” Scott continued, asserting that President Biden will simply “pretend to care about the hardworking families across this country.”

“So let me make this clear: I stand with you and will never stop fighting against Biden and Democrats’ reckless tax and spending spree that has caused families so much pain,” Scott said.

“It’s time for Congress to buckle down and focus on paying down the debt, living within our means, and getting our fiscal house in order. That’s what I’m working on and I won’t stop until we get it done,” he continued.

The press release also highlighted some of the most significant price increases over the past year. Eggs top the list, up 59.9 percent.

According to the report, food in general is up 10.4 percent, cereal and bakery products are up 16.1 percent, flour and prepared flour mixes are up 23.4 percent, breakfast cereal is up 13 percent, bread is up 15.9 percent, and poultry is up 12.2 percent over the last year.

As Breitbart News reported:

Food prices are still rising at a brisk pace. Grocery store prices were up 0.2 percent compared with November and 11.8 percent year-over-year. Prices at restaurants rose 0.4 percent compared with November and were up 8.3 percent for the year.

Core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 0.3 percent for the month. Core prices were up 5.7 percent compared with a year ago.

Prices of goods excluding food and energy fell 0.3 percent in December and are up just 2.1 percent compared with 12 months earlier. Prices of goods excluding food, energy, and used cars ticked up 0.1 percent month-to-month were up 4.7 percent annually.

Further price increases include:

• Milk +12.5 percent
• Cheese +12.8 percent
• Fruits and vegetables+8.4 percent
• Coffee+14.3 percent
• Butter +31.4 percent
• Soups +15.7 percent

Further, as Breitbart News reported, “a key gauge of U.S. inflation is still rising rapidly despite a moderation in broader measures of consumer prices.”