[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 87 (Thursday, May 21, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2434-S2435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             COST OF LIVING

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on costs, ahead of the Memorial Day 
weekend, Americans drive to the grocery store and can't believe the 
prices they are seeing for beef, for propane, for the gas to get there. 
It is hard to enjoy a barbecue when rising costs are stretching your 
budget to the breaking point.
  Just look at costs for the menu compared to last year: a pound of 
beef, up nearly 20 percent; hot dogs, 12 percent; a rack of ribs, 8 
percent; buns, up 20 percent; ketchup, up 14 percent; watermelon, 17 
percent; lettuce, 19 percent; tomatoes, up 22 percent. And the price of 
gasoline is up 42 percent compared to this time last year, thanks to 
Trump's disastrous war with Iran.
  At a time when Americans should be gathering together in celebration, 
they are getting crushed by surging costs. And Republicans don't 
include a single bent penny in their reconciliation bill to bring down 
prices--outrageous, clueless, and it will come back to bite 
Republicans.
  While Republicans have been working around the clock to line Trump's 
pockets, Democrats are fighting every second of the day to lower 
Americans' costs.
  And since millions of Americans won't be able to grill this weekend, 
Democrats are going to grill Republicans over and over again during the 
vote-arama with amendments to lower Americans' costs.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. RICKETTS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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