In The News
134 stories tracking the cost of living under Trump
October 2026 (20 stories)
Economy
Nashville offers locally owned businesses open 15 years or more up to $30,000 in grants to survive as beef and labor costs climb.
Applications start in November
Economy
Trump tells Georgia rally his $5,000 dividend must be spent in the US, then jokes it buys “one hamburger and a small dessert” at Mar-a-Lago.
$1.35 trillion, no funding source
Economy
South Dakota offers first-time homebuyers a 5% down payment boost through a loan forgiven after five years in the home.
Homes priced $410,000 or less
Economy
Inflation rises to 3.7% in September as gas prices jump 9.1% on Middle East war, doubling odds of October Federal Reserve rate hike.
Airfares up 22% in a year
Economy
Social Security Administration sets 3.6% benefit increase for nearly 72 million in January, the largest since 2023, as trust fund faces insolvency in six years.
Average retiree check up $75 monthly
Economy
Memphis councilwoman directs $159,000 in council grant funds to cancel more than $17 million in medical debt for 12,000 residents.
Under a penny per dollar of debt
Economy
White House posts Trump video promising every adult $5,000 “if the Republicans win,” five days after he dodged whether the checks aim to win votes.
No funding source for $1.35 trillion
Economy
North Carolina Gov. Stein suspends the state’s 41-cent gas tax through November, tapping $362.3 million in reserves to keep roads funded.
Expected savings closer to 31 cents/gal
Economy
Trump temporarily lifts sanctions on Russian diesel after a Putin call to ease $6.28-a-gallon prices, and Ukrainian President Zelensky calls it a “weak decision.”
Came as Kyiv’s delegation visited US
Good Government
Buncombe County, North Carolina, offers low-income homeowners facing foreclosure up to $2,500 a year in emergency mortgage aid.
Program funded only renters last year
Economy
Savannah, Georgia, offers low-income households help paying city stormwater fees, open to families of four earning up to $66,000.
Appointment line opens Oct. 11
Economy
California Gov. Newsom signs law letting households install plug-in “balcony solar” panels up to 1,200 watts without the utility approval all solar now requires.
Takes effect Jan. 1, sunsets 2030
Economy
New York Mayor Mamdani starts moving 10,000-plus low-income children off the city’s child care voucher waitlist after 15 months frozen, with families paying nothing.
Backlog topped 29,000 children
Economy
Trump signs order letting tax-exempt farm and construction diesel onto public highways weeks before midterms, blaming Ukraine’s strikes on Russian refineries, not Hormuz, for prices.
Claims it cuts costs "substantially"
Economy
Newport News, Virginia, offers $300,000 in grants to income-qualified homeowners spending 30% or more of income on housing, credited against their June property tax bills.
First-come, first-served through Dec. 31
Economy
North Carolina’s Republican legislative leaders call a special session on fuel prices a month before the election, as state diesel averages $6.03.
Follows Ohio, Georgia gas tax holidays
Economy
G7 agrees to release 100 million barrels of emergency oil over four months, focused on diesel, after Trump threatened to ban US diesel exports.
EU called US demands "threats"
Data
Maryland becomes the first state to ban grocery stores from changing food prices during the day or setting prices from shoppers’ personal data.
Delivery apps covered too
Economy
Ohio’s Republican-led legislature passes a 90-day gas tax holiday Democratic governor candidate Acton proposed first, as fuel prices threaten GOP chances five weeks before the election.
Senate leader is Ramaswamy's running mate
Economy
Trump sends $500 checks and a personal letter to 950,000 Obamacare enrollees in 30 states, a month before the midterms.
Premiums rose thousands after subsidies lapsed
