No ‘Joy’ on Labor Day: Inflation Sends Cost of Cookouts Soaring

Americans are feeling less “joy” when firing up their grills and getting their marinades ready this Labor Day weekend, realizing that some of the classic barbecue staples are costing them a lot more.

It all begins with firing up the grill, which will cost more than it did three and a half years ago. According to data from the Bureau of Labor statistics, the price of propane, kerosene, and firewood has risen 16 percent from January 2021 to July 2024.

Staples of the basic all-American cookout are up too, meaning hamburgers and hotdogs are going to cost you. According to Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, the price of ground beef has risen 26 percent since January 2021, when former President Donald Trump left the White House.

CHART — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Release: Consumer Price Index

Similarly, hotdogs are 25 percent higher than they were in January 2021. The price of chicken has also jumped since Biden and Harris came on the scene. Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, not seasonally adjusted, shows the price of fresh and frozen chicken parts 23 percent higher now than when Trump left office in January 2021. Matters are worse if Americans are looking to roast a whole chicken for their long weekend, as a fresh whole chicken is up 27 percent since January 2021.

And if friends and family are forgoing low carb trends and want to pair their barbecue delicacy with a roll, it is going to cost even more. Fresh biscuits, rolls, and muffins in the U.S. have risen 28 percent since Biden and Harris took office.

Popping a cold one with the buddies is not as cheap as it used to be, either. Beer is now costing Americans 16 percent more than it did when Trump left office.

Side dishes also come at a price. A basic summer side salad can add up, as lettuce is up 21 percent since January 2021, and salad dressing is up 31 percent.

And what is a barbecue without spices, condiments, seasonings, and sauces? That, too, is going to cost a lot more, as those items are 24 percent higher than they were in January 2021.

It does not end there, either. If Americans are planning to travel on Labor Day weekend — meeting friends and family for these pricey cookouts — it is going to cost them at the gas pump, too. Gas prices have risen 50 percent since January 2021.

CHART — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Release: Consumer Price Index

Rising prices are a reality Americans already know all too well, as grocery prices across the board are up 22 percent since January 2021. As Breitbart News detailed:

Data from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics show that grocery prices jumped 22 percent from January 2021 — when President Joe Biden and Harris first took office — to July 2024.

This holds true even though the Biden-Harris White House remains in complete denial, falsely claiming that grocery prices went down.

While Americans do not need charts and data to know the reality of rising grocery prices, a Wall Street Journal analysis of NielsenIQ data on the prices of everyday foods shows that Americans are very much feeling the squeeze. The analysis ultimately concludes that a $100 grocery haul in 2019 costs nearly $140 today.

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As Democrats continue to attempt to disassociate Harris to the inflationary policies she had a hand in advancing, Americans are not feeling positive about the current trajectory regarding inflation.

A recent survey from the Economist/YouGov showed respondents choosing inflation as a top issue in the country, and 60 percent across the board disapprove of Biden’s handling of the issue. That does not bode well for Harris, especially considering that 96 percent identify inflation and prices as an “important” issue.

As Breitbart News reported:

The Economist poll also showed that Americans are—at least on a subjective level—experiencing more inflation than the official statistics indicate. Twenty-six percent of Americans say inflation is the most important issue, followed by 12 percent who say “jobs and the economy” is the most important issue. That number has not changed very much in recent months—and it is in fact much higher than a year ago, when just 18 percent named inflation as the top issue.

Looking beneath the topline number, we can see that 25 percent of independent registered voters say inflation is their top issue, up from 18 percent a year ago. Among Democrats, inflation has risen as the top issue to 19 percent from 10 percent. Among Republicans, it’s up to 35 percent from 26 percent. Twenty-nine percent of Hispanic voters say it is their top issue, up from 23 percent last August. Nineteen percent of blacks say it is the top issue, up from 10 percent. Twenty-seven percent of white voters say it is the top issue, up from 19 percent.

Meanwhile, Harris’s campaign remains in denial. Harris-Walz Campaign chair Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) appeared on CNN in August and actually blamed inflation on a wider post-pandemic economic recovery.

“It’s the former President who badly mishandled that pandemic, that the economic chaos and the job loss that resulted and the high inflation that resulted from our recovery from that pandemic is not her responsibility,” he said in part, absolving Harris of any responsibility.

WATCH — Harris Co-Chair: Inflation Is Result of ‘Slow’ Post-COVID Recovery, Not Harris

Similarly, Harris suggested to CNN’s Dana Bash on Thursday that Bidenomics has accomplished “good work.” When asked why she has not already taken steps to address inflation, Harris replied, “Well, first of all, we had to recover as an economy, and we have done that.”

As Breitbart News fact checked, that assertion — that the economy was in need of recovery when she took office, is untrue:

The American economy was rapidly recovering from the pandemic and lockdowns before Kamala Harris and Joe Biden took office. In the third quarter of 2020, the economy grew at an annual pace of 34.8 percent, according to the Department of Commerce. The following quarter, it grew at an annual rate of 4.2 percent. In the first quarter of 2021, the economy grew at an annual rate of 5.2 percent.

Unemployment, which had soared when businesses were ordered to close their doors during the pandemic, was also rapidly falling. After hitting a high of 14.8 percent in April of 2020, the unemployment rate had fallen to 6.4 percent when Harris was sworn in as Vice President.

WATCH — Harris: I Haven’t Implemented Inflation Fixes I Promise Because ‘We Had to Recover’; We Did ‘Good Work’