Iowa Can’t Afford Ashley: Prices Skyrocketing for Iowans at the Pump, Grocery Store, and Back-to-School
KGAN: “Families Will Spend an Average of $175 per Kid on School Supplies This School Year, Up Nearly 8% From Last Year”
Iowa Faced Some Of The Fastest Rising Gas Prices in the Nation in the Last Month Because of the Hinson-Backed Iran War
DES MOINES – New reports across Iowa are painting a bleak economic picture for Iowans who are struggling to afford groceries, gas, and back-to-school supplies because of Ashley Hinson’s support for chaotic tariffs and the war in Iran.
Iowa ranks 6th in the nation for fastest gas price increases since the start of the Iran war, with costs up more than 10% in the last month alone. Meanwhile, rising grocery prices are leaving more Iowans hungry and forcing families to dig deeper into their pockets as beef prices “soar” to “astronomical” highs.
If that weren’t enough, families getting ready to send their kids back to school are discovering that the cost of school supplies is up “nearly 8% from last year.”
Key context: Ashley Hinson has repeatedly voted to drive up the cost of everyday essentials. She voted to drive up healthcare costs, continue the war in Iran, and support chaotic tariffs that are hurting Iowa farmers and making everything more expensive – all while increasing her wealth by up to ten times since she got to Washington.
Missed the report? See below for more key highlights:
KGAN: Back-to-school supply prices rise, local officials urge families to use resources
- As families across the country get ready to send their children back to school, many are facing higher prices for the supplies students need to start the year.
- A recent article published by The Century Foundation estimates families will spend an average of $175 per kid on school supplies this school year, up nearly 8% from last year. Prices for items such as notebooks, glue sticks and scissors have risen noticeably, as many families also deal with higher costs for gas, groceries and other necessities.
- “Times are tough, like I said, the price of inflation, the price of everything is a lot. So, whether you have one kid or you have four or five kids, it can put a strain on you,” the [local Cedar Rapids] official said.
Business Insider: The 20 states where gas prices rose the most in July
- Since the Iran war began in late February, Americans have been feeling the effects at the gas pump…In these 20 states, price increases are outpacing the national average.
- 6. Iowa; Average gas price: $3.85; Average price one month ago: $3.48; Increase: 10.61%
Telegraph Herald: ‘Sticker shock’: Local producers, retailers navigate volatile beef market
- It’s no secret that consumers have been paying more for beef over the past few years.
- After prices remained relatively steady for decades, they have soared in recent years and reached record prices multiple times in 2025 and 2026.
- According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the national average price for one pound of ground beef in June was $6.83, up from $6.12 a year ago.
- “The price increases have been astronomical and, to be honest, painful,” Hill said. “As a customer-facing business, we have that direct impact, and we feel it acutely whenever we have to do a price increase.”
- Area restaurants especially have weighed the predicament presented by increasing beef prices.
- Guy Parkin, owner of Dubuque Mining Co., said he had to increase the price of burgers at his restaurant by about 52 cents per patty last year.
- James Starks, who was picking up groceries at the Locust Street Hy-Vee on Wednesday, said he has been affected by rising beef prices over the years and has made slight adjustments to his family’s spending habits.
- “We added more chicken into the diet just because of the prices of beef, but we still stick with the beef a little more because I’m a beef eater for sure,” Starks said.
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