Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s economic priorities Wednesday, accusing him of promoting a costly pool makeover while families face higher gasoline, grocery and health care costs.
Warren Targets Trump Over Cost Priorities
“Gas prices are up. Food prices are up. Health care costs are up. And Donald Trump is showing off his pool,” Warren, D-Mass., wrote on X.
Her post came after Trump said renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool were completed after workers cleaned it and repainted it “American flag blue.”
“Excitingly, the final coat of protection will be completed on the Reflecting Pool that sits between The Washington Monument and The Lincoln Memorial, at 4 P.M., today,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The water will start flowing, shortly thereafter.”
Blue Pool Project Draws Preservation Fight
The project cost $13.1 million and was funded in part by National Park Service visitation fees collected at 80 sites nationwide. It has drawn opposition from the Cultural Landscape Foundation, whose founder, Charles Birnbaum, sued, alleging the blue coating is “altering the historic character” without authority.
Trump has defended the work as a needed update to the 2,028-foot-long Reflecting Pool, designed by architect Henry Bacon. He wrote that it would be the first time since 1922 that the pool “worked wonderfully.” The pool, however, has undergone several renovations since its dedication that year.
Price Data Backs Some Warren Claims
Recent data broadly support Warren on gas and food, while health care is more mixed. AAA listed regular gasoline at $4.261 per gallon on June 3, up from $3.138 per gallon a year earlier, an increase of about 35.8%. Prices had eased from the previous week and month.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the food index rose 0.5% in April and 3.2% over the year. Grocery prices rose 0.7% monthly and 2.9% annually. Meats, poultry, fish and eggs rose 1.3% in April, beef 2.7%, fruits and vegetables 1.8%, and nonalcoholic drinks 1.1%. Fruits and vegetables were up 6.1% annually.
The medical-care index fell 0.1% in April, with hospital services down 0.3%, a caveat Republicans could cite. Still, medical care rose 2.5% annually, medical services rose 3.2%, and physicians’ services rose 0.6% in April.
Warren has repeatedly accused Trump of misplaced priorities, saying he has not delivered on promises to lower costs “on day one.” She has also linked the Iran conflict to oil-price pressure and higher essential costs.
Photo Courtesy: Bryan J. Scrafford on Shutterstock.com
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