And the irony is: People have more money now because of the first major piece of legislation I passed. You all got checks for $1,400. You got checks for a whole range of things. If you’re a mom and you have kids under the age of 7, you’re getting 300 bucks a month, and if it’s over — over 7 to 17, you’re getting $360 a month — like wealthy people used to when they’d get back tax returns. It changes people’s lives.
But what happens if there’s nothing to buy and you got more money? You compete for getting it there. It creates a real problem.
So, on the one hand, we’re facing new disruptions to our supplies. But at the same time, we’re also experiencing higher demand for goods because wages are up, as well as — as well as people have money in the bank. And because of the strength of our economic recovery, American families have been able to buy more products.
And — but guess what? They’re not going out to dinner and lunch and going to the local bars because of COVID. So what are they doing? They’re staying home, they’re ordering online, and they’re buying product.
Well, with more people with money buying product and less product to buy, what happens? The supply chain is the reason, and the answer is you guys — and I’ll get to that in a minute — but what happens? Prices go up.
So, we got nearly 20 percent more goods coming into the country than we did before the pandemic struck.
In 19 day- — excuse me — COVID-19 has changed the way we spend our time and our money. More products are being delivered than ever before.
That’s because people have a little more breathing room than they did last year, and that’s a good thing.
But it also means we got a higher demand for goods at the same time we’re facing disruptions in the supplies to make those goods. There’s a reci- — this is a recipe for delays and for higher prices, and people are feeling it. They’re feeling it. Did you ever think you’d be paying this much for a gallon of gas? In some parts of California, they’re paying $4.50 a gallon.
That’s why it’s so important that we do everything in our power to stabilize the supply chain.