Soaring prices leave many in rural America hurting like never before

From petrol to groceries to car parts, many in the US are having to make tough choices

Youssef Ibrahim is trying to live out his version of the American dream at the corner of East Clarke Avenue and North George Street in York, Pennsylvania.

The small city two hours' to the north of Washington is where he opened Neama’s Egyptian Food — York’s first Middle Eastern restaurant.

But surging prices for consumer goods are making it difficult for the father of four to turn a profit.

“Everything from chicken and meat to materials is double,” said Mr Ibrahim. “But I can't up my prices because [my restaurant is] a new place and people don't know Egyptian food.”

Mr Ibrahim, 48, who immigrated to the US in 2017, is left trying to balance making ends meet keeping the food on his menu cheap.

On a cold January day, Mr Ibrahim and his son Felo, 19, were busy preparing koshary, boiling the water for the macaroni and rice and heating up the tomato sauce and lentils central to the popular dish.

“Inshallah I'm trying keep everything the same [price],” he told The National, speaking in a mix of English and Arabic. One portion of the dish costs $5.99.

Consumer prices are projected to continue to rise in 2022. EPA

The restaurant, festooned with Egyptian decor, is named after Mr Ibrahim’s wife and is truly a family affair, with everybody pitching in when they can.

For the moment, the family is only hoping to break even and survive long enough for prices to begin to drop again.

But that is unlikely to happen anytime soon, with prices projected to continue to rise in 2022.

Last month, inflation jumped by 7 per cent, the US Labour Department reported — the highest increase since 1982.

Who’s to blame?

Today’s rapid inflation, which came as the economy grew at a fast clip last year, has set off a blame game in Washington.

White House officials claim the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent supply chain issues are behind the surging prices. But others, including several economists, believe that government policies, like handing out stimulus checks, have contributed to rising costs for consumers.

Lawrence Summers, a former US Treasury secretary under Bill Clinton and past president of Harvard University, predicted that inflation was likely to rise following the passage of the American Rescue plan in early 2021.

“There is a chance that macroeconomic stimulus on a scale closer to World War II levels than normal recession levels will set off inflationary pressures of a kind we have not seen in a generation, with consequences for the value of the dollar and financial stability,” Mr Summers wrote in The Washington Post.

Mr Summers has said that if President Joe Biden's administration does not act to control inflation, it could have serious political repercussions.

With the US midterm elections in November, the White House knows that if inflation keeps rising and consumer goods become even more expensive, it will be hard to convince Americans to vote more Democrats into office.

“I won’t be voting for this administration,” said Michael Rodenhaber, a car mechanic who runs a garage in York.

Pennsylvania is a swing state, which Mr Biden narrowly won in 2020. There is a Senate seat up for grabs in 2022, with Republican incumbent Pat Toomey not seeking re-election, and both parties will be fighting hard for it.

Mr Rodenhaber, who has been fixing car engines for 36 years, blames rising prices entirely on the president and his government.

“The price of parts are going through the roof,” he told The National. “The availability is terrible, nobody can get parts.”

Youssef Ibrahim poses for a picture in the kitchen of his restaurant in York, Pennsylvania. Willy Lowry / The National.

Youssef Ibrahim and his son Felo pose in the kitchen of their family restaurant in York, Pennsylvania. Willy Lowry / The National.

Youssef Ibrahim chops a carrot in his restaurant's kitchen. Willy Lowry / The National.

The exterior sign for Neama's Egyptian food in York, Pennsylvania.

Middle Eastern ingredients line the shelves at Neama's Egyptian Food in York, Pennsylvania. Willy Lowry / The National

The menu at Neama's Egyptian Food in York, Pennsylvania. It include's Egyptian staples like Koshary. Willy Lowry / The National.

Neama's Egyptian Food is the first Egyptian Restaurant in York, Pennsylvania. Willy Lowry / The National.

West Market Street in York, Pennsylvania. Willy Lowry / The National.

An Exxon Gas station is seen in York, Pennsylvania. Willy Lowry / The National

Michael Rodenhaber works on a car in his garage in York, Pennsylvania. Willy Lowry / The National.

It took Michael Rodenhaber six months to repair this Jaguar because of massive supply chain delays. Willy Lowry / The National

Cars waiting to be fixed in Michael Rodenhaber's garage. Willy Lowry / The National.

Michael Rodenhaber's garage in York, Pennsylvania. Willy Lowry / The National.

Joni Stuart shops on Tuesdays so she can get 5% senior discount at Karns Food in York County, Pennsylvania. Willy Lowry / The National

The meat section at Karns Foods in York County, Pennsylvania. Meat prices are soaring in the US. Willy Lowry / The National.

Meat prices have soared in the US. The price of beef is up 20% year on year. Willy Lowry / The National.

A woman shops for lettuce at Karns Foods in York, Pennsylvania. Willy Lowry / The National.

Empty shelves at Karns Foods in York County, Pennsylvania. Supply chain issues have made it more difficult for stores to keep their shelves stocked. Willy Lowry / The National.

Vegetable line the shelves at Karns Foods, a family run supermarket chain in central Pennsylvania. Willy Lowry / The National.

An empty vegetable shelf at Karns Foods in York County, Pennsylvania. Supermarkets across the US have struggled to keep their shelves stocked because of supply chain issues.

Karns Foods, a small supermarket chain in central Pennsylvania.

That’s making work a lot more difficult. It recently took Mr Rodenhaber six months to finish a job because he couldn’t procure a set of front shocks.

He said customers are waiting longer to bring in cars because they don’t have enough spare cash to pay for repairs.

Claudia Sahm, director of macroeconomics at the Jain Family Institute research group and a former Federal Reserve economist, said it’s not entirely fair to only blame the Biden administration for soaring prices.

“We have a $20 trillion economy, the biggest in the world,” Ms Sahm explained. “There isn’t anybody who can turn it on a dime. Joe Biden can't do that.”

But she said there are steps the president can take to improve the situation — chief among them bringing the pandemic under control.

“You end the pandemic, you end these Covid disruptions, inflation goes back really close to where it was before Covid,” she told The National.

Mr Biden’s approval rating is at a record low, hovering a little above 40 per cent. A recent ABC/Ipsos poll showed that nearly 70 per cent of Americans disapprove of his handling of inflation.

Joni Stuart is one of them.

The 70-year-old shops at Karns Foods supermarket in York County on Tuesdays to take advantage of the 5 per cent discount for senior citizens.

Experts say there are steps the president can take to improve the situation - chief among them bringing the pandemic under control. AFP

She said soaring prices have made her re-examine what she buys.

“If I think something's too expensive and more than it was the week before, then I don't buy it,”

With so many basic necessities becoming more expensive, Mrs Stuart is worried about her grandchildren.

“I don't know what their life is going to be like or how they're going to afford it,” she said.

The Ibrahim family doesn’t blame anyone for the current situation but hopes prices will taper off soon, so they can keep building their American dream, one koshary at a time.