Inflation Reaches Highest Levels in 40 Years 

Inflation has reached its highest level in four decades, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported earlier this week. Prices for goods were 7 percent higher than last year. The Consumer Price Index, one of the major indicators of inflation, measures the change in the cost of a wide sampling of goods across the nation. If you have recently shopped at a grocery store, gas station, hardware store, or department store you have seen that prices are higher.

The price of gasoline is 49.6 percent higher than it was year ago. The price of beef is 18.6 percent higher and the price of pork is 15.1 percent higher than it was a year ago. The price of chicken is 10.4 percent higher than last year. On and on it goes.

Read the latest report to see how prices for goods compare to last year. This high level of inflation we’re seeing under the Biden administration is taxing American families’ budgets. The alarming level of inflation we are witnessing has not been seen in over a generation. Last year, the Biden administration tried to tell Americans that inflation was transitory or temporary. Obviously, that was not true. Paychecks for Americans are stagnant as well, as real average hourly earnings are down 2.4 percent from December 2020 to December 2021.

Job growth has also been disappointing. In the latest report, only 199,000 jobs were added in December, less than half of the 400,000 that were expected. While the unemployment rate has dropped, there’s still nearly 3 million fewer jobs than before the pandemic started.

We need to get our economy moving again. The last thing we need now is President Biden’s Build Back Bankrupt legislation which would accelerate inflation, radically increase the size of government, and create further government dependence.

With recent economic reports like these, it’s no surprise that recent polling shows that a majority of Americans disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the economy.

Thank You to Law Enforcement Officers 

January 9 marked National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. May we always give thanks for those who selflessly work to make sure our communities are safe, often putting themselves at risk to do so.

I also want to thank law enforcement and community organizations who are working to end human trafficking. Tuesday, January 11, 2022 was National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, learn more about human trafficking from the Department of Homeland Security. Last year, I introduced the Reporting Accountability and Abuse Prevention Act (H.R. 608) which will help crackdown on sexual abuse and human trafficking by requiring Title X grantees to report incidences of abuse to the appropriate federal, state, and local authorities. This maintains compliance with abuse reporting laws at the federal level to ensure victims of human trafficking receive the immediate care they need. 

Get Ready for Next Year’s Tax Season Today

Earlier this week, the IRS reported that they will begin accepting and processing returns for the 2021 tax year on Monday, January 24, 2022. This year’s tax filing deadline is April 18, 2022.

Please be aware that there may be certain factors impacting the timeliness of your refund.

The IRS states: “Overall, the IRS anticipates most taxpayers will receive their refund within 21 days of when they file electronically if they choose direct deposit and there are no issues with their tax return. The IRS urges taxpayers and tax professionals to file electronically. To avoid delays in processing, people should avoid filing paper returns wherever possible.

By law, the IRS cannot issue a refund involving the Earned Income Tax Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit before mid-February, though eligible people may file their returns beginning on January 24. The law provides this additional time to help the IRS stop fraudulent refunds from being issued.

Some returns, filed electronically or on paper, may need manual review, which delays the processing, if our systems detect a possible error or missing information, or there is suspected identity theft or fraud. Some of these situations require us to correspond with taxpayers, but some do not. This work does require special handling by an IRS employee so, in these instances, it may take the IRS more than the normal 21 days to issue any related refund. In those cases where IRS is able to correct the return without corresponding, the IRS will send an explanation to the taxpayer.”

The IRS is encouraging individuals to start preparing today for this year’s tax season. Visit the IRS website to learn what steps you can take today to be ready. If you did not receive an Economic Impact Payment this year, which you believe you are eligible for, click here to learn more about claiming the Recovery Rebate Credit.

If you received advanced payments of the Advanced Child Care Tax Credit, click here to learn how to reconcile your advanced child care tax credit payments on this year’s tax filing. Familiarize yourself with the IRS’s online tools to help you find important information and read the IRS’s FAQs on expected processing times and refunds.  

Looking for IRS forms? Visit their Forms, Instructions, & Publications Page by clicking here.

Looking for free assistance with preparing your tax return? Visit the IRS website to find an organization that can assist you.

An Honor to Serve - 2021 in Review 

It’s an honor to serve Pennsylvania’s 11th Congressional District in Congress. In the last year, my office has assisted 2,120 constituents with federal casework and responded to 125,977 emails, phone calls, and letters from constituents. Since 2017, my office has helped return over $6,581,000 to constituents.

Here to Help

To any veteran, there is always support available at the Veterans Crisis Line. Call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1 or text 838255. Visit the Veterans Crisis Line website for more information.

Looking for information on federal grants? Learn more about the grant awarding process and search the federal database of grant programs at www.grants.gov.

If you have any questions or issues with a federal agency, please know that my office is here to assist you. You can call my district or Washington, DC offices for assistance or visit my website for any issue with a federal agency or department.

Stay Connected

To stay up-to-date on my work in the district and Washington, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also check out my YouTube page, where there are 100+ videos, many of which are direct responses to your questions.

Sincerely,

Lloyd Smucker