Out of the nearly 100,000 active employees included in the survey, seven in 10 said their personal finance situation is either “worse” or “much worse” today than one year ago.
What’s more, Koperdak, Willis and Persson also agreed that their financial situation is much worse than four years ago.
“Back then, with Trump in office, I felt a lot more secure. He had the [Tax Cuts and Jobs Act], and that lowered the taxes for both individuals and businesses,” Koperdak, a civilian program contract manager for the U.S. Air Force, explained.
“That kind of gave everyone more breathing room. Plus, I feel like he focused on deregulation, which helped businesses grow and create more jobs.”
“Now under the Biden administration,” she continued, “we’re kind of seeing the effects of increased regulation and the policies that seem to prioritize government spending over private sector growth. And I feel like the difference is that economic stability we had under Trump.”
“I was a full-time employee,” Willis, an interior designer, pointed out, “a federal contractor to the government. The contract ran out, so now I’ve resorted back to offering interior design services on my own. That has kept me afloat, but I would much rather prefer to have a steady, full-time position with a design company or an architectural firm, which is what I’ve done in the past.”
“My family’s income hasn’t changed, but our comfort level has significantly decreased,” stay-at-home mom and homeschool teacher Persson said. “Money went a lot further four years ago. We were able to cover our bills and still have money saved. The economy has plummeted with the current administration, and to add on to that, where I live in California, the cost of living is much higher.”
Additionally, 44% of the survey respondents said they aren’t making enough take-home pay to cover their daily expenses. The three job-seekers detailed feeling the most financial pressure from rising grocery costs, health care bills and the housing market.
“Health care costs [are] probably the most expensive for my family right now. That along with food costs and rising inflation,” Willis said. “But I wouldn’t say it would be my No. 1 ticket issue. My No. 1 ticket issue would be to get the border closed.”
“Inflation is just out of control. That’s the only word I have for it. Everything from groceries to gas is more expensive,” Koperdak said.
“With the Biden administration cutting fossil fuels, transitioning to green energy very quickly, I feel like we’ve seen higher energy costs which trickle down to everything else in life. So this is my top-ticket issue, definitely heading into November. I want a candidate who will bring back the policies that help keep costs down.”
All three career hopefuls put an emphasis on private sector job creation policies having an impact on their vote. Fox News previously reported that 16% of new jobs created under the Biden administration were government or public sector, while Trump saw a 7.4% government job growth.
Economists have also shot down the Biden-Harris “misleading” claim that there’s been a booming post-COVID job market, as U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data has shown the economy added 6.33 million jobs in Trump’s first three years in office, more than double Biden’s figure.
“I’d vote for the candidate who’s committed to bringing Trump’s policies back, which is Trump himself,” Koperdak said. “We had lower taxes, fewer regulations and a focus on American jobs.”
“The Biden administration… I believe it’s really hurt the economy,” she continued. “And I feel like since Biden has had almost four years to fix it, it should be back up again… I’d choose a candidate who prioritizes economic freedom and lower taxes and job creation, because those are the policies that made me feel financially secure, and that I could succeed.”