CLEVELAND — Inflation and the state of the U.S. economy were top of mind during a presidential visit to Northeast Ohio Wednesday.
RELATED:President Biden talks about economic agenda in speech at Cleveland high school
President Joe Biden used the backdrop of a union training center at Max Hayes High School in Cleveland to discuss his policies to address troubled pension funding.
The economy was also the theme of his May 2021 visit to Cleveland, when he stopped in to talk about the American Rescue Plan.
At that time, he made a surprise stop at Honey Hut Ice Cream in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood for a chocolate chocolate chip ice cream cone.
“It was a nice surprise, a nice plug last summer,” recalled co-owner Bruce Page, whose parents started the business in 1974.
In the year since the official White House Twitter account posted a photo of the president enjoying his Honey Hut ice cream, Page said business has been picking up. Like many other businesses, the local chain is also experiencing challenges associated with supply, demand and inflation.
“The costs have skyrocketed on some of the ingredients, if we can find them. The supply chain is really tough,” he said, adding the shop has had to raise some menu prices in response to the rising cost of ingredients.
Page believes economic disruptions are due to global factors and not a direct result of any executive actions.
Many families and individuals around the region are also feeling the pinch of inflation.
“Everything’s doubling, everything’s super expensive, like the gas,” said Katie Harroff.
Joseph Houston added, “I do a lot of delivery, stuff like that, so gas is just taking all of my money away. Everything is pretty expensive.”
Some believe the 40-year high of inflation is due to a combination of global conflict, pandemic shortages, consumer demand and more.
“I think it’s a multi-layered answer. Do I think it’s politics too? Absolutely. I think I would be ignorant to say otherwise,” Colleen Hodd said.
Others believe it’s an economic mess of the president’s creation.
“Just giving too much money away to people - maybe people that deserved it because of the pandemic… but if they’re able to work, they should be going to work and not just get on the gravy train,” said Rena Gabor about the federal relief money. “Open up the pipelines, get people back to work. People want to work but he’s created this.”
Houston added, “I don’t think it’s better.”
Baiju Shah, the President and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, was in attendance for President Biden’s remarks Wednesday. He said labor shortages, supply chain challenges and wage growth have put pressure on many Northeast Ohio businesses.
“There's an incredible frustration right now in businesses’ inability to meet the demand that they see in the market for their goods and services, and it's vexing all of our business leaders,” Shah explained.
He said he’s optimistic federal programs highlighted by the Biden administration will help relieve pressure.
“The funds have been appropriated. We want to make sure funds get directed to support the priorities that we have here in Greater Cleveland,” Shah said. “Whether that's helping businesses with their competitiveness and technology adoption through [The CHIPS] Act, or it's helping our residents that are still disconnected from the growth sectors to get the skills that they need and the support that they need to be able to participate in high tech sectors or healthcare sectors, other areas that are booming locally."
Some tell News 5 the complicated issues surrounding the economy and inflation will require a complex solution, as well as cooperation from multiple layers of government and private sectors.
Ken Golonka said, “I lived in a time when it was the ‘we’ and not the ‘me.’ Right now it’s too much ‘me’ and not enough ‘we.’”
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