Norita Chyle

State College

In his recent email to constituents, Congressman Glenn (GT) Thompson continues to stoke fear with inaccurate information.

He claims “the average price of a traditional Thanksgiving is the most expensive in history, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.” Those data aren’t about Thanksgiving. They’re about the consumer price index; we already know that there’s still some inflation-although it has declined dramatically. Searching through the data shows that price changes are much smaller than Thompson claims, with some foods actually declining in price.

Data from the American Farm Bureau (AFB) also show that Thompson has it wrong. A typical dinner for 10 will cost $58.08 this year, a 5% decrease from 2023. This is the second year in a row that Thanksgiving dinner prices have declined. Thompson’s specifics are also contradicted by the AFB. Prices are down this year for turkey (6%), and many other items in a Thanksgiving feast (vegetables, sweet potatoes); milk is down 14%. Separately, holiday travel costs also declined, with gas prices down about 25 cents/gallon.

It’s shocking that the Chair of the House Agriculture Committee doesn’t have the correct data. But then he uses the inaccurate information to ask constituents: “Has your Thanksgiving meal preparation been affected by increased prices?” What’s the point of asking a question he already answered — incorrectly, at that? To claim that his constituents are suffering?

If Thompson is really concerned about his constituents, he would provide accurate agricultural information and enact legislation to improve our lives.