Op-ed by Denise Powell: The back-to-school squeeze is hurting families — and our economy

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Omaha World-Herald Executive Editor Ben Doody sits down with Denise Powell, a Democratic candidate in the race for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district, to discuss her platform and other issues. The World-Herald plans to host more conversations with candidates throughout the 2026 midterms.

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As a working mom, I know the back-to-school season should feel exciting — new teachers, new friends, new opportunities. Hopefully feeling recharged after a summer full of activities, from baseball to summer camps to a family road trip. But this year, it’s become a season of sticker shock for many Nebraska families.

Denise Powell

POWELL CAMPAIGN

With the war in Iran continuing with no end in sight, gas prices have hit record highs, with the average hovering right around $4/gallon in Nebraska. That’s an increase of more than 20% since this time last year, and it’s impacted everything — not just summer road trips, but also running errands to the grocery store and pharmacy, idling in the pickup line at school, and driving kids to swim lessons and doctor's appointments. It’s all more expensive and it’s made everyday life just that much harder.

Now, as kids go back to school, parents are paying record-high prices for school supplies. On average, prices have increased by more than 7% since school started last year. Taking our kids back-to-school shopping, my husband and I noticed how much more everything seemed to cost this year. A backpack can cost $50, sneakers sometimes more than double that. Add in classroom wish-list items, after-school care, and clothing, and you’re out hundreds of dollars before the first bell rings.

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For working families, these costs mean tradeoffs: working overtime, delaying a much-needed prescription, or putting off car repairs just to make sure kids are ready for the school year. For too many parents, the strain of these rising costs has turned what should be a joyous time of year into another reminder that the world feels out of control and no one in Washington seems to care.

Small businesses are feeling it too. The print shop making spirit wear, the bookstore selling art supplies, the daycare buying snacks — they’re all paying more. I’m hearing from business owners across Nebraska who can’t accurately forecast revenue, which in turn freezes growth and job opportunities.

This ripple effect is what happens when our elected officials ignore the realities of working families and Main Street businesses. Waging war with Iran and spouting off damaging tariffs don’t just show up on receipts — they hit the entire economy, from the corner store to the national GDP.

And let’s be very clear: everything is more expensive because of President Trump’s out-of-touch economic policies.

Unpredictable tariffs, cancellations of small-business loans, and a reckless war with Iran are driving up the price of everyday goods for working families.

My opponent, Brinker Harding supports every Trump-backed policy that is making our lives more expensive. And just weeks ago, he voted against increasing the minimum wage. It’s no surprise that President Trump endorsed him and then sent Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise here to campaign for him — because they know he will be a rubber stamp for their corrupt agenda that leaves working families behind.

We need leaders who will represent Nebraska, not party bosses and corporate donors. For too long, we have had elected officials who have neglected the needs of working people. It’s why I’m not taking corporate PAC money, and why I’ve made an anti-corruption agenda central to my campaign.

We must ban congressional stock trading, pass a lifetime ban on members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, and enact term limits in Congress. And we need to overturn the disastrous Citizens United decision to get Super PAC money out of our politics for good.

For families, we need to tackle childcare and after-school care costs head-on. On a federal level, expanding the Child Tax Credit, funding universal pre-K, creating paid family leave, and supporting community-based childcare options would give parents breathing room and keep more money circulating in local economies.

And locally, our governor and legislature could join 17 other states, like Ohio, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Missouri, to establish a sales tax holiday in July and August for basic-back-to-school items.

Working families should be the priority in economic policy — not an afterthought. That’s why I’m running for Congress. Back-to-school should be a time of possibility, not panic. It’s time we stop making the economy work for the few at the top, and start building an economy for the hardworking families and small businesses who keep it running.

Denise Powell is the Democratic nominee for Congress in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District. 

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of July 2026

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People set off fireworks in Omaha, on Saturday, July 4, 2026.

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People set off fireworks in Omaha, on Saturday, July 4, 2026.

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People set off fireworks in Omaha, on Saturday, July 4, 2026.

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People set off fireworks in Omaha, on Saturday, July 4, 2026.

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Damages is seen after a vehicle hit Eyebrow Microblading Specialists at 5723 NW Radial Highway in Omaha, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. The neighboring business in the same building, Benson Shoe Repair, was also recently hit by a vehicle and sustained heavy damage.

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A Wednesday night storm knocked a tree onto 710 Donegal Drive in Papillion, as seen on Thursday, July 9, 2026.

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A Wednesday night storm knocked a tree onto 710 Donegal Drive in Papillion, as seen on Thursday, July 9, 2026.

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Participants walk down Woolworth Ave. during the annual 4th of July parade held at Omaha’s Field Club neighborhood in Omaha, on Saturday, July 4, 2026.

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People arrive for The RiverFront Fourth of July Celebration featuring the Omaha Symphony at Gene Leahy Mall in Omaha on Saturday, July 4, 2026 .

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From left, Alexis, 7, Ron Lewis, James, 6, and Jackie Lewis visit Edith German’s headstone in the Omaha National Cemetery in Papillion, on Friday, July 3, 2026. German was Jackie’s mother and the children’s great-grandmother. German’s husband, Kenneth, served in the Airforce, and she was a registered nurse, who worked in the Omaha V.A. hospital.

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A lightning strike is seen near the Omaha National Cemetery and a Google AI Data-Center in Papillion on Friday, July 3, 2026.

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Iris Herse, a former Rosie the Riveter who worked in a factory making bombs during World War II, displays her American Spirit Medallion at Lakeside retirement home in Omaha on Thursday, July 2, 2026.

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Iris Herse, a former Rosie the Riveter who worked in a factory making bombs during World War II, stands for a portrait at Lakeside retirement home in Omaha on Thursday, July 2, 2026. She wears her American Spirit Medallion.

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A peacock stands at the door of Diane Keane’s home in Omaha on Sunday, July 12, 2026. Keane believes the bird belongs to one of her neighbors, and says “it kind of just does whatever it wants.”

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A peacock walks across Diane Keane’s porch as her dog, Biscuit, watches in Omaha on Sunday, July 12, 2026. Keane believes the bird belongs to one of her neighbors, and says “it kind of just does whatever it wants.”

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U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Brinker Harding, Republican candidate for Nebraska's second congressional district, talk with reporters during a campaign event at WheatFields Eatery and Bakery in Omaha on Saturday, July 18, 2026.

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Attendees wave as 30 buses pass by along Q Street to launch an anti-child sex trafficking awareness campaign in Omaha on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.

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Lincoln View principal Monica Thompson cuts the ribbon during a ceremony for the new elementary school in Papillion on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Lincoln View is Papillion La Vista Community Schools 17th elementary school to open.

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Keyhden Ramirez stands for a portrait in her Papillion home on Friday, July 24, 2026. Ramirez is taking daraxonrasib in a clinical trial, which is Revolution Medicine's pancreatic cancer drug.

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Ben Steffen, Democratic candidate for Nebraska Lt. Governor, waits for an interview in Omaha on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.

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Brennan Polito of Henderson, Tx. rides a bull during extreme bull riding at the Sarpy County Fair in Springfield on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

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Rhett Martin loses his shoe while riding a sheep during mutton busting at the Sarpy County Fair in Springfield on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

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