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U.S. consumer spending for Easter is expected to rise about 5% this year as Americans snap up candy and gifts to celebrate despite concerns around high inflation and economic uncertainty, a National Retail Federation report showed on Tuesday. Shoppers are expected to spend around $23.6 billion this year, compared with $22.4 billion estimated last year, the trade body’s survey showed, with discount stores once again poised to be the top destination for Easter shopping. Prices of eggs, traditionally used for Easter decor and games, have nearly doubled from last year as avian influenza wiped out millions of hens and led to a shortage of eggs in February. Retail bellwether Walmart left out eggs from its yearly Easter promotional meal kit, shared late last month at a lower price than 2024. President Donald Trump‘s sweeping tariffs on several trade partners have also raised fears of a recession, casting a pall on consumer sentiment in the United States. However, retailers such as Target and dollar stores that enjoyed an upbeat December quarter thanks to robust Christmas spending have said consumers are expected to shop for Easter with similar interest. “As we witnessed throughout the pandemic, holidays such as Easter are especially meaningful for Americans during times of uncertainty. And we are continuing to see that trend as consumers prioritize their Easter celebrations this year,” said Katherine Cullen, NRF vice president of industry and consumer insights. “From other holidays NRF tracks, we know that consumers who are feeling constrained by higher prices or the economy may cut back in other areas, look to sales or find less costly substitutes in order to preserve their traditional celebrations.” NRF’s forecast said a majority of consumers were expected to shop inspired by tradition to buy Easter-related items, while 36% were also expected to be influenced by sales and promotions. Candy, food and gifts are likely to be at the top of shopping lists this Easter, with consumers seen spending a total of $7.4 billion on food, $3.8 billion on gifts, and $3.3 billion on candy, the report said. Juveria Tabassum, Reuters
Category:
E-Commerce
There is not much Josh Lockwood-Wewer loves more than Disney. The affable 33-year-old speaks almost exclusively in the voices of his favorite characters: Mickey Mouse, the Muppets Kermit the Frog, and, above all, Goofy. He has watched The Lion King nearly every day since its 1994 releasewell over 5,000 times, according to his mother. His family moved from Maryland to Anaheim, California, when he was in his early 20s just to be closer to Disneyland. As an adult with severe autism, Lockwood-Wewer depends on around-the-clock support from multiple aides. His caregivers prepare his meals and watch as he eats to make sure he doesnt choke. They drive him everywhere from doctors appointments to his favorite restaurant, a fast food joint called Pauls Place where he orders two chicken tenders every time. And they administer his regimen of a dozen daily medications to control his psychosis, depression, and anxiety. Lockwood-Wewer can only afford that support thanks to publicly funded programsIn-Home Supportive Services and the Regional Center of Orange Countythat fully cover his in-home care and community-based services, which would otherwise be prohibitively expensive. But that funding may soon be at risk under a proposal by Republican lawmakers that could slash as much as $880 billion from Medicaid over the next decade. Cuts of that magnitude would impact millions across the country and could be especially debilitating to low-income people with disabilities like Lockwood-Wewer, according to Beth Martinko, his mother and primary caretaker. She is one of many healthcare advocates who are now pressuring Republican lawmakers across the country to vote against Medicaid cuts that could be devastating for families and politically unpopular. In late February, Martinko spoke in front of more than 200 people at a packed town hall meeting in a Tustin community center. The event was organized by a coalition of healthcare advocacy groups working to pressure the districts representative, Republican congresswoman Young Kim, to reject cuts to Medicaid. Attendees applauded as speakers stressed how integral Medicaid was to their families, and booed and yelled shame! when they mentioned Republicans proposed cuts. Beth Martinko speaks at a town hall meeting in Rep. Kims congressional district on Feb. 20. [Photo: Jeremy Lindenfeld/Capital & Main] Martinko lives just outside of that district, but 157,000 of Kims constituents are enrolled in Medi-Cal, the state-run Medicaid program, making the topic of federal funding cuts especially poignant. Though the GOPs budget resolution does not explicitly call for Medicaid cuts, it directs the committee that oversees the healthcare program to cut $880 billion, which would be impossible without cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from Medicaid, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Medicaid is a government health insurance program that covers 83 million low-income people in the United States and has more beneficiaries than Medicare, which provides health insurance primarily to people 65 and older. Republicans have not released the exact cuts they are expected to vote on in the coming months, but an internal document obtained by Politico revealed several possibilities under consideration, including new requirements that beneficiaries provide proof of employment to receive benefits. Some groups, like people with disabilities, could be exempt from those requirements, but that is little consolation to Martinko, who said her son would fall out of network and die before being able to make it through the complex and bureaucratic process of obtaining an exemption. Lockwood-Wewer would not be alone. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 36 million people across the country could lose their health insurance if Medicaid work requirements are implemented. Both In-Home Supportive Services, which provides support for over 700,000 low-income Californians who have disabilities or who are 65 and older, and Californias 21 Regional Centers, nonprofits that coordinate services for individuals with developmental disabilities, largely depend on funding from Medicaid. Healthcare advocates fear Republicans proposed federal cuts would cause those California programs to be reduced or even eliminated. [Photo: Jeremy Lindenfeld/Capital & Main] Its hard for Martinko to see how the family would manage without that support. When Lockwood-Wewers father died of lung cancer in 2013, Martinko quit her job to become her sons full-time care provider. Two years later, the pair moved from Maryland to California, where they have benefited from robust state-run healthcare programs that rely heavily on Medicaid funding. Californias federally subsidized programs for people with disabilities have enabled Lockwood-Wewer to stay healthy and safe while also developing his interests and professional skills. In-Home Supportive Services has provided funding for Martinko and other aides to maintain Lockwood-Wewers well being. The Regional Center of Orange County has fostered his love of animation by arranging voice acting training that prepares him for job opportunities and has coordinated theater classes that have provided him with a supportive social environment of peers. Martinko said it took years to navigate the states complicated network of benefits to get her son approved for the assistance he needed. As a 71-year-old, two-time cancer survivor, she was constantly worried she would get sick again before being able to enroll her son in the necessary programs. So when it all finally came together last year, she was thrilled and relieved. I felt like I could die and he would be OK because he had this whole sustaining system, Martinko said. But when she learned that the GOPs budget resolution threatened to upend Medicaid funding, she said it was like somebody opened my front door and threw a grenade in. Martinkos congressional representative, Democrat Lou Correa, voted against that Republican budget resolution and has repeatedly warned of the risks to people on Medicaid. Thats why Martinko, who is a registered Democrat, has focused her efforts on pressuring Republican House members, like Rep. Kim, who are more likely to support cutting healthcare programs. If Medicaid cuts reduce his In-Home Supportive Services funding, Lockwood-Wewer would no longer be able to afford his at-home care. That would push his mother and other aides, like June Mekker, who first met the family when she was a Disneyland employee and who now lives with them, to look for other jobs. June Mekker, caregiver to Lockwood-Wewer, joins his mother in protesting Medicaid cuts at Rep. Young Kims office on March 18. [Photo: Jeremy Lindenfeld/Capital & Main] Mekker said she voted Republican all the way down the ticket in the 2024 election, believing Donald Trumps promises to protect Medicare and Social Security extended to Medicaid as well. She now fears that might not be the case. I will feel very, very, very betrayed and disrespected, Mekker said. Everything in [Lockwood-Wewers] life would stop. I would have to go back to working a regular job, which means he wouldnt get that support. Because In-Home Supportive Services pays for Martinkos full-time caregiving services, she depends on the program to afford their mortgage payment. If benefits are slashed and Martinko once again becomes too ill to work, Mekker said, the family could end up on the street.” Mekker helps Lockwood-Wewer, who holds his stuffed bear named Marco, order lunch at his favorite local restaurant, Pauls Place. [Photo: Jeremy Lindenfeld/Capital & Main] Republicans have pitched Medicaid cuts as a way to root out waste, fraud, and abuse from federal programs, but healthcare advocates like Jordan Lindsey, executive director of the disability advocacy nonprofit The Arc of California, said those politicians are being disingenuous. The cuts they are proposing are not designed with a scalpel to cut out waste and abuse. Theyre just using a club, Lindsey said. Supporting a Californian with Down syndrome or cerebral palsy or profound autism to integrate into society is not waste and abuse. Republican attacks on Medicaid are nothing new, according to Gerald Kominski, senior fellow at UCLAs Center for Health Policy Research. Kominski attributes GOP lawmakers efforts to cut government benefits like Medicaid to a deeply held resentment of government programs that support low-income individuals and their desire to cut federal spending to pay for massive tax cuts for the wealthy. That could be a political vulnerability, however, as Kominski said many voters likely see that tradeoff as blatant robbing from the poor to support the rich. And even though it doesnt make sense politically, Kominski said GOP lawmakers are seizing their moment of political power and charging ahead to follow through on their longstanding efforts to shrink the social safety net. That vulnerability is what healthcare advocates are pouncing on by organizing events like the February town hall in Rep. Kims district. Martinko, who was among the first to speak at that forum, made an emotional plea for her son. She described him as the embodiment of joy, and spoke about his passion for Disney and for writing stories where the heroes always win and the villains always lose. Martinko then appealed directly to Rep. Kim.
Category:
E-Commerce
The acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service is resigning over a deal to share immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S., according to two people familiar with the decision.Melanie Krause, who had served as acting head since February, will step down over the new data-sharing document signed Monday by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The agreement will allow ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records.Two people familiar with the situation confirmed Krause was resigning and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.The IRS has been in upheaval over Trump administration decisions to share taxpayer data. Acting Commissioner Douglas O’Donnell announced his retirement from the agency after roughly 40 years of service in February as furor spread over Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency gaining access to IRS taxpayer data. Krause replaced him.Acting chief counsel William Paul was removed from his role at the agency last month and replaced by Andrew De Mello, an attorney in the chief counsel’s office who is deemed supportive of DOGE, according to two other people familiar with the plans who were also not authorized to speak publicly.The Treasury Department says the agreement will help carry out President Donald Trump’s agenda to secure U.S. borders and is part of his larger nationwide immigration crackdown, which has resulted in deportations, workplace raids and the use of an 18th century wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants.Advocates, however, say the IRS-DHS information-sharing agreement violates privacy laws and diminishes the privacy of all Americans.The basis for the agreement is founded in “longstanding authorities granted by Congress, which serve to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans while streamlining the ability to pursue criminals,” said a Treasury official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to explain the agency’s thinking on the agreement.Tom Bowman, policy counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technology, said disclosing immigrant tax records to DHS for immigration enforcement “will discourage tax compliance among immigrant communities, weaken contributions to essential public programs, and increase burdens for U.S. citizens and nonimmigrant taxpayers. It also sets a dangerous precedent for data privacy abuse in other federal programs.”Todd Lyons, acting ICE director, told reporters at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix on Tuesday that the agreement will help ICE find people who are collecting benefits they aren’t entitled to and are “kind of hiding in plain sight” using someone else’s identity.Working with Treasury and other departments is “strictly for the major criminal cases,” Lyons said.The IRS had already been called upon to help with immigration enforcement earlier this year.Noem in February sent a request to Bessent to borrow IRS Criminal Investigation workers to help with the immigration crackdown, according to a letter obtained by the AP. It cites the IRS’ boost in funding, though the $80 billion infusion of funds the federal tax collection agency received under the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act has already been clawed back.A collection of tax law experts for the NYU Tax Law Center wrote Monday that the IRS-DHS agreement “threatens to violate the rights that many more Americans have under longstanding laws that protect their tax information from wrongful disclosure or dissemination.”“In fact, it is difficult to see how the IRS could release information to DHS while complying with taxpayer privacy statutes,” they said. “IRS officials who sign off on data sharing under these circumstances risk breaking the law, which could result in criminal and civil sanctions.”The memo states that the IRS and ICE “will perform their duties in a manner that recognizes and enhances individuals’ right of privacy and will ensure their activities are consistent with laws, regulations, and good administrative practices.” Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat contributed to this report from Phoenix. Fatima Hussein, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
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