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Aluminum is used in a wide variety of items, including airplanes, power lines and cans. The price spike could eventually show up in everyday purchases, said Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, a research group.
This week, Paul and Goldy talk with Groundwork Collaborative Executive Director Lindsay Owens about how companies are using AI and massive data sets to run experiments on consumers—testing exactly how much each of us is willing to pay. And if every shopper sees a different price, one big question follows: Do markets still work the way economists say they do?
“The markets are starting to realize there may be no off-ramp here,” said Jacquez, who advised the Biden White House on energy issues. “There was this thinking that if oil prices start to soar that Trump would back down in Iran. But that is not the way things are aligning. The president has shown no appetite for changing course.”
The latest jobs report shows the United States lost 92,000 jobs in February 2026, with prior months revised down by 69,000 jobs.
Consumers resort to scrapping metal and selling clothes to make ends meet, businesses are engaging in shrinkflation as Trump’s chaotic tariffs drive up costs.
"Majorities of voters across parties want relief from sky-high credit card interest rates,” said Groundwork’s senior adviser for economic policy Emily Divito.
Spam and robocalls cost Americans over $32 billion annually, junk fees cost consumers $90 billion annually, and health care headaches cost $41 billion.
Even if Trump did manage to deliver on a credit card interest rate cap, 80% of voters say he would need to do more to show he’s serious about lowering costs.
Owens argues skimpflation can be problematic for reasons beyond just a deterioration of quality. "In the case of food, often when we're seeing reformulations and a move to cheaper products, these are also more processed products, and those have real health implications for Americans who are consuming these items," she says.
As a result, there is significant risk that consumers will face higher costs in “nearly every sector of the economy,” said Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, a research group.