Trump Economy

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—In an effort to beef up America’s manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign companies, the Export-Import Bank, a federal credit agency, is unveiling a new loan opportunity for manufacturers.

Specifically, the bank is now “offering lender guarantees of up to 90% on equipment loans and operating leases” to American small and medium-sized manufacturers, a move it says will accelerate “the reindustrialization of America.“

The bank, which was established in 1934, seeks to provide financing for American exporters to give them a competitive advantage.

The announcement of the initiative comes after the National Security Council—which advises the president on military and foreign policy—held a round table discussion Monday with the heads of EXIM, the Department of Commerce, and the Small Business Administration on the topic of reindustrialization.

“For too long, the United States has relied on foreign production of machine tools and manufacturing machines,” reads an EXIM document explaining the project.

A new analysis from the Pew Research Center has found that for the first time in American history, a majority of households with children now have two full-time working parents. According to 2025 Census Bureau data, 52 percent of married or partnered couples raising children under 18 both work full-time jobs.

The traditional single-income family once familiar in American culture has continued to decrease, with just a quarter of households now consisting of a father working full-time while the mother remains at home. Meanwhile, families increasingly depend on two incomes to maintain a middle-class lifestyle. Under former President Joe Biden, inflation surged to levels not seen in decades. The Consumer Price Index peaked at 9.1 percent in June 2022, the highest rate in more than 40 years. While inflation eventually slowed under the current Trump administration, prices never returned to pre-pandemic levels, leaving families dealing with higher costs for housing, food, energy, insurance, childcare, and transportation.

Los Angeles’ hotel industry is losing jobs at its fastest pace in a decade outside of the pandemic, raising fresh concerns about the economic fallout from some of the most aggressive minimum wage mandates in the nation.

A new analysis of federal labor data found that Los Angeles County hotels and motels saw their workforce shrink by 1.7% in December 2025 compared to the same month a year earlier, as businesses grappled with rapidly rising labor costs imposed by city and county officials.

The decline comes as Los Angeles prepares to host a series of major international events, including the 2028 Summer Olympics, while hotel operators warn that mounting costs are threatening the industry’s ability to expand and meet future demand.

Wage Mandates Coincide with Sharp Employment Decline

According to an analysis by the Employment Policies Institute (EPI) of newly released U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the contraction represents the steepest year-over-year decline in Los Angeles County’s hotel industry in a decade, excluding pandemic-related disruptions.

The losses followed a series of government-mandated wage increases.