'The most pernicious and insidious regressive tax on the poor': RFK Jr. slams the Fed, calls inflation and rate hikes 'poisonous medicines.' But he says there's an even bigger problem

To combat rampant inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve has implemented substantial interest rate hikes. However, Kennedy contends that this strategy carries considerable repercussions, emphasizing, “high interest rates are also an enormous tax on the poor.

“The access to capital now that I'm seeing in poor neighborhoods all over the country is bankrupting small business in those neighborhoods.”

Housing affordability

Kennedy delved into the issue of housing — a sector intricately linked to interest rates.

“Our kids cannot get into a home because the interest rates have gone from 3% two years ago to — for them, the real cost — about seven-and-a-half or 8% to buy a home,” he said.

Although the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage, as reported by Freddie Mac, has recently decreased to 6.77%, it remains significantly higher than rates early in the pandemic, which were below 3%.

Moreover, Kennedy pointed out the exacerbating factor of higher property prices.

“The cost of housing has gone from $215,000 — average cost in this country — to $400,000,” he noted, adding that this results in “an entire generation of kids that is not getting into homes.”

Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis indicates the median sales price of houses sold in the U.S. was $417,700 in the fourth quarter of 2023, marking a substantial increase from $273,600 a decade ago.

America's 'long-term issue'

High interest rates are often viewed as a remedy for inflation. The consumer price index increased by 3.1% in January 2024 from a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a notable improvement from the 9.1% annual increase recorded in June 2022, which was the highest since 1981.