U.S. producer prices climbed last month at the fastest pace since November 2022, fueled by surging energy prices. The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index — which captures inflation before it reaches consumers — jumped 6.5% from May 2025. It also rose 1.1% from April, same as it did the previous month. Inflationary pressures, intensified by the energy shock caused by the Iran war, are frustrating Americans five months before midterm elections that will determine whether President Donald Trump's Republicans keep full control of Congress.

Rising gas prices pushed inflation to its highest level in three years last month, a headache for the Federal Reserve and a potential political challenge for the Trump administration as midterm elections near. New data showed Wednesday that consumer prices rose 4.2% in May from a year earlier, the third straight monthly increase. Prices have now risen faster than wages for several months. Families are dipping into savings to maintain their spending, and more people are falling behind on their credit card bills. Large retailers say they have also noticed changes in customer behavior, like buying smaller amounts of gas during visits to the pump.