At a Michigan town hall, Vice President JD Vance said an economic turnaround would take more than 18 months, as voters pressed him on household costs and the Trump administration’s response to the Iran conflict.
The recorded CBS News town hall aired Saturday, Oct. 17, ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. A small-business owner asked why customers had so little money to spend. Vance traced the economic problems to bipartisan underinvestment in workers and manufacturing over many years, along with employers moving jobs overseas. He said investment announcements and factory growth would take time to produce jobs and lift consumer spending.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that consumer prices rose 3.7% over the 12 months through September. Its gasoline index increased 9.1% during September. In a separate report, BLS put unemployment at 4.2% and said employers added 29,000 jobs that month.
Vance attributed high fuel prices in part to Iran’s actions around oil shipping. He said gasoline prices would decline after the conflict ends.
Joey Amor asked about accountability after his wife, U.S. Army Reserve soldier Nicole Amor, died in an unmanned aircraft attack in Kuwait. The Army Reserve said she was among six soldiers killed on March 1, 2026. Vance said some troop-location decisions had been a serious mistake and that changes had been made.
Sister Nancy Sylvester challenged the administration’s immigration enforcement. Vance said enforcement should be humane and acknowledged that some U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents make mistakes. He also said the agency had investigated cases involving training or discipline. On H-1B visas, Vance said his criticism was directed at employers rather than visa holders.
One resident raised noise from a nearby data center. Vance argued that such facilities should provide tax revenue to local governments while shielding households from higher electricity bills. On corruption, he said he had seen no evidence that President Donald Trump participated in or sanctioned it, and said anyone selling access to the White House should face consequences.
BLS has scheduled its October consumer price report for Nov. 10 at 8:30 a.m. ET.
