Two years later, Anel’s professional career as a sound engineer in a company that did corporate events, has not recovered.
CBS News was present in March 2020 when he received his final paycheck. He was unsure how he would pay his mortgage.
Tony Dokoupil, co-host of “CBS Mornings”, has visited Anel three more times since then. The most recent time was last week when Anel disclosed that his financial situation is worse than ever.
“You’d believe that the last time I saw you guys, I’d be great. Anel said that this was the worst I’ve ever felt.
Even though President Biden boasts about his economic record, Anel and others are far from seeing a recovery. Claudia, his wife, fears that the rest of America has moved past the financial hardships many are still experiencing.
“I don’t see it working well for us. It doesn’t seem possible to me. It’s not there. After the last administration, you want to. You want to feel like, “Yay, they are helping us.” You can see that everything is going wrong after they make all these promises,” Gabe Anel said.
In his State of the Union address, Mr. Biden will highlight the U.S.’s growth after the pandemic. The numbers are in his favor by many measures: unemployment is down, wages have risen, and the economy continues to expand rapidly.
Thanks to government stimulus checks and extended unemployment benefits, the Anel family was able to get by. Claudia Anel felt supported and seen by CBS News when they spoke with them one year after the pandemic.
These benefits have ended and the Anels, like many middle-class families, have had to make some cuts. They are no longer going out and they are less likely to drive.
“It’s only a long time, and people are tired. She said that she doesn’t believe people, the government, or anyone is concerned about how people are doing.
Even though odd jobs such as garage attendant and seasonal delivery driver have been helpful, there are still some. The family is losing ground, even with occasional freelance audio work, which pays much, far better. The Anels had to recently ask their relatives for help, despite Claudia’s income from property management.
Gabe stated, “Definitely not all credit card payments are happening.” “I cannot even meet the minimum because I prioritize car payments, mortgage payments and gasoline to get to these jobs.”
In a recent CBS News poll, more than half of respondents said that they are concerned about their ability afford monthly expenses.
According to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, more than 72 million Americans claim they are having difficulty paying their bills. This number has increased by approximately 2 million per month since August. Moody’s Analytics estimates inflation that the average American family spends an additional $250 each month to live as they did before the pandemic.
Gabe Anel still believes his job will come back one day. The Anels, like many families, are currently in financial and emotional distress.
It makes me mad. It makes me feel defeated. It’s difficult to watch my husband suffer because he is an extremely intelligent person. He is a highly capable individual. He is a hard worker. Claudia stated that it was unfair for him to lose everything.
Dokoupil was told by Gabe Anel that he didn’t think he would be still in economic hardship two years later than he did. To send a message, he is talking about it again.
We were apprehensive about this because we thought it would be too much to hear about the terrible things that everyone else is doing. He said that it felt like kicking a horse when it’s down. We decided yes, because it was important because people might not realize it’s still happening. Perhaps people feel like they are living in their bubble, but it’s not.
