The indicator released by the Philadelphia Fed shows that political tensions between parties in the United States soared to a six-year high last month as President Trump's tax legislation and immigration policies came into conflict. The partisan conflict index, based on news articles reporting political divisions, climbed to the highest level since January 2019. In recent years, this index has only been significantly higher than its current level around the beginning of Trump's first presidential term and during the government shutdown at the end of 2013. The recent surge in the index coincided with the final stages of Trump's tax and spending bill, which cut social programs like Medicaid while providing income growth for the wealthy in America. In June, protests also occurred in Los Angeles and other cities against Trump's plan to deport illegal immigrants.