Higher food and gas prices could cost President Barack Obama, according to top Republicans.

The latest U.S. Labor Department report released Friday finds producer price index rose 0.5 percent in May from April. Gas prices rose 1.5 percent, according to the report, while food costs rose 0.6 percent. Labor Department officials cited the increase in the cost of eggs, which jumped 41.6 percent, as the main culprit for higher food prices. The jump reportedly is the result of increased demand from overseas, according to officials, and an increase in demand as a result of the Memorial Day weekend.

The latest increase follows a 0.7 percent decline in April and a 0.6 percent decline in March. Core prices, which do not include food and energy, rose just 0.1 percent, a figure that closely aligns with previous months.

In addition to the rise in prices, the report shows inflation had increased incredibly slowly since the start of the year. Inflation as risen just 1.7 percent in the 12 months ending in May — the figure is a full 2 percentage points lower than the figure put forth by the Federal Reserve earlier this year.  Federal Reserve officials announced they intend to keep short-term interest rates near zero so long as the threat of inflation remains fairly low. Fed officials have also put forth plans to purchase $85 billion a month in bonds, part of a plan to keep long-term interest rates low. The latter is expected to remain in effect until economic growth increases.

According to Labor Department officials, the combination of a lack of strong economic growth and high unemployment has forced retailers and firms to avoid raising prices. With the economic outlook in the U.S. remaining somewhat uncertain, a number of small business owners have expressed concerns with hiring additional staff as consumer spending remains on par with slow growth models.

It remains unclear whether the latest rise in key consumer goods will pose a major problem for President Obama. The Obama administration has made economic growth a key focus since taking office in 2009, however, growth remains below average and the unemployment rate remains above 7 percent. Top House Republicans have repeatedly criticized the president for doing too little, while top Democrats have defended the president and his call for investments in key research programs.

Some top Democrats have cited Republicans as the main cause of the nation’s rate of unemployment, saying objections to the White House’s economic policies has left consumers wary. Top Democrats have specifically cited federal spending cuts and global economic turmoil as the main cause of slower than average economic growth.

“Our economy could have added thousands more jobs if Republicans would stop playing their political games and instead join Democrats in supporting small businesses, strengthening America’s families, and putting people back to work,” said New York Democratic Congressman Chuck Rangel.

While the price rise is likely to impact summer spending, the report follows in the wake of a June 8 jobs report, which showed the U.S. adding nearly 200,000 jobs in the month of May. While the nation added jobs, nearly 500,000 Americans began searching for jobs after dropping out of the jobs market. The addition was enough to lead to an increase in the nation’s unemployment rate to 7.6 percent.