As gas prices climb and the cost of everyday essentials continues to rise, Arizonans are being squeezed from every direction. Working parents, seniors, families and young people just starting out are finding it harder and harder to afford rent, groceries, the AC bill, health care, car insurance or even just dinner out with friends.
As the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ Lowering Costs Task Force, I’ve spent the past several months listening directly to people of all backgrounds and income brackets — in Arizona and across the country.
Their message has been remarkably clear: The cost of living is completely crushing them. And that reality demands bold action we can’t delay.
What has struck me the most is not simply the financial strain people are experiencing. It’s the shame many feel when they can no longer afford the necessities despite doing everything right and going the extra mile to do so. I’ve spoken with people who have worked for decades, often juggling multiple jobs, and still find themselves struggling to pay rent, cover insurance premiums or afford to insure their car.
Fast action is needed to help all Americans now
One Arizona resident recently told me his rent increased from $900 to $1,400 in one month. Stories like that are becoming far too common.
While Donald Trump tries to use taxpayer dollars to build his ridiculous $600 million ballroom, the people in our district are suffering, forced to decide between paying for groceries or rent.
Americans across the political spectrum are watching the Trump administration take fast actions — actions like starting a conflict in the Middle East that has driven gas prices through the roof.
I know that we need to act just as fast to improve lives for all Americans, not wait for the broadest possible consensus or for legislative perfection.
And, as the youngest woman in Congress, I know that young people are feeling the affordability crisis in a distinctly hopeless way — wondering if they will ever be able to afford to own a home, let alone how they will pay for health care, future childcare or ever be out from under the thumb of student debt.
This year is America’s 250th anniversary, and I know that the knee-jerk association is not always overly positive during these especially difficult times.
But we should want to renew patriotism in this country. To rebuild our systems so they work for people who aren’t billionaires. To live in an America where your enjoyment of life is not tied only to your income — an America my parents sought out when they immigrated here to build a better life for me and my brother.
Plan aims to rebuild the American dream
The American people are tired of hearing talking points while their lives get worse. Change is needed, now.
That’s why my Lowering Costs Task Force is working on a bold suite of bills to put more money back in Americans’ wallets.
Our bills tackle the biggest parts of most Americans’ budgets, making things cheaper — everything from prescription drugs, groceries, housing, utility bills, gas and childcare.
Here are some concrete examples:
- Making prescription drugs cheaper by establishing a government program to sell generic drugs at a discount
- Making utilities cheaper by cracking down on for-profit utilities overcharging consumers, saving the average family $500 a year
- Making gas cheaper by charging big oil companies a tax on extra profits because of the war, then refunding that money to consumers
- Making childcare cheaper by guaranteeing no family pays more than 7 percent of its income — under $10 a day for most families
- Making housing cheaper by building millions of new homes, offering every first-time homeowner $20,000 in down payment assistance and expanding rental assistance
- Making groceries cheaper by cracking down on big grocers who fix prices and on companies that abuse seed patents to make farming more expensive
- Banning “surveillance pricing,” where companies use personal data to raise prices with AI
- Putting money in pockets by requiring companies to pay double wages for overtime, as opposed to the current time-and-a-half standard
- Abolishing super PACs so billionaires can’t buy more policies that make stuff more expensive
It’s time to rebuild the American dream, for this generation. A version rooted in dignity, belonging and real power for real people.
And if we want it to mean something again, we have to rebuild the systems underneath it so people feel represented, empowered and connected again.
We need a New American Dream.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari represents Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District and serves as chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus’ Lowering Costs Task Force.
Read more on AZ Central.
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