SCHNEIDER, NEW DEMOCRATS UNVEIL AFFORDABILITY AGENDA

Washington, D.C. —Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10) and the New Democrat Coalition, which he chairs, released their Affordability Agenda, a policy roadmap to help make life more affordable for Illinoisans by focusing on lowering the five core costs that are too high for hardworking people: health care, housing, energy, family care, and household essentials like groceries.

Despite promising to lower prices “on day one” and “end inflation,” President Trump and Republicans in Congress have failed to lower the cost of living as their billionaire-first agenda makes life more expensive across the board for hardworking Americans. 

With the Affordability Agenda, Rep. Schneider and the New Democrats are offering a better path forward to lower everyday costs in the short- and long-term by rolling back harmful policies pushed by Republicans in Washington, promoting competition and supporting small businesses to boost consumer choice, and breaking down regulatory barriers across the government to meet the needs of everyday Americans.

“New Dems have always fought for economic growth and opportunity to enable hardworking Americans not to just get by, but to get ahead,” said New Dem Chair Brad Schneider. “That’s why we’re now taking on the cost-of-living crisis to make it easier for people to afford their home, feed their family, pay for healthcare, and still have enough money left to take a vacation and save for the future. Our Affordability Agenda represents bold policy ideas from some of the brightest minds in Congress, and a path forward for lawmakers to empower everyday people to reach their full economic potential.”

Affordability Agenda Toplines

Groceries & Household Essentials

• Restore certainty by rolling back Trump’s tariffs and advancing smarter, durable trade policies.
• Support small producers and crack down on price-gouging corporations to increase competition in the food marketplace.
• Lower internet bills by restarting the Affordable Connectivity Program.
• Increase the minimum wage and ensure workers have a seat at the table.

Health Care

• Reduce monthly costs by extending ACA tax credits and expanding access to prescription price caps.
• Protect patients from surprise medical bills and aggressive debt collection.
• Expand access to care by fully funding Medicaid and strengthening Medicare’s guaranteed benefits.
• Increase competition and transparency while cracking down on fraud and abuse.

Housing

• Cut red tape and update permitting and zoning to build four million homes in the next decade.
• Level the playing field by eliminating unfair tax breaks to private equity and large investors.
• Utilize innovative construction technologies to accelerate home production.
• Build more affordable homes by increasing Low-Income Housing Tax Credit allocations and community benefits.

Energy

• Reform permitting rules to make it faster and cheaper to build energy transmission and generation infrastructure.
• Ensure energy is available and abundant by establishing a level playing field for all forms of energy.
• Reallocate electric grid costs to protect consumers from price hikes due to manufacturing and data center development.
• Invest in energy efficiency and home heating & cooling to lower residential energy costs.

Families

• Create a national paid family and medical leave program that covers all Americans.
• Support working families with expanded access to tax cuts and universal pre-K.
• Leverage federal resources and foster public-private partnerships to enhance care options and paid leave access.
• Invest in the home health and long-term care workforce to care for aging Americans.

You can read the full Affordability Agenda here.

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