OPINION: The affordability crisis is real. It doesn’t have to be

I recently sat down with Adriana, a young mother, at the Oregon State Capitol. She’s working hard and doing everything right, yet she’s paying almost as much for childcare as she does for her mortgage. That is not how it’s supposed to work.

When I talk with people across Oregon’s Sixth District, I hear Adriana’s story repeatedly. Grocery costs are rising. Coffee is 30% more expensive than last year, and ground beef is 14% more expensive. Gas prices are roughly a dollar more per gallon than at the beginning of the year. Health care is increasingly more expensive for millions of Americans. By the end of the month, there’s nothing left for savings, let alone for getting ahead. People aren’t building financial security. They’re just trying to stay afloat.  

The people I represent are asking for an economy that works as hard for them as they do for their families. That is not too much to ask. If you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to afford a roof over your head, food on the table and a doctor when you’re sick. This isn’t the American dream. It’s the basic expectation of American life, and right now it feels out of reach.  

President Trump has called this affordability crisis a “hoax.” It is not a hoax. It is the direct result of the policy choices he is making.  

H.R. 1, Republicans’ so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” made the largest cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in American history, gutting the programs millions of families depend on. In our community, roughly 100,000 people rely on SNAP to put food on the table. Over 27,000 people who rely on the Oregon Health Plan will lose their insurance, pulling more people out of the health insurance coverage pool, further increasing costs — all while huge corporations and billionaires receive tax cuts that will directly benefit their personal interests.  

Senate Republicans have refused to extend the ACA’s enhanced tax credits, leaving people in my district facing premiums that have doubled or tripled. I’ve heard from constituents who have stopped going to the doctor altogether because they cannot afford the bill.  

Trump’s tariffs have also added to the damage. Even after the Supreme Court ruled that his sweeping tariffs broke the law, Trump doubled down. The Supreme Court said he couldn’t impose tariffs with one policy lever, so he just pulled another. In the process, he’s tightening the screws on our farmers, small businesses and families who are already struggling.  

The Willamette Valley makes some of the best wines in the world, and Canada is our largest foreign market. But after Trump imposed his tariffs, Canada responded with their own tariffs that lasted for months. Many Canadians continue to boycott our products, all while our growers and producers pay the price. In October 2025, wine sales to Canada were down 84% when compared to the previous year. That means less money going to Oregon farmers, which means less money going to workers, small businesses and savings accounts.  

My New Democrat colleagues and I have put forward real solutions to the affordability crisis. The New Dem Affordability Agenda is a set of specific, achievable policies that would start putting money back in people’s pockets now.  

On health care: Extend ACA tax credits so the 19,000 people in this district facing higher premiums get relief, cap prescription drug costs, fully fund Medicaid and protect patients from surprise medical bills and aggressive debt collection.  

On housing: Cut the red tape blocking new construction, close the tax loopholes that let private equity and large investors corner the market and increase low-income housing tax credits to build more homes working families can actually afford. The goal is four million new homes over the next decade.  

On child care: cap costs so families like Adriana’s aren’t paying as much for child care as they are for their mortgage.  

On groceries and essentials: Roll back the tariffs driving up your food bill, crack down on price-gouging corporations and restart the Affordable Connectivity Program to lower your internet bill.  

On energy: Reform permitting to bring costs down, expand clean energy production and make sure consumers, not big manufacturers and data centers, aren’t stuck footing the bill for grid upgrades.  

These aren’t aspirational talking points. They are ready to go. What’s missing is the votes.  

Adriana’s story should not be the norm in this country. If my Republican colleagues are serious about lowering costs for working families — not just for corporations and billionaires — then I know where to start.

This editorial was written by Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) for Pamplin Media Group. It was published on Sunday, April 12, 2026.