WASHINGTON, DC — Ahead of Donald Trump’s appearance in Texas, Former U.S. Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Jared Bernstein, Texas State Representative Mihaela Plesa (D-70), and Senior Research Director at Protect Our Care Joe Miller held a press call to discuss Trump and Congressional Republicans’ affordability crisis and its consequences for Texans.
Trump’s tariffs are costing Texas families an average of $1,600 per year, driving up prices on everything from groceries to cars to home goods. His reckless policies have already threatened or eliminated more than 52,000 jobs across Texas, while his budget cuts put 275,000 Texas families at risk of losing food assistance. From the Rio Grande Valley to the Panhandle, Texans are paying more for food, utilities, and basic necessities – all while Trump and Republicans push more tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations.
“A lot of the critique of Trump in the affordability space is that he’s ignoring the problem – that he’s paddling around with his billionaire friends and cutting their taxes. That’s actually too benign an assessment,” said Jared Bernstein, Former U.S. Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. “He’s making these problems worse. His tariffs, his budget cuts, his slashes to nutrition and medical support – these are precisely the tools you wouldn’t want to pull out of your toolbox if you wanted to address affordability concerns.”
“When I knock on doors in my district, the cost of living is the number one concern I hear: how do I afford groceries, how do I pay my rising mortgage, my insurance keeps going up,” said Texas State Representative Mihaela Plesa (D-70). “And when you look at Trump’s big bill, you see tax subsidies for tanning beds while rural hospital beds in Texas are closing down. As a former small business owner, I can tell you that 3.3 million small businesses here in Texas are getting squeezed, too.”
“It’s remarkable that Donald Trump has the nerve to come down to Corpus Christi after spending his first year in office destroying health care access in Texas,” said Joe Miller, Senior Research Director at Protect Our Care. “Nine in 10 Texans are concerned about the cost of health care, and for good reason. 1.7 million Texans stand to lose their health care thanks to Trump and Republicans hiking premium costs on the middle class and slashing Medicaid.”
Watch the full call here.
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