LEADER JEFFRIES: "LIFE IS GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE"
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference where he emphasized that Donald Trump and House Republicans are driving up costs while taking nutritional assistance and healthcare away from millions of Americans in order to reward billionaires.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Good afternoon, everyone. The American people desperately want an economy that is affordable for hardworking taxpayers. Donald Trump and House Republicans promised that costs would go down in the United States of America. Costs aren't going down. They're going up. They certainly have not gone down on day one, as Republicans promised the American people. Inflation is on the way up. Life is getting more expensive. And Donald Trump and House Republicans are driving the economy off of a cliff. Donald Trump and House Republicans have done nothing—nothing—not a single thing to make life more affordable for hardworking American taxpayers.
The One Big Ugly Law will do nothing to meaningfully address the cost of living crisis that we have in this country. In fact, the One Big Ugly Law will make life more expensive for everyday Americans, particularly as it relates to utility bills in this country. Utility bills are going to go up as a result of the actions that have been taken by Donald Trump and Republicans. More than 17 million people are going to lose their healthcare as a result of the action taken by Donald Trump and Republicans. Children, veterans and seniors who are hungry are going to lose their nutritional assistance as it relates to the actions taken by Donald Trump and House Republicans connected to the One Big Ugly Law. And all of this has been done to reward billionaires with massive tax breaks and at the same time skyrocket and explode the debt by more than $3 trillion.
It's unconscionable what Donald Trump and House Republicans have done to hurt the American people. The job of those of us who are in public service should be at all times to make life better for everyday Americans, to improve the quality of life for the American people, to ensure, as Democrats are focused on, that when you work hard and play by the rules in the United States of America, you should be able to afford to live the good life—good paying job, good housing, good healthcare, good education for your children and a good retirement. That's the American dream, and far too many people are unable to achieve it even though they are working hard and playing by the rules. Republicans haven't made it easier to achieve the American dream. They are making it harder for everyday Americans. And that's a shame.
Full press conference can be watched here.