Stop the Republican Affordability Crisis

Floor Speech

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Mrs. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Rivas for organizing today's Special Order hour.

Mr. Speaker, across Arizona, families are being squeezed from every direction. Groceries cost more. Rent and housing costs keep climbing. People can't afford their healthcare.

According to the Joint Economic Committee, Arizona families paid an estimated $1,569 more in 2025 due to inflation during Trump's first year back in office.

Yet, after running on lower prices, Trump now calls this affordability crisis a hoax. Just last week, he said plainly: ``I don't want to drive housing prices down. I want to drive housing prices up. . . .''

That tells us exactly whom he is fighting for: Wall Street speculators and billionaires, not our families living on Main Streets and in our barrios. He is not even trying to hide it anymore.

Meanwhile, utility bills are surging; electric bills are up 13 percent; and residential gas prices are up nearly 60 percent. This administration canceled clean energy projects that could have powered 13 million homes, destroying 165,000 jobs in the process.

Behind every statistic is a family that is now experiencing hardship due to these reckless and painful policies. I recently toured the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, where I heard directly from staff and volunteers about what these policies mean on the ground. Food banks are now being forced to serve more people with fewer resources because of the Republicans' so-called big, ugly bill.

Across Arizona, they are serving about 700,000 people every single month, a 30-percent increase in demand for services while dealing with a 50-percent cut in funding for some of our most vulnerable populations, including seniors, veterans, differently abled, families, and children.

That strain is only growing as this Republican law slashes SNAP, one of the most effective anti-hunger programs we have. Under the big, ugly law, up to 73,000 Arizonans could lose some or all of their benefits due to red tape and funding changes.

These cuts don't eliminate hunger. They push families to food banks that are already stretched thin. The burden falls hardest on women and caregivers, especially women of color who are overrepresented in low- wage and unstable jobs.

Let's be clear: This is an affordability crisis Republicans are perpetuating. Rising costs, shrinking safety nets, and tax breaks for billionaires are all at the expense of working families.

House Democrats are focused on driving down costs and making life more affordable. That is because affordability isn't a slogan. It is about whether families can live with dignity and peace of mind. That is what we should be fighting for.

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