Stop the Republican Affordability Crisis

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California for leading this important discussion today and for her leadership in bringing this to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the affordability crisis and the reality the vast majority of American families are facing.

Across Oregon, people are doing everything they are supposed to do. They are working extremely hard and playing by the rules, and still they are falling behind. They are living paycheck to paycheck, unable to save for a vacation, retirement, or their children's education because the cost of living has outpaced what most people earn.

Rent keeps climbing. Childcare can cost more than a mortgage. Health insurance premiums, copays, and deductibles eat up paychecks before families ever get to groceries. Too many parents are lying awake at night running the numbers, wondering which bill they can delay paying this month.

A report from the Joint Economic Committee found that the average American family spent $1,625 more because of inflation than the year prior. In Oregon, families paid $1,791 more than the year before.

It doesn't have to be this way.

I grew up working class. I left home at 17, and with the security of a union job, I was able to be the first in my family to graduate college and then go on to medical school.

It was because this country chose to invest in families like mine that I had a shot at the American Dream. Well-funded public schools, safe neighborhoods, excellent transit, union jobs, accessible and affordable healthcare, housing and higher education are the building blocks that every family in this Nation deserves to count on.

Today, our kids cannot count on these things. They are cynical that the American Dream is even achievable. They don't believe government is trustworthy, let alone effective. That is a failure of leaders right here in this Chamber.

I came here to fight to make sure my district has the opportunities that I had for a better life. It is time that the Federal Government chooses working families. It is time for our government to work for working families, to empower people with opportunity and stability, not terrorize and undermine their dreams and hard work.

We must raise the Federal minimum wage. We must help seniors age with dignity and independence. We must ensure healthcare and housing are affordable and readily available. We must protect our air, water, and open spaces for all to enjoy health and the joy of getting outside in our beautiful State.

A better future is possible if we fight for it. I can assure you all, I came here to do just that. It is time for the Federal Government to stand up for working families and break up the monopolies and power circles that are holding them down.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source