Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Finishing His Annual 62 County Tour Of New York And The Affordability Crisis Facing The American People

For Immediate Release

Date: December 15, 2025

CONTACT: Alex Nguyen (Schumer), [email protected]

Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Finishing His Annual 62 County Tour Of New York And The Affordability Crisis Facing The American People

Washington, D.C. - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor slamming the Trump administration's policies that have driven up the cost of living and made everyday necessities, especially health care, more expensive as he commemorated the end of his annual 62 county tour of New York. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Today is a special day as I completed my annual 62-county tour. Every year, I visit every one of New York's 62 counties. And today's 62^nd county was Columbia County, with a visit to Ooms Dairy Farm.

When I first ran for Senate, I promised New Yorkers I'd visit every single county at least once a year. And I have kept that promise up for 27 years. This is the 27^th year I've had that tour. I love it today just as much as I loved it then. You learn so much. You see people face to face. Sitting behind a desk, just answering a phone, that doesn't suffice if you want to be a good Senator. You have to get out there. Meet people, shake hands, hear about their concerns, hear about their anguish, hear about their happiness, their joys. And that's what I do, in every county. And New York's a tremendously diverse state. We have one of the largest rural populations in America. Our upstate cities are like midwestern cities. And, of course, we have New York City, and its suburbs, the largest metropolis in the country. So, I get to see and learn everything.

I consider what I do, visiting each county, a work requirement: I can't do my job if I don't talk to New Yorkers face to face and see firsthand what what's going on with them every single day.

Now I have to say, Mr. President, this year's 62-county tour was somewhat different from ones in the past.

This year, I heard from New Yorkers from every corner of the state, in every profession and every age, every race, creed, color, gender preference about the rising cost of living. It was a universal chorus of complaint that out country is not doing enough about the cost of living.

Every county I visited, all sixty-two, had the same story: people are struggling to pay for the things they need. Some of their worst moments are sitting around the dinner table after Friday evening dinner saying "how are we going to pay for this bill? Maybe we should pay this one, not that one? Do without this, do without that." And for families with children it will be particularly hard, when their kids need things that will be good for them, and they can't afford them.

Here's some instances, I met so many: a man named Thomas, the owner of a beautiful brewery, 1812 Brewery in Watertown, New York, on the shore of Lake Ontario, where the War of 1812 was fought. His beer was taken off the shelves in Canada because of Donald Trump's stupidity and name-calling the Canadians. In Northern New York we've had a great border: a peaceful, wonderful, prosperous border between Canada and New York. Trump just about destroyed it in a minute with some jerky comment that he always typically makes.

Well, Thomas's costs have gone up in his brewery in addition to the anger of the Canadians not buying his beer. Tariffs have made it more expensive for him to can his beer and buy the grain he needs to brew his product.

And I met scores of businesspeople like Thomas, some of whom had gone out of business. A chocolatier, who just loved her making her chocolates but, could no longer afford it, had to fire the people who had worked so hard in her company.

I met with another New Yorker, a man named Jeremy, who lives in the Hudson Valley in Kingston, New York, who relies on the enhanced ACA tax credits to pay for health insurance. As his tax credits expire, Jeremy is going to see his costs more than double; nearly $1,000 every single month is what he's going to have to pay. And that's not an expense he can deal with. He makes a good salary, he's a hardworking guy. But he can't afford such a dramatic jump is the price of his health care insurance. That's the kind of cost, that Jeremy paid, that I heard over, and over, and over, and over again. What do you do? Sign up for health care you can't afford? Or, go uninsured? Go broke or go uninsured: what a terrible choice that our Republican colleagues are forcing people like Jeremey and thousands and thousands of other New Yorkers to make.

Finally, I met with a woman named Roberta, who lives in Wyoming County, one of our big dairy counties, who told me she relies on SNAP benefits to put food on the table. I took a picture with her, I think she had six of her seven beautiful children there. Many of them red-heads like their mom.

She told me that now with rising grocery prices and budget cuts to SNAP, she can't put food on her table for her seven kids. She's living on the edge. What a horrible story to hear. Can you imagine those beautiful red-headed kids and they have to decide who's going to get the eggs, who's going to get the vegetables, because she doesn't have enough money and SNAP doesn't give her the food she needs to feed her family.

So, here's what I'd say to you, Donald Trump: if you're serious about focusing on affordability, come take a road trip with me through Upstate New York so you can see what a disaster your policies have been!

The story was the same everywhere I went: under Donald Trump, costs are up, financial security is down. People are having such a tough time affording the thing they very much need. Not luxuries, not frivolities, things they need! Food, medicine, gotta fix the car that just broke down which you need to get to work, but you don't have the money to do it. Over and over and over again.

And, of course, the tip of the spear of these costs is becoming health care. Nowhere do costs matter more and in no place have they accelerated more greatly than with health care.

Last week, the Senate had one last chance to halt the imminent spike in people's health care costs by supporting our legislation extending ACA tax credits by three years. But Republicans blew it by voting our bill down, and now they have all but guaranteed that millions of people-including countless New Yorkers-will see their premiums go up.

In fact, sadly, today is the last day for Americans to sign up for January marketplace coverage. And over the next two weeks during this holiday, this Christmas and holiday season, millions of people will see their skyrocketing premium amounts deducted from their bank account, wondering how they'll make the numbers work. How are they going to balance their own books?

Shameful. That's shameful. The number one thing I heard this year during my county tour is that people are worried about paying for the things they need-health care above all.

Donald Trump and Republicans, meanwhile, have intentionally sent people's costs up and up and up. The idea of reducing costs on day one, which Doland Trump promised on the campaign, and many people voted for him because of that promise, is out the window. No one's even paying any attention to it. Donald Trump is not paying any attention to it. People don't believe him anymore. They don't believe any of the promises Donald Trump has made anymore. They have broken faith with the very same people they promised to fight for, and I felt that frustration come through during my 62-county tour. If Donald Trump and Republicans stay the course, the frustration people feel right now is only the beginning.

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