Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Democrats’ Plans To Address The Affordability Crisis As Trump And Republicans Send Costs Skyrocketing And Create Chaos In The Economy

Washington, D.C. - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) today spoke on the Senate floor slamming the Trump administration for their disregard of affordability and the Democratic party's plans to address the skyrocketing costs of housing, groceries, health care, and more. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Democrats are going to focus on costs like a laser in 2026 and beyond.

We are going to lay out, over the next few weeks and months, detailed platforms and plans on many issues related to costs.

In a few weeks, it will be groceries, then a few weeks later issues like childcare, then energy costs, healthcare, and more. We talked about these issues in depth earlier this morning, and I will get to that in a moment.

But first, I just want to respond to an outrageous thing that happened with the Trump Administration yesterday, showing how much in a clueless bubble these people are in. Hold on to your seats, it's hard to believe that Donald Trump's Secretary of Agriculture said this. Oh yeah, a very bold solution to the grocery costs.

She said, basically, just eat less and spend less! Can you imagine? The solution - can you imagine the solution to higher grocery costs: eat less and spend less?

Now its hard for people to believe she said it, so let me read the quote. "We've run over 1,000 simulations. It can cost around $3 a meal for a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, corn tortilla, and one other thing."

You hear that, America? This is what Donald Trump's golden age looks like: one piece of chicken, one piece of broccoli, one tortilla, and something else that the Secretary of Agriculture forgot.

The people who run this administration are simply not serious. This is such an insulting way to talk to the American people, telling them, just get by with less, and stop complaining about affordability.

The American people have had enough of this.

So, as I just said, Democrats, every day, every week, and every month of this year, are going to put costs front and center in our agenda.

This spring, and over the next few months, and throughout 2026, Senate Democrats will talk precisely how Democratic a majority will lower costs for everyday Americans.

We're going to go issue by issue, spending weeks at a time, rolling out a plan to lower grocery costs. Then a few weeks later, we'll unveil a vision for electricity and energy costs. We'll roll out a plan to help people afford childcare and health care.

Lower costs are going to be the North Star now and through all of 2026.

And when it comes to costs, it's important to begin with housing because it quite literally is closest to home for most people.

For millions of Americans, owning a home is the most important part of the American dream. Young families, when they own a home, know they're building equity, know they're building a future, know they may have something to give to their kids.

But as we all know, over the last few decades, the American dream of finding a home has become more of a mirage. The median price of a home is up 55% since COVID, 55%. Rent is up by a third. Listen to this horrifying statistic, this should shake every legislator in their boots because it is so awful we have to work to change it: the average first-time homebuyer is now 40 years old. That's a record high.

And again, what's Donald Trump done about all this? Well, his tariffs have raised housing construction costs by $17,500 per home. He's launching a criminal investigation against the Chair of the Federal Reserve, and when there is chaos and politicization at the Fed, interest rates are more likely to go higher and stay higher because lending institutions when they are not sure of the future keep rates high to avoid any setting downside.

Then Donald Trump of all things proposed 50-year mortgages, an idea so inane and unserious that it was ridiculed by the left, right, and center.

Ironically, the only decent idea Donald Trump has floated recently on housing is one he stole from Democrats, calling for an end to institutional investors gobbling up homes and crowding out individual families. Democrats tried to get it done last year! Every Democrat voted for it, but Republicans in Congress voted against it and we didn't get it passed.

The American people have had enough.

What they want isn't rocket science: they want lower costs. They want opportunity. And Democrats believe that when it comes to creating opportunity, opportunity must start at home.

So that is what I am calling our Housing agenda: Opportunity Starts At Home.

A Democratic Majority will tackle the housing affordability crisis by working to reduce rent, boost homeownership, stop predatory corporation, supercharge construction, and provide housing security for all Americans.

We spoke about these proposals and other things earlier this morning, like passing the ROAD to Housing Act, which Senator Warren put together with great mastery, and it passed the Senate by unanimous consent - unanimously. In her bill are many things Senate Democrats have fought for, have introduced. Democrats also want to expand down payment assistance. We want to encourage local zoning reform by providing new incentives and disincentives, carrots and sticks to localities to reform outdated rules, which stand in the way of building housing. We want to stop institutional investors from gobbling up entire neighborhoods for profit. We want to empower HUD to invoke the Defense Production Act, something Tammy Duckworth has emphasized, guaranteeing the purchase of housing materials in short supply and scaling production of modular and manufactured housing and we want to create an ARPA Home, ARPA home to bring down housing costs, just as DARPA was able to lower defense costs, we need an ARPA for housing. It's a national crisis just as important as defense. So, let's get an ARPA for housing.

And this isn't just talk-Democrats have delivered on housing relief when we had the majority. When I was Majority Leader, we delivered the largest rental relief package ever, we expanded rental assistance and emergency housing vouchers, we saved millions from eviction in the depths of the COVID crisis. Now we need expanded rental relief to help during the housing crisis faced by so many Americans. It's not COVID, not happening all at once, but it's happening in so many places throughout America. We need the same kind of large rental relief package.

In the weeks and months to come the American people will also hear from Democrats, on other areas where we are fighting to lower costs. As I mentioned, food costs, energy costs, health care, childcare, and so many more other things Americans pay for every day.

Democrats are ready to get to work. And as I said, costs, the high cost of living, the affordability crisis, will be our focus throughout 2026, because that's what the American people are demanding. And we will show how the Trump administration and Republicans have made costs even worse and what Democrats will do, when we get power, to reduce those costs in a very significant way that will affect every single American.

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