For some in Washington, affordability has become something to debate rather than something to experience. When leaders dismiss concerns about rising prices or suggest Americans are doing just fine, it reveals a growing disconnect between those who govern and the people they represent.
Affordability is not an abstract political argument. It is a daily reality.
It is the single mother trying to stretch every dollar so her children have food on the table and a roof over their heads.
It is the disabled American living on a fixed income who has to decide whether to buy groceries, fill a prescription, or pay the electric bill.
It is the worker who suddenly finds themselves unemployed because budget cuts or economic uncertainty eliminated their job.
These Americans don’t have the luxury of ignoring rising costs. They live with them every single day.
I understand that reality because I live on a fixed income myself. Unlike many elected officials in Washington—including the President—I know what it means to budget carefully and make difficult financial decisions. When every dollar matters, government policies that drive up costs are not just statistics; they affect your quality of life.
The Constitution gives Congress significant responsibility over our nation’s finances. Article I places the power of the purse in the legislative branch for a reason. The Framers intended Congress—not the executive branch—to control federal spending, taxation, and appropriations. That authority was meant to serve as a check on excessive government and to ensure accountability to the American people.
Congress should reclaim that constitutional responsibility.
Instead of allowing spending to grow without sufficient oversight, Congress should carefully examine every dollar it spends. Fiscal responsibility helps reduce inflationary pressures, strengthens confidence in our economy, and protects future generations from an ever-growing national debt.
Congress should also review regulations and policies that unnecessarily increase the cost of energy, housing, transportation, and doing business. When government makes it more expensive to produce goods or provide services, those costs eventually reach consumers.
Affordability is not about making government bigger. It is about making government more responsible.
If elected, I will fight for policies that lower the cost of living by restoring constitutional accountability, exercising responsible oversight of federal spending, and ensuring Congress fulfills its duty as the steward of the nation’s finances.
Washington should not tell Americans that affordability isn’t a problem.
It should start acting like it understands that it is.