Reigniting the American Dream: An agenda to solve the affordability crisis

Mar 5, 2026 by AFP

American families are beginning to see signs of relief.

Inflation has cooled. Gas prices are down. Wages are starting to grow.

These improvements didn’t just happen. They are the effects of an agenda focused on economic growth and fiscal restraint — an agenda that began with the Working Families Tax Cuts.

But relief is not the same as recovery.

Families are still feeling the strain of budgets stretched too thin — the result of decades of accumulated rules and mandates that quietly built barriers to growth. When it takes years to approve housing or energy projects, supply falls behind demand — and prices rise. Americans are working just as hard, yet the system around them has become slower, more expensive, and more complicated.

The results are clear:

  • Housing costs have climbed
  • Energy prices remain volatile
  • Basic projects necessary to ensure a vibrant economy — from building homes to expanding energy infrastructure — can take years to approve

It’s no wonder that millions of Americans now believe the American Dream is out of reach.

More programs won’t untangle a system that’s already too complex. Making life more affordable means bigger paychecks, more high-paying jobs, lower prices, and a real shot at owning a home — and a successful affordability agenda starts by clearing away the barriers that drive up costs, slow growth, and limit opportunity.

AFFORDABILITY BEGINS WITH BIGGER PAYCHECKS

When people can keep and grow more of what they earn, their paychecks go further.

Congress took an important step by passing the Working Families Tax Cuts. That law:

  • Prevented the largest tax increase in American history
  • Allows families to keep more of what they earn
  • Saves the average filer about $3,700 in tax relief
  • Increases workers’ wages by nearly $7,000 over time

Those tax cuts were paired with strong spending restraint because growth works best when it’s paired with fiscal discipline.

  • More than $1.5 trillion in spending was cut
  • Wasteful subsidies that drove up energy prices were eliminated
  • Congress approved a rescissions package that clawed back more than $9 billion in unused and unnecessary federal spending.

But there’s still more to do. The next step is simplification. The tax code is cluttered with different savings accounts — 401(k)s, health savings accounts, individual retirement accounts, 529s — each with its own rules and limits. Universal savings accounts would give Americans more flexibility, fewer arbitrary restrictions, and greater control over their own financial future.

ENERGY IS A COST MULTIPLIER ACROSS THE ECONOMY

When energy costs rise, families feel it everywhere — from the gas pump to the grocery aisle.

Higher energy prices mean:

  • More expensive commutes
  • Higher heating and cooling bills
  • Increased costs for farmers and food production
  • Higher shipping and production costs for businesses

Energy affects nearly every price in the economy.

Demand for electricity is growing as new technologies and data centers require more power. But supply hasn’t kept up. Electricity prices jumped 4% from 2023 to 2024 and are up 21% since 2020.

If we want lower prices, we need more reliable supplies.

That means:

  • Streamlining and reforming the permitting process so new generation and transmission can be built faster
  • Removing red tape that blocks critical infrastructure
  • Strengthening and modernizing the grid so power remains reliable 24/7 as demand grows

When we remove barriers and produce more energy, prices come down.

H2. HEALTH CARE SHOULD WORK FOR PATIENTS

Nearly 70% of Americans say the health care system isn’t working and needs to change.

Premiums have tripled under the Affordable Care Act, and out-of-pocket expenses keep rising. Reliance on insurance companies and third-party payment hides prices and drives those costs higher.

Instead of sending more taxpayer dollars to insurers, reforms should focus on patients. That means:

  • Expanding tax-free health savings accounts
  • Giving families direct control over their health dollars — a personal medical wallet that gives them control over their care

We should also remove barriers to affordable care by

  • Expanding direct primary care
  • Allowing direct-to-consumer sales of medical items, including prescription drugs

When families control their health dollars, they can compare prices, choose their doctors, and avoid unnecessary middlemen — and that competition lowers costs.

H2: HOMEOWNERSHIP IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

For generations, owning a home has meant stability, opportunity, and a chance to build wealth. Today, that dream feels out of reach for too many families.

Housing prices jumped nearly 40% in recent years. The core problem is supply — we aren’t building enough homes. Zoning restrictions, land-use rules, and costly federal mandates make building homes more expensive.

Artificial scarcity drives up prices. When supply is blocked, families compete over fewer homes — and costs rise.

Congress can reduce federal regulations that drive up construction costs and allow responsible development on appropriate public lands. State and local leaders must reform zoning laws that create artificial scarcity.

More homes mean lower prices — and a stronger path to the American Dream.

H2: REIGNITING THE AMERICAN DREAM

The choice isn’t between government and no government — it’s between a system that defaults to delay and one that makes it possible to build again.

When Washington spends too much, prices rise. When regulators block energy production, costs climb. When red tape slows homebuilding, families are priced out. When health care dollars flow through layers of bureaucracy, patients pay more.

The path forward is different. Bigger paychecks. More affordable energy. Patient-centered health care. More homes. And fiscal discipline that restores economic stability.

At the end of the day, this is a choice between two futures. One where delays, mandates, and scarcity keep driving prices higher. Or one where Americans are free to build, work, and create again — and where growth brings prices down.

That’s what a real affordability agenda looks like.

But this agenda won’t advance without your help.

Click here to let your lawmakers know you support policies that expand opportunity, strengthen our economy, and make life more affordable for American families.

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