Thursday, October 1, 2026
The sticker shock Americans are feeling at the gas pump, in the grocery store, opening their utility bills and paying for health care aren’t some abstract political talking points. The high cost of living is a daily reality for many families trying to make it through the week.
Gas prices surged 15.6 percent this month, with regular gas sitting above $4.50 per gallon. Grocery prices made the biggest one-month jump in nearly four years in April. Inflation is up to 3.8 percent, the highest in three years. For the first time since 2023, it’s outpacing wage growth. For millions of Americans, every trip to work, school, the grocery store or a doctor’s appointment now comes with a painful reminder that the cost of living keeps climbing.
Just last week, President Trump was quoted as saying, “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation — I don’t think about anybody.” Previously, he has called affordability, or a lack thereof, a “hoax.” Despite what he refuses to see, the cost of living is the defining issue facing this country right now.
The numbers tell the real story very clearly. A new Marist poll found that most Americans think their cost of living is not very affordable (44 percent) or not affordable at all (12 percent). More than six in 10 Americans do not believe the economy is working for them. Those aren’t partisan numbers. Those are kitchen-table realities.
Gas prices are a major reason why. The same poll confirmed that a whopping 81 percent of Americans say that current gas prices are putting at least some strain on their household budget. One-third say the strain is major. Only 19 percent say they feel no strain at all.
It’s not just gas prices, either; a reckless tariff policy has caused prices on everyday goods to skyrocket. Gutting green-energy projects has raised utility prices by cutting supply so it can’t meet demand. Our historic debt, created by the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” has massively driven up interest rates, making everything more expensive. Sky-high inflation has hit families from every direction.
All of these cost drivers, when put together, can feel insurmountable. Families are facing hard choices, and being forced to think twice about expenses they never considered before. For some that means cutting back on summer travel. For others it means buying less food at the grocery store. And for workers with long commutes, it means watching more and more of each paycheck disappear before they even get home.
Administration officials who continue to deny affordability as a major issue for Americans only grow more and more disconnected from what ordinary people are experiencing. Telling Americans to hit the road when gas is hovering above $4.50 per gallon, as our transportation secretary did two weeks ago, is a little like telling struggling families not to worry about grocery bills while food prices continue to rise.
For many people, this debate is no longer about ideology. It’s no longer about Democrat vs. Republican, liberal vs. conservative, left vs. right. It’s about survival. Can they afford groceries this month? Can they afford their commute? Can they afford a family vacation, or even a weekend getaway?
That’s why affordability remains the central issue in the country today. Not political slogans. Not cable television arguments. Real life.
Washington can debate statistics and messaging strategies all day long. But families don’t experience the economy through press releases. They experience it every time they swipe a credit card, fill up their tank or open a utility bill.
And right now, too many Americans feel like they’re falling further behind. Now we must come together and work across the aisle to bring costs down for the American people. There is no mission more urgent.
Tom Suozzi represents the 3rd Congressional District.
