May 16, 2026
Dear Friends,
Over the past 16 months of Republican rule in Washington, the American people have experienced nothing but chaos, cruelty, and economic pain. While the Trump administration and its allies in Congress spend billions of taxpayer dollars on endless conflicts overseas and brutal immigration crackdowns here at home, working families are still struggling to make ends meet. But even with the cost of living skyrocketing in communities across the nation, Donald Trump and his enablers remain more focused on their own personal gain than on addressing the needs of the people they claim to serve.
This week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released an alarming report revealing that for the first time in three years, Americans’ wages are no longer outpacing the rate of inflation. The report showed the annual inflation rate climbing to 3.8% last month, reflecting rising costs on everything from rent and home energy bills to groceries, clothing, and other necessities. As Trump’s war in Iran drags on, gas prices have become another major driver of this upsurge in costs — with prices at the pump up 28.4% since the same time last year.
The numbers tell a clear story: Republican mismanagement is damaging our economy and making it harder for everyday Americans to eke out a living. But, instead of addressing this crisis and taking action to make life more affordable, President Trump and his administration have done the exact opposite.
With the so-called “Big, Ugly Bill,” Republicans put affordable health care out of reach for millions of families by slashing nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid and failing to renew Affordable Care Act tax credits that help Americans buy the coverage they need. They made it harder for working people to put food on their tables by cutting nearly $200 billion from food assistance programs like SNAP — a fact that Trump’s Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins seemed perversely proud of when she bragged earlier this month that “we now have moved 4.3 million Americans off of the food stamp program.” And for almost three months, Republicans in Congress have given President Trump a blank check to continue a war in Iran that has already cost taxpayers at least $67.5 billion — even if you don’t count the rising costs Americans have been forced to endure as a result.
Every dollar spent on the war in Iran is a dollar that could be better spent helping families make ends meet at home. With the money Trump has already spent on this senseless conflict, we could have provided health insurance for more than 19 million children, built 270,000 units of affordable housing, or funded the entire U.S. pediatric cancer research budget for 270 years. The surest way to help Americans cope with the rising cost of living would be to end this war immediately. That’s why I’ve voted three times now with my Democratic colleagues to put a stop to Trump’s war of choice. All three times Republicans have rebuffed us, backing the President.
When asked this week whether Americans’ worsening financial position might motivate him to stop the war, Trump dismissed the question out of hand. “Not even a little bit,” he said. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation…I don’t think about anybody.”
Anybody, that is, except himself and his wealthy friends. Donald Trump may not be looking out for your interests, but he’s certainly looking out for his own personal enrichment and for the interests of the oligarchs who helped install him in office. While working Americans struggle to afford groceries and gasoline, Trump is jetting off to China with Elon Musk and other billionaires to cut deals that will make the rich even richer. And while families wonder if they’ll be able to afford to heat their homes or even pay rent, Trump is demanding that Congress give him $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to build a new White House ballroom that was supposed to be paid for with private funds.
Donald Trump and his Republican allies are using American taxpayers as their own personal piggy bank, extracting billions of dollars from your pockets to fund their reckless wars and their vanity construction projects. That’s why my Democratic colleagues and I are working tirelessly to hold this administration accountable and deliver the resources and support working families need — because the American people deserve better than this corrupt kleptocracy that steals from the poor and gives to the rich.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to make sure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations from governments and agencies. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- This Monday, May 18th at 6:00 PM, my office is joining with the office of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to host a Service Academy Information Night!
- If you or someone you know is interested in attending a U.S. service academy, this event will provide an exciting opportunity to learn more about the application process and meet representatives from each of our service academies.
- The event will be held at the Isermann Auditorium and Gallery at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), located at 1623 15th Street, Troy, NY 12180.
- If you are interested in attending this event, you can sign up HERE to reserve your spot today!
