June 27, 2026
Dear Friends,
Throughout his time in office, Donald Trump has refused to take any action to address the affordability crisis facing millions of American families. As working people struggle to afford gas, rent, groceries, and other necessities thanks to skyrocketing inflation caused in part by Trump’s senseless war in Iran, the President won’t even pretend to care about how his policies are affecting everyday Americans. When asked if he was taking Americans’ financial strain into account in talks to end the conflict in Iran, he responded “not even a little bit.” And earlier this month, when asked for his reaction to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report that showed inflation reaching its highest level in three years, he replied “I love the inflation.”
Even in the face of this callous indifference from the White House, my Democratic colleagues and I have been pushing back to help Americans suffering under the weight of Trump’s inflation. In fact, this week, we achieved a major milestone when the House and Senate each advanced a major housing affordability bill — the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act — by overwhelming bipartisan margins.
But at the eleventh hour, Trump suddenly announced that he would refuse to sign this legislation that would help millions more Americans afford homes unless Congress passed his outrageous voter suppression bill aimed at keeping Republicans in power.
The rising cost of housing has been a major driver of inflation for decades. Countless young Americans, through no fault of their own, have found themselves priced out of the housing market, unable to afford even the first step toward the American dream of owning a home. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act — the first major housing legislation passed by Congress in a generation — is a bipartisan effort to address this growing crisis. Among other provisions, the bill would:
- Increase the supply of housing by streamlining zoning, land-use, and environmental review policies to reduce barriers to housing development;
- Provide various grants and loans to support the development of new housing and the improvement of existing properties;
- Create a program to improve the accessibility of small-dollar mortgages that help buyers — particularly veterans — obtain lower-cost homes;
- Restrict the number of single-family homes that can be owned by large, institutional investors — thereby promoting homeownership opportunities for everyday Americans rather than big corporations.
This common-sense legislation enjoyed widespread support from both Democrats and Republicans, passing easily through both chambers of Congress earlier this week. But after previously stating that he would sign the bill, President Trump pulled the rug out on Wednesday, calling the legislation “of minor importance” and declaring that he would not sign the bill unless Congress passed his so-called “SAVE America Act” — the voter suppression bill that has already failed to pass several times during this Congress. Once again, Trump showed that he simply doesn’t care about lowering costs for working Americans.
Despite this setback, my Democratic colleagues remain committed to reversing the damage caused by Trump’s reckless actions. Along with fighting for affordable healthcare and lowering energy costs, that effort includes responding to this administration’s changes to federal student loan policies.
Student loan debt remains a major factor in our nation’s affordability crisis, with approximately 43 million Americans holding about $1.7 trillion in federal student debt alone. Democrats and the Biden administration attempted to address this problem through programs that extended flexible and generous repayment plans to more than 7 million borrowers. But last summer, Republicans’ “Big, Ugly Bill” brought an end to those measures — along with numerous other changes that will force millions of Americans into even more dire financial straits.
These changes — which take effect on July 1st — will increase interest rates for most federal student loans and institute new borrowing caps for graduate and Parent PLUS loans. With this looming crisis in mind, I hosted an informational webinar this week alongside the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP) to help borrowers and their families better understand their options, prepare for upcoming shifts, and access the resources they need to manage their debt with confidence. If you or someone you know is one of the millions of Americans impacted by these policy changes, I encourage you to view a recording of that event here.
The events of this week proved once again that President Trump is more focused on his own political agenda and his personal vendettas than on the needs of the American people. But, whether by fighting to make housing more affordable or working to reduce the burden of student debt, my Democratic colleagues and I will continue advancing policies that actually help American families — because even when the President only works for himself, we still work for you.
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:
- USDA Rural Development is now accepting funding inquiries for grants under the HFFI Food Access and Retail Expansion (FARE) Fund — part of America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative.
- The HFFI Fare Fund will fund projects that create or expand the following types of business models:
- SNAP-authorized food retailers located in eligible underserved areas that sell an assortment of staple and perishable foods directly to consumers
- Post-harvest food retail supply chain enterprises that distribute staple and perishable foods to SNAP-authorized food retailers located in eligible underserved areas.
- The HFFI Fare Fund will offer grants ranging from $20,000-$250,000 for planning and implementation projects, or technical assistance grants of up to $75,000 for early-stage planning, predevelopment, and business assistance contractual soft costs.
- Funding inquiries are due no later than July 31st, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.
- If invited to submit, full applications are due no later than October 30th, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.
- Award notifications will be made no earlier than January 2027.
- Click HERE to learn more about this exciting program!
