As Donald Trump visits Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono Tuesday, Defend America Action hosted a virtual press conference with state leaders to underscore how out of touch the administration is with the widening affordability gap experienced by most Americans.
Trump plans to “road-test his claims” that he’s already addressing Americans’ affordability woes — shifting an argument made in Oval Office appearances and social media posts to a campaign-style event at tonight’s Mount Pocono rally, the AP reported. Trump’s new messaging comes as public trust in his economic leadership is slipping.
While prices for groceries, utilities and routine home maintenance and repairs continue to skyrocket, Democratic Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said that Trump’s tariffs have cost Pennsylvanians about $1.6 billion in higher prices during the first six months of the president’s second term alone.
“The cost of living problem exists. Unfortunately, President Trump refuses to see how millions of Americans are struggling with skyrocketing costs for health care, for food and more — just for basic necessities,” said Davis. “People are being forced to make terrible choices … to pay for groceries, putting off health treatments and worrying about how they’ll keep their heat on,” Davis said.
Inflation began to rise rapidly after Trump announced his sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs in April. Companies warned import taxes could be passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices and reduced hiring, yet Trump continues to insist that inflation has faded.
“Today Donald Trump is showing up on our doorstep in Pennsylvania, and he’s lying about affordability.” – Pennsylvanian Health Care Advocate Jennifer K. Partyka
The White House has tried to convince voters the economic woes are not of Trump’s doing and that the economy will “emerge stronger next year.”
Pennsylvania’s Democratic leaders – and many Pennsylvanians at large, aren’t buying it.
According to Davis, Trump thinks what regular Americans are going through is just a “con job.” Asked on a Politico podcast how he’d rate the economy, Trump leaned into grade inflation by answering “A-plus,” only to then amend his answer to “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus.”
Democratic State House Majority Whip Rep. Michael Schlossberg (PA-132) said his office receives desperate daily calls from Lehigh County constituents seeking relief “from the suffering they are enduring in terms of costs.”
“You get people who get their health insurance from the Affordable Care market, who tell you that their health insurance costs are doubling, in some cases, tripling and are desperately trying to find relief. As a result, they have to make a decision between buying health insurance to cover their conditions and going to the grocery store,” Schlossberg said.
From health care uncertainty to the rising cost of groceries and utilities, Pennsylvania Health Care advocate and Registered Nurse Jennifer K. Partyka said Trump’s Administration had “targeted Medicaid,” which is among the top five payment sources for U.S. hospitals.
Davis said half a million Pennsylvanians receive their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, with subsidy tax credits set to expire by December 31 unless congress votes on an extension or alternative plan.
“If you cut their funding sources, they [hospitals] will close. Can you imagine Pennsylvania with fewer hospitals, with fewer acute care beds? Our hospital systems are already stressed to the max. These changes in a patient’s access to primary and preventative care, because they lack insurance, will destroy our health care systems, which, for many reasons right now, are hanging by a thread,” Partyka said.
Also on the press call was State Rep. Arvind Venkat (PA-30), a practicing emergency room physician whose district serves part of Allegheny County.
He said during an in-person “door knocking” community visit, in which many residents are senior citizens, residents without exception told him affordability was among their top concerns.
“I can’t afford health insurance, the grocery prices have gone up, I can’t afford utilities, and I cannot afford what’s going on in maintaining my home,” community members told Venkat.
As Trump visits Monroe County casino and continues construction on a $300 million ballroom in the east wing of the White House, Partyka said she believed Trump understands that “Rob Bresnahan’s seat is at risk,” which may be part of his agenda in visiting Pennsylvania.
“Today Donald Trump is showing up on our doorstep in Pennsylvania, and he’s lying about affordability. The only way Republicans can afford these [tax cuts for the wealthy]…will be to hurt people who are already hurting,” she said.
Defend America Action is a Washington D.C. based non-profit group highlighting the impact of Trump’s policies on average Americans and their families.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.
