This week, President Trump touted his economic agenda at the State of the Union address. I’m not experiencing any economic gains under his administration. I’m working as hard as possible and still struggling to get by because of how expensive everything has gotten. I’m a unionized caregiver working almost eighty hours a week. Despite working so hard, I am still stretching my salary to support my family and pay our rent, healthcare, food, car payments, and utilities, all of which are rising. My costs have never been higher.
I love working as a caregiver and we need to support our caregivers, the backbone of our economy, by making essentials, like food and healthcare, more affordable. I’ve been enrolled in a marketplace plan through the Affordable Care Act since it began in 2010 because there are no guaranteed health benefits for most homecare workers. Before that, I dangerously went without insurance for years. Accessing the ACA made all the difference in my life.
I know the struggle of having to make life choices around costs and healthcare access. My budget is getting tighter and tighter these days as wages remain stagnant and healthcare, utilities, and food costs are all skyrocketing. In January, my ACA premiums went up $300 a month, placing even more strain on my already tight budget. I can’t afford to pay my new rate of $700 a month on healthcare alone. It also costs me $300 a month to heat my two bedroom apartment in the winter. It’s ridiculous.
Grocery prices are up 30% since January 2020. I feel it firsthand every time I go to the grocery store. I can’t remember the last time our family could afford to buy beef. It’s a true shame because that’s my partner’s favorite meat. He’s a meat and potatoes guy and I wish I could give him the food he wants but we can’t justify the splurge when paying for just our daily necessities is so expensive. President Trump’s tariffs increased the price of beef 16% in 2025. If we want to buy meat that week, we have to budget and go without something else. It doesn’t have to be this way. And even though the Supreme Court struck down tariffs, Trump doubled down this past weekend and announced a global 15% tariff. How much worse is it going to get?
My Representative Ryan Mackenzie supports President Trump’s agenda and tariffs that are actively hurting constituents like me and my partner. Neither Mackenzie or Trump know what it’s like to coupon at the grocery store or budget to pay for healthcare premiums. Mackenzie voted to defend Trump’s tariffs and publicly defended them multiple times this past year. He also voted for what I call the “big bullshit bill,” which is going to cut the SNAP access of 143,000 Pennsylvanians, and the health coverage of 26,000 Pennsylvanians. He continues to push health care and healthy food out of reach for so many more people. It’s inhumane. I contacted Mackenzie’s office constantly ahead of the vote last summer to explain to him and his staff how harmful this legislation will be. He didn’t care then and he doesn’t care now.
I know people weaning themselves off of essential medication because they can’t afford their co-pays. People are suffering. When a careworker suffers, it’s not just us that suffers. It’s the people we take care of too. It’s our neighbors, our community members, our families who suffer alongside us. The whole system collapses us. Medicaid cuts coupled with rising food and healthcare costs are a deadly combination.
As a healthcare worker and caregiver, I see speaking out and sharing my story as another way of taking care of people. Now it’s time we speak out against these rising costs caused by Trump’s policies and Mackenzie’s support. I urge my community members to share their stories and speak out about how this administration’s economic agenda is hurting us. We pay for Mackenzie’s salary and meanwhile we suffer. We deserve better.
