{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-on-the-affordability-crisis-costs-are-through-the-roof-because-of-president-trump-and-his-maga-policies", "Durbin On The Affordability Crisis: Costs Are Through The Roof Because Of President Trump And His MAGA Policies", "2025-12-02", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Richard J. Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", "durbin", "https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "In his speech on the Senate floor, Durbin denounced President Trump\u2019s economic policies, ranging from cuts to SNAP to instituting damaging tariffs, that are costing Americans more\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a speech on the Senate floor about the nation\u2019s affordability crisis, which has been spurred by the Trump Administration\u2019s short-sighted economic policies, including tariffs, billions of dollars in cuts to SNAP, and attacks on immigrant workers. Despite claims made by President Trump, Americans are seeing a sharp spike in the cost of groceries and household goods.\n\n\u201cLast week, families gathered around the table to give thanks and enjoy a plate or two of turkey, mashed potatoes, casserole, cranberry sauce, and more. Except this year, the Thanksgiving feast cost more than last year because President Trump\u2019s economic policies are driving up the prices of groceries,\u201d Durbin began. \u201cThe President claims the opposite, but that\u2019s not a fact. In a social media post, President Trump said \u2018Prices for a Thanksgiving Dinner is now down 25%...since 2024\u2026AFFORDABILITY is a Republican Stronghold.\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cDoes the President of the United States actually have any conversation with families who are shopping for groceries? Here\u2019s the truth: costs are through the roof because of President Trump and his MAGA policies. The American people know too. Recent polling from none other than Fox News shows that nearly two-thirds of Americans blame President Trump for higher prices,\u201d Durbin said.\n\nDurbin underscored the impact these rising prices have on Illinoisans by sharing stories of constituents, Tria and Esther, from Chicago.\n\n\u201cAfter experiencing the sticker shock at a South Loop grocery store, she [Tria] said, \u2018No matter if it\u2019s organic or if it\u2019s regular, it\u2019s still going to be an arm and a leg for it. It\u2019s like you\u2019re spending your soul on groceries,\u2019\u201d Durbin said. \u201cEster said, \u2018A loaf of bread costs us $4, and it looks like it\u2019s getting smaller.\u201d\n\nThe Trump Administration\u2019s disastrous economic policies, from slashing the SNAP program, attacking immigrant workers, and erratically implementing tariffs on critical U.S. trading partners, has only fueled the affordability crisis. Americans are seeing the effects of these policies at the grocery store as the cost of orange juice is up 29 percent; ground beef is up nearly 14 percent; and coffee is 26 percent more compared to last year.\n\n\u201cThe struggle has been exacerbated for several reasons\u2026 One of them being the President\u2019s massive cuts to the SNAP program in his \u2018Big, Beautiful Bill\u2019 that will reduce or eliminate food assistance for more than 22 million families. This President gives 20 billion bucks to Argentina but can\u2019t find the money for an American citizen,\u201d Durbin said.\n\n\u201cAnother is the Administration\u2019s attacks on immigrant workers, which is fueling a labor shortage, hurting farmers in Illinois and across the nation who are already struggling and driving up prices on the products that they grow. Even President Trump\u2019s own Labor Department agrees, saying his war on immigrant workers is \u2018threatening the stability of domestic food production and prices,\u2019\u201d Durbin said.\n\nDurbin also emphasized that these tariffs are pushing China to purchase soybeans from South America.\n\n\u201cFarmers in my state are great men and women\u2026 They\u2019re scared to death. They see China stopping purchases of soybeans. Why is that important? Illinois is the number one soybean-producing state in the United States, and it\u2019s a major cash crop for farms all across the country. When China stops buying, what do we do? Unfortunately, our buyers, like China, turn to other countries, and they use those countries as sources when they used to rely on us. That worries these farmers,\u201d Durbin continued.\n\nIn a feeble attempt to address the affordability crisis, President Trump released a lackluster economic plan that dialed back the tariffs that he trumpeted as a core tenant of his \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d agenda.\n\n\u201cWe are paying for Donald Trump\u2019s failed economic agenda. And the President recognizes this too. That\u2019s why, a few weeks ago, he watered down his own economic proposal when he suspended certain tariffs on bananas, coffee, beef, and clothing\u2026 Why backtrack? Because he knows that the voters and consumers are fed with up rising costs and place the blame, by a factor of 2 to 1, at his feet\u2026 The President sees the writing on the wall. He\u2019s scrambling to undo the damage he\u2019s caused,\u201d Durbin said.\n\nDurbin then pointed toward the rising costs of utility bills, explaining that despite his promises while running for office, President Trump has slashed critical tax credits implemented by the Inflation Reduction Act that helped Americans manage their utility costs.\n\n\u201cThe damage goes beyond food prices. Thanks to this President, Americans are now confronting higher utility bills,\u201d Durbin continued. \u201cOn average, Illinois households are paying more than $1,500 annually for lights and heat in their home\u2014up more than 15 percent from last year.\u201d\n\n\u201c[It\u2019s] cause and effect. Under President Biden and with the support of a Democratic Congress, we signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act. This historic law provided tax credits to help households and businesses install energy efficient windows, insulation, HVAC, and solar panels to lower their bills\u2026Earlier this year, President Trump and congressional Republicans scrapped these credits for solar energy with their so-called \u2018Big, Beautiful Bill,\u2019\u201d Durbin said. \u201cAnd they went even further, eliminating incentives for wind and solar projects, meaning fewer jobs and less power to the grid.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust like SNAP cuts, Trump\u2019s energy policies harm those already struggling the most. One example? His budget proposal calls to eliminate LIHEAP \u2013 a program that helps millions of low-income Americans pay their energy bills on time,\u201d Durbin said.\n\nDurbin concluded his remarks by calling on President Trump to abandon his disastrous policies that are costing American families thousands of dollars.\n\n\u201cThe American people see right through Donald Trump\u2019s scheme. And they know that the sole reason they are facing higher prices is because of his policies. While Republicans ignore high costs at their own peril, Democrats are still going to keep fighting to lower costs for the American people,\u201d Durbin concluded his remarks.\n\nVideo of Durbin\u2019s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.\n\nAudio of Durbin\u2019s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.\n\nFootage of Durbin\u2019s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-on-the-affordability-crisis-costs-are-through-the-roof-because-of-president-trump-and-his-maga-policies"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8859619740396738, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}