One Year Since Passage of GOP Budget Bill, Trump & Republicans Have Cost American Families At Least $2,000 

From the gas pump to the grocery checkout line, new report shows American families are paying the price for the GOP’s reckless agenda

Washington, DC — It’s been one year since Donald Trump and congressional Republicans passed their budget bill, now a new report from Climate Power and the Center for American Progress Action Fund is exposing the true price of the Trump-GOP cost-of-living crisis—a crisis that has drained at least $2,000 from the average family budget through skyrocketing spikes in gas prices, utility bills, health care premiums, and essential goods, and is on track to rise even more this year. For families getting health care through the Affordable Care Act, that cost increase jumps to about $3,500. This report provides state-level estimates for the increased cost families have been leveled with due to Trump-GOP policies as well as vote tallies for the number of times each Member of Congress has voted to raise costs for Americans. The report also shows how these costs will continue to mount through the end of this year.

“Not a single American voted to pay thousands more so Trump could ship their kids off to war, build himself a ballroom, or give billionaires and big corporations tax breaks—but that’s exactly what Trump and Republicans have delivered,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. “Trump may be calling affordability a hoax, but Americans know too well how they’re being forced to choose between their homes or their health care, their groceries or their gas. Republicans have bent over backwards to help Big Oil billionaires, and they’ve fought harder for Trump’s slush fund than they’ve ever fought to lower costs for families, and that tells you everything about who they’re choosing to serve.”

“From rising costs at the gas pump to their utility bills and almost everything else they buy, the pain Americans are feeling is no accident; it’s the direct result of Donald Trump’s reckless policies, rubber-stamped by congressional Republicans,” said Jesse Lee, Senior Advisor for Climate Power. “Trump and his GOP allies have been obsessed with ballrooms and slush funds for their friends, and have ignored what Americans voted for: lower prices. Instead, they have raised their costs an average of $2,000 while gaslighting the American public on the pain they’re feeling every day. Some families have even been forced to choose between heating their homes and paying their rent. That’s the reality of the Republican cost-of-living crisis, and come November, voters will know the true cost of the Trump-GOP agenda.” 

“The data is undeniable: the financial burden weighing down American households today isn’t just a streak of bad luck; it is the direct consequence of a reckless policy agenda that prioritizes corporate interests over communities,” said Will Ragland, Vice President of Research at  Center for American Progress Action Fund. “Instead of building a resilient and affordable future for American families, congressional Republicans have doubled down on handouts for special interests at the expense of the American people. This is effectively a massive, preventable tax on American families at a time they are crying out for financial relief.”

The cumulative effect of the Trump-GOP agenda includes:

• Grocery/Tariff Impacts: Trump’s blanket tariff policies have cost Americans, on average, $1,600 more on goods, including many food products, forcing families to ration food and rely on pantries until the Supreme Court ruled against the action, but the damage was done, and American families are paying more at the checkout counter due to tariffs. 
• Gas Prices (Trump’s War of Choice in Iran): The average American family has paid an additional $285 at the pump since Trump started his reckless war of choice in Iran. 
• Utility Hikes (Budget Bill/Clean Energy Cuts): The average family has paid $213 more for their utility bills since Trump took office for the second time in January 2025. Nationally, utility bills are up 16% as of March 2026. These increases in costs were accelerated by cuts to renewable energy tax credits in the GOP’s budget bill, signed into law a year ago.
• Health Care Premium Costs: Trump and his GOP allies manufactured a health care crisis by allowing vital premium tax credits to expire, forcing American families to pay 58% more for insurance on average. This cold, calculated decision has stripped $1,497 from family budgets, forcing many to choose between keeping their loved ones insured or putting food on the table.

Read the full cost-of-living report here.