Lowering Costs for Working Families

Fighting Inflation For The People

Russia's cruel attack on Ukraine is helping drive up prices all over the world. Putin's Price Hike has increased gas prices by $2 a gallon in many places since Russian troops invaded Ukraine, and families are seeing higher prices in the grocery aisle as well. While Vladimir Putin works to increase inflation in America and throughout the globe, Democrats are advancing bold, bipartisan legislation to lower families' kitchen table costs.

This week, the Democratic Congress took another step in our fight to ease the burden of rising costs for American families and small businesses by sending our bipartisan Ocean Shipping Reform Act to the President's desk, a bill that he signed into law on Thursday. This legislation will help lower costs and keep essential products on the shelf by cracking down sky high shipping costs, leveling the playing field for small businesses and making it easier for them to get their goods to market.

Democrats also passed the Lower Food & Fuel Costs Act, a package of bipartisan bills to lower prices for America's families in the grocery aisle and at the gas pump while giving America's farmers and ranchers the support they need to thrive. The bill will:

• Lower Fertilizer Costs in the Field to Lower Food Prices in the Grocery Store. Russia and Ukraine are major global producers of key components of fertilizer, and Putin's war has dramatically driven up the costs of fertilizer for American farmers – in turn, driving up prices in the grocery store too. The Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act reduces our dependence on foreign fertilizer production and helps American farmers lower their costs.
• Lower Meat and Poultry Costs by Increasing Meatpacking Competition and Capacity. This package strengthens competition in the meat and poultry sector and alleviates the supply chain bottlenecks that let meatpacking conglomerates set bad prices for producers and consumers alike. By cracking down on anti-competitive business practices, this legislation will promote fairer access to markets for producers and more price stability for consumers.
• Lower Prices at the Pump by Making Cheaper, Cleaner Homegrown Biofuels More Available. Homegrown American ethanol grown by American farmers is one of our most powerful tools to fight Putin's Price Hike on American families, and next-gen biofuels infrastructure can make it even cleaner and more efficient to produce. This package will strengthen consumer access to Unleaded 88 – a cheaper fuel option that will save drivers up to 40 cents per gallon – as well as invest in biofuels infrastructure across the country.

As House Democrats work to get food and gas prices under control, we remain laser-focused on bringing down prices across the board. Lowering costs for families remains our top priority, and we will continue working to drive an historic economic recovery that leaves no family behind.

The Anniversary of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
When President Obama established DACA ten years ago, our nation took a landmark step to honor our heritage as a land of immigrants and advance our promise of opportunity for all. Since that historic day, courageous young immigrants have been empowered to emerge from the shadows and proudly pursue their American Dream. Whether studying at our universities or serving our nation in uniform, starting new businesses or leading in our communities, every day, our Dreamers make America more American.

Rightfully, DACA has stood the test of time: enduring a decade's worth of cruel and partisan assaults from anti-immigrant forces. Just two years ago, Americans rejoiced as the Supreme Court struck down the Trump Administration's illegal, immoral attempt to terminate DACA. But in just a few weeks, the future of DACA will again be on the line in a case before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. This and similar attacks reaffirm the need for real, permanent action to deliver the security and stability our Dreamers need and deserve.

That is why the Democratic House has twice passed the American Dream and Promise Act, which would put Dreamers and TPS and DED recipients on a pathway to citizenship. As we marked this momentous anniversary last week, House Democrats called on our Republican colleagues in the Senate to end their opposition to this vital legislation so that we may finally send it to President Biden's desk for signature.

A Bipartisan Framework on Gun Violence
Taking a step forward For The Children, the Senate has reached bipartisan agreement on gun violence prevention for the first time in three decades. While more is needed, this package will take steps to save lives. Included in the Senate framework are House Democrats' proposals to incentivize states to establish extreme risk protection order laws and get guns out of the hands of those who pose a danger to themselves or others. Importantly, the Senate has also advanced a House-passed measure to combat straw purchases, to keep firearms out of the hands of those who cannot legally purchase them themselves.

As we move forward on this bipartisan framework, we will continue to fight for more life-saving measures: including universal background checks, banning high-capacity magazines and raising the age to buy assault weapons. America's epidemic of gun violence has reached a fever pitch — and Democrats will never stop working to end the bloodshed.

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