Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Democrats’ Commitment To Lowering Costs As Trump And Republicans Mock Affordability & Focus On Foreign Conflict

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor to emphasize Democrats’ commitment to the issues affecting Americans’ daily lives, including health care, housing, groceries, childcare, and energy costs. Leader Schumer also slammed Donald Trump and Republicans for allowing costs to rise and prioritizing foreign conflicts over helping families. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

If Donald Trump refuses to focus on the one thing Americans want most, which is to lower the cost of living, Democrats are happy to do it for him.

As we begin 2026, Democrats enter the new year on our front foot. The cost of living will remain the number one focus for this week, this month, this year, and beyond.

The tip of the spear for so many people when it comes to cost, of course, is health care.

It is now January 5th, 2026. For tens of millions of people, the reality of sky-high premiums has now been locked in, thanks to Republicans who let the ACA premium tax credits expire last year. Millions more no longer have health care at all. Many others have switched to lower quality plans, and can no longer see the doctors they've gone to for years and years and years or afford the medicines that their children have been taking to cure deadly diseases.

Parents without insurance now don't know what to do if their kids get sick. Every Democrat in the Senate voted to extend the premium tax credits at the end of last year.

And a number of Republicans, a small number unfortunately, of Republicans in both chambers say they want to do it. But instead of listening to the vast majority of Americans who want these tax credits rendered, Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson have sided with right wing extremists who were happy to see these credits die.

The result? Higher premiums. More uninsured Americans. Greater uncertainty for people back home, especially people, actually, in the red states.

Democrats will not relent on this issue of how difficult it is for Americans to pay the bills of things they need. This topic is not going away any time soon and in fact will only grow in intensity.

But as everyone knows, health care is only part of the story when it comes to lowering the cost of living.

In the coming weeks and months, Democrats will lay out cleanly and comprehensively how we can lower costs for the American people on a number of different topics—from health to housing to groceries to child care to energy costs and beyond.

In the coming weeks, for example, I will work with a number of my colleagues, including Senator Warren, on the many options we have to help Americans pay for housing.

We also need to look at lowering grocery costs.

We need to end Donald Trump's destructive tariffs.

We need to help families afford daycare.

These are the things that Americans care about, not invading Venezuela, not attacking Colombia, or dreaming of invading Greenland.

Democrats are focused on the things that matter to the American people and will focus on these like a laser. The high cost of living. Affordability.

Just like Democrats are dialed in on health care, and brought the nation’s attention to this important issue, we are also focusing on costs as they relate to housing and groceries and energy and childcare and so much more.

We'll show the contrast that while Donald Trump and Republicans spending all their time on foreign wars, on ballrooms, on private jets, Democrats are the ones focused on helping people pay the bills for the things they need every day to live their lives decently.

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