ICYMI: New Dem Chair Brad Schneider Hosts “Real State of the Economy” Roundtable & Press Conference With Leader Hakeem Jeffries
ICYMI: Yesterday, New Democrat Coalition Chair Brad Schneider (IL-10) hosted House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in Winnetka, Illinois for a roundtable with local leaders and stakeholders to discuss the state of the economy under President Trump, and for a press conference to discuss the path forward to deliver solutions that lower the cost of living for the American people.
Jeffries and Schneider were joined by local elected leaders, small business owners impacted by tariffs, healthcare providers, and affordable housing advocates for the cost-of-living conversation. They convened as part of a nationwide State of the Economy Day of Action, where House Democrats highlighted how everyday Americans are being devastated by the ongoing affordability crisis exacerbated by Trump and Congressional Republicans.
The event comes just one week after the New Dems unveiled our Affordability Agenda, the Coalition’s policy roadmap to help make life more affordable across the country by focusing on lowering five core costs for hardworking Americans: health care, housing, energy, family care, and household essentials like groceries.
You can view a full recording off the press conference here, and read a transcript of Schneider and Jeffries’ remarks below:
New Dem Chair Brad Schneider
Thank you all for joining us today. I’m Brad Schneider, Representative for Illinois’s 10th Congressional District, which stretches from here in Winnetka, up through Lake County to the Wisconsin border, and west into McHenry County.
I especially want to welcome Leader Jeffries to Winnetka and Illinois’s 10th District! We’re all very excited to have you here.
We just came from a really important conversation about the state of the economy here in Illinois and got to hear from leaders from Cook, Lake, and McHenry counties who are hearing from everyday Americans how costs are rising and making it hard to just get by, let alone get ahead.
We had some examples from the roundtable, talking about the challenges their facing. A 40 year old person making a living by selling things on eBay, who lost his Medicaid because he didn’t quite fall within the categories that the Republicans redefined for people trying to make ends meet.
We heard about families struggling to make their rent, we heard about young people who are struggling.
Over the past year, life has not just gotten more expensive for the American people, it’s gotten to the point where the American dream seems out of reach, and for many people, an impossible dream.
Meanwhile, the President and Congressional Republicans have not only failed to lower costs — at every turn, they’ve made it worse.
The American people are tired of broken promises. They want a real plan with real solutions.
I am proud that last week the New Democrat Coalition released our Affordability Agenda.
I am privileged to Chair the Coalition, and I can tell you that the agenda is the culmination of more than a year of work where we talk about addressing five core costs that every American faces: the cost of groceries, the cost of housing, the cost of healthcare, utilities, and the cost of family care – whether it’s caring for young children still at home or caring for aging parents.
We believe affordability and lowering costs are an essential part of the American dream. Affordability means not just getting by, but getting ahead. Building a better future for yourself, your family, and your community.
While the President jerks from one ill-conceived policy scheme to the next, all to try to deflect from the harm being inflicted on working families, I’m proud that Democrats are doing the work to figure out how we can lower costs and make life better for the American people.
Speaking of Democrats doing the work and leading the way, I’m very pleased to turn it over to my friend and our leader, Hakeem Jeffries.
Leader Hakeem Jeffries
The state of the real economy in America right now is a mess. There is an affordability crisis that is not a hoax. It is very real. And that point was brought home clearly during this roundtable discussion.
People are struggling with housing costs. People are struggling with healthcare costs. People are struggling with the cost of groceries. People are struggling with child care costs. People are struggling with the cost of running a small business, particularly as a result of the Trump tariffs.
The state of the real economy is a mess. The affordability crisis is one that we are committed to dealing with decisively. And the need to do that with great urgency, with the fierce urgency of now, was reinforced by this roundtable discussion.
All across the country, Democrats are holding similar discussions because rather than talk at the American people, we want the American people to talk to us, to lay out their real, on-the-ground experiences, so when we go back to Washington next week, we can continue to press forward to do what we have to do to lower the high cost of living in this country.
To make life more affordable. To ensure that people who are working hard and playing by the rules cannot just survive, which is hard to do in this environment, but can thrive here in America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world. That's the least that we can do. Make sure that when you're working hard and playing by the rules, you can live an affordable life, a comfortable life and live a good life. That's our commitment to the American people.
The road ahead of us is not going to be easy because our colleagues on the other side, led by the President, who promised to lower the cost of living on day one, are doing the exact opposite: making life more expensive for the American people.
So I thank Congressman Schneider once again for hosting me. It's always wonderful to be back here in the Chicagoland area. And I look forward to our continued work together, inspired by the stories that I heard from each and every one of the participants in the roundtable, that Congress needs to act.
We need to act decisively. We need to get this situation turned around so we can bring the American dream to life for everyone.
Next Article Previous Article