Americans are struggling with the cost of living, including for basic needs such as housing, groceries, utilities, child care, and health care. One contributor to rising prices is supply shortages that may require structural reforms and years to rectify. For the near term, recent proposals aimed at delivering swift relief from high costs have included policies such as tax credits and subsidies, leveraging government purchasing power, or capping the prices of specific goods or services. Such policies could immediately lessen cost-of-living pressures for consumers. Yet, by interfering with market demand and price signals, such measures can pose steep risks of unintended consequences.
Please join the Center for American Progress for an event featuring a panel of leading economic thinkers who will debate the trade-offs of various policy approaches to address current affordability challenges.