Washington, D.C. — As Americans continue to struggle with rising costs of living, a new analysis from the Center for American Progress outlines an affordability agenda that would save a typical family $4,133 per year across housing, health care, electricity, and groceries while delivering relief quickly.
Currently, 76 percent of Americans identify costs of living as their biggest economic concern, up from 58 percent last year. As part of its broader “Path Forward” series, which highlights bold, near-term policy solutions, CAP has developed actionable plans to lower costs for families and strengthen economic security. The agenda combines reforms to lower household bills immediately with longer-term investments to increase competition, expand supply, and raise wages.
“Families are being squeezed from every direction as housing, health care, grocery, and utility costs continue to rise,” said Emily Gee, senior vice president for Economic Policy at the Center for American Progress and co-author of the analysis. “CAP’s Path Forward agenda is focused on delivering the kind of immediate relief Americans are demanding while building an economy where families can actually get ahead again.”
The analysis finds that:
- CAP’s “Path Forward on Affordability” agenda would save a typical family $4,133 per year across housing, health care, groceries, and electricity, while repealing the Trump administration’s tariffs would increase that family’s total savings to $5,333 annually.
- CAP’s housing plan would lower rents and expand homeownership opportunities by closing the nation’s housing supply gap, cutting local barriers to building, investing in affordable housing construction, and cracking down on junk fees and collusive pricing. The proposal would save a typical middle-income renter in a high-cost area roughly $1,000 annually.
- CAP’s health care affordability plan would lower premiums and deductibles while banning prior authorization delays by limiting excessive hospital and insurance costs and cracking down on insurer price gouging. The proposal would cut average family deductibles by $933 and reduce employer-based family premiums by $1,308 annually by 2032.
- CAP’s electricity affordability plan would lower utility bills and prevent AI data centers from shifting energy costs onto households through a federal rate relief fund, utility reform, and investments in grid modernization and energy supply. The proposal would save households an average of $230 annually.
- CAP’s food affordability plan would lower grocery costs and strengthen food supply chains through increased competition and preventing future price shocks by supporting farmers, strengthening supply chains, and investing in innovation. The proposal would save a family of four an estimated $134 annually.
Read the analysis: “Lowering the Cost of Living for American Families” by Emily Gee and Kennedy Andara
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Christian Unkenholz at [email protected].