President Trump has actively made life less affordable for working people. Instead of living up to his promises to bring down costs and raise wages for working-class families, Trump has pursued an agenda that undercuts incomes for all but the wealthiest households, slows job growth, and invites employer exploitation and abuse.
American Bridge 21st Century’s Affordability Report will show how the administration’s actions have turned the government against working families, stripping them of leverage in the labor market, driving down pay, and making it harder for working families to afford the basics.
One of the first ways Trump’s MAGA agenda attacked affordability was to enact policies and executive orders that eroded workers’ wages and made cuts to programs low-income families rely on – forcing them to burn through wages to pay for everyday items they would’ve otherwise used federal assistance to purchase.
So far during his second term, Trump has consistently undermined workers’ wages and increased their economic vulnerability, making it harder for many families to afford necessities:
- Trump’s tariffs raised prices and reduced household purchasing power —hurting low-income households the worst.
- Trump eliminated the minimum wage floor for federal contractors, leaving nearly 400,000 workers with smaller paychecks while costs rise.
- Trump’s USDA changed the rules to cut pay for all farmworkers in the H-2A program, which could cost workers $4.4 to $5.4 billion annually in hard-earned wages.
- The Trump administration proposed removing protections for home care workers, allowing employers to pay them less than the federal minimum wage and deny overtime.
- Trump rescinded rules barring risky crypto investments in 401(k) plans, putting Americans’ lifetime savings at risk while he benefits from his own crypto memecoin.
- Trump’s Department of Labor rolled back protections so employers can pay less and cut corners on safety for workers.
- Health care premiums are skyrocketing and taking huge chunks out of paychecks or forcing Americans to choose to go without health care protections. And Trump has not taken a single serious step to ease that burden.
- Trump appealed to the Supreme Court to freeze SNAP benefits for millions of people during the GOP shutdown, forcing families to stretch their budgets and put many in a financial hole they’re still climbing out of.
- Trump signed massive cuts to the social safety net, taking critical resources away from working families and giving more to those at the very top.
“President Trump promised to lift up working families, but his agenda has done the opposite. He has cut wages, weakened worker protections, and driven up the cost of everything from child care to groceries,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Brandon Weathersby. “Affordability isn’t a hoax, but because of Trump, it’s further out of reach for households across the country. Families are paying more and bringing home less, and it is the direct result of choices Trump made to tilt the economy toward the wealthy at the expense of everyone else.”
Learn more about Trump’s policies to make life unaffordable for American families on Research-Books.com
Published: Mar 16, 2026