Affordable PA Calls on the PA Congressmen to Fight for Lower Costs As Families Struggle with Higher Prices

December 23, 2025

PENNSYLVANIA - From holiday meals to toys to Christmas trees, Pennsylvanians across the Commonwealth are struggling with the rising cost of the season. Amid these high prices, Affordable Pennsylvania urges Congressmen Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry to stand up to Trump on tariffs and reverse their cuts to Medicaid and SNAP to lower costs for Pennsylvania families.

“The cost of everything is going up. The price of groceries has doubled and my insurance premiums are expected to spike $100 dollars/month next year, ” said David Zins of Bethlehem. “I’m struggling with rising costs across the board, from healthcare to housing to groceries. I need my congressman, Ryan Mackenzie, to stand up for lower prices and fight for his constituents like me.”

New analysis from Groundwork Collaborative, The Century Foundation, and AFT finds that prices have risen an average of 26 percent since last year - nearly nine times the overall inflation rate. With massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP in the Republican Tax Law threatening Pennsylvanians’ ability to afford necessities, like accessing healthcare or putting food on the table, it’s no wonder that more than two-thirds of voters are stressed about holiday expenses. Congressmen Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry voted for these cuts that are devastating health care and threatening the very fate of federal food assistance in the Commonwealth, and have supported Trump’s tariffs that are raising prices on working families, small businesses, and American consumers.

Earlier this month, Affordable Pennsylvania launched billboards calling on Reps. Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), Rob Bresnahan (PA-08) and Scott Perry (PA-10) to address rising holiday costs. Affordable Pennsylvania urges these representatives to listen to their constituents, stand up to Trump on tariffs, and work to take meaningful action to lower costs for Pennsylvania families during the holiday season and beyond.

Read more about how these policies are jacking up costs for working families this holiday season:

The Century Foundation: ’Tis the Season for Price Hikes: Popular Holiday Gifts Climb 26 Percent Under Trump

• New analysis from Groundwork Collaborative, The Century Foundation, and AFT finds that many of this season’s most popular holiday gifts are significantly more expensive under President Trump, with prices rising an average of 26 percent since last year—nearly nine times the overall inflation rate.

• No matter what aisle shoppers turn down, they’ll find higher prices: home and kitchen gifts are up 38 percent and electronics are up 34 percent, while clothing, shoes, and accessories are up 20 percent and toys and games are up 17 percent.

• New polling from Data for Progress, released alongside the analysis, shows that holiday price hikes are already taking a toll: more than two-thirds of voters are stressed about affording holiday expenses. To cope, more than 40 percent of families are buying fewer gifts, nearly one-third are giving presents to fewer people, and more than one in ten are tapping into savings.

• Rising prices this holiday season come amid mounting financial pressure, with forecasts pointing to a roughly 7 percent decrease in holiday spending this year. Many families are already stretched thin, with one in four American households spending 95 percent of their income on basic necessities such as housing, groceries, gas, child care, and utilities.