Community Members Came Together for a Conversation on the Impact of Higher Prices

March 4, 2026

Bethlehem, PENNSYLVANIA — On Monday morning, Affordable Pennsylvania held an event for community members to discuss the impacts of rising costs on Latino and Hispanic Pennsylvanians, especially seniors, living in the Lehigh Valley. Attendees shared their own stories, learned what’s driving rising prices, and urged their elected representatives, including Congressman Mackenzie, to fight for lower costs.

“Right now, I’m struggling. I ran out of my medications to manage my cholesterol and diabetes. I have to wait until my next paycheck to buy more. But I also have to pay my rent. I have to make a choice. What do I do?” said Marilyn of Allentown. “This is the richest country in the history of the world. We shouldn’t have to ask ourselves ‘do I put food on the table or do I put gas in the car so I go to work?’ Congressman Mackenzie needs to fight for lower costs for the Lehigh Valley community so we are not forced to make impossible decisions like this.”

Pennsylvanians paid an average of $1,734 more last year for necessities like housing, food, clothing, health care, transportation, and utilities. The affordability crisis has hit the Lehigh Valley especially hard, where the Latino and Hispanic community makes up nearly 25% of the population. Higher housing, grocery, and health care costs are forcing working families to make impossible decisions.

Congressman Ryan Mackenzie has voted to gut programs like Medicaid and SNAP that lower costs for working Pennsylvanians in order to fund bigger tax breaks for big corporations and billionaires. His failure to extend critical health care tax credits before their expiration led to a 178% increase in Pennie costs for his constituents, and his support of cost-raising tariffs have led to rising costs across the board.

Last month, Affordable Pennsylvania launched its third Spanish-language radio ad addressing rising costs in the Lehigh Valley. The ad features Marilyn, an Allentown community member discussing how Congressman Ryan Mackenzie’s vote for health care and SNAP cuts and his support of tariffs are harming the Lehigh Valley community.

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