Back to School Costs Families in PA-07, PA-08, and PA-10 More than 65% of their Discretionary Budget

September 3, 2025

PENNSYLVANIA - As children across the Commonwealth start the new school year, Affordable Pennsylvania today released new reports highlighting how the Trump administration’s policies are raising costs on working families and making the return to school more expensive.

Prices for school books and supplies have jumped nearly 10% in the past year—outpacing most other goods. Instead of working to bring costs down, Congressmen Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry have backed Trump’s tariffs that could push prices through the roof.

In addition to supporting tariffs that have driven up the price of school supplies, forcing parents to take on debt or skip necessities their children need to be prepared for the school year, these congressmen also voted for the Republican Tax Law that guts critical programs like SNAP and Medicaid that help working families afford necessities and manage their budgets, all to fund bigger tax breaks for billionaires. In Pennsylvania, nearly 58% of SNAP recipients are in families with children and about 40% of all Pennsylvania children rely on Medicaid to access health care.

“I am frustrated with rising costs and the increasing economic inequality. I see the impact it’s having on my community,” said PA-08 constituent Amanda Pauley. “I don’t believe that people like my congressman, Rep. Rob Bresnahan, who has a private helicopter, can possibly understand the struggles of everyday people in NEPA. I hope when he hears stories like mine he will take real steps toward lowering costs for families.”

“As their children return to school, Trump’s tariffs are increasing the financial burden on working families in Pennsylvania,” said Rachele Fortier, executive director for Affordable Pennsylvania. “Congressmen Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry have promised their constituents they would fight for lower costs, but instead they’re falling in line to cut critical assistance programs and support Trump’s extreme tariffs. We urge these congressmen to listen to their constituents about the rising costs of education and stand up to Trump for lower costs.”

Read the full reports from Affordable Pennsylvania here.

Learn more about how Trump’s tariffs and Republican policies are putting a strain on back to school budgets here.

###

Affordable Pennsylvania is fighting to expose elected leaders who promised to stand with working families and lower costs, only to take vote after vote neglecting the needs of their constituents. We do this by making Pennsylvanians’ voices heard and pushing members of Congress to take meaningful action to address the skyrocketing cost of things like groceries, child care and prescription drugs.