Rita Condemns Trump Administration Measures Driving Up the Cost of Living for Illinoisans

BLUE ISLAND, Ill. – State Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, is standing up to Washington’s affordability crisis by voting to formally condemn the illegal Trump tariffs that have raised the price of everything from groceries to winter clothing, demanding reinstatement of Affordable Care Act subsidies that make healthcare more affordable, and rejecting unconstitutional efforts to freeze funding for affordable childcare.

“Times are tough and working people and families are struggling,” Rita said. “I’m working hard in Springfield so that people don’t have to choose between paying for groceries or their health care coverage or their heating bill. Every person and family in Illinois deserves the chance to live beyond paycheck to paycheck and build a future.”

Illinoisans are facing skyrocketing expenses of medical care due to Trump and Republican leaders allowing Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire on Jan. 1 of this year, and tariff- motivated price increases on a broad swath of consumer goods—from groceries to warm winter clothing. Additionally, the Trump Administration recently froze $10 billion in funding for affordable childcare, making one of the greatest expenses facing working families even more daunting and jeopardizing care for 100,000 Illinois children.

Rita is fighting back by advancing House resolutions formally condemning the causes of the Trump affordability crisis, and demanding solutions:

• House Resolution 620 calls on Congress and the Trump Administration to immediately reinstate the 2022 healthcare subsidies. Because these subsidies were allowed to lapse in January, families are now facing nearly $1,000 in annual premium increases–with rural and downstate communities facing average increases as high as $2,000.
• House Resolution 621 condemns Donald Trump’s effort to freeze funds for affordable child care and calls for the immediate release of all congressionally approved child care funds.
• House Resolution 623 calls on Donald Trump to stop his unconstitutional tariff scheme that costs families upwards of $1,200, and robs people of opportunities to save for the future. The resolution demands the United States Treasury issue $2,000 payments to every middle-class and modest-income household as a way of refunding families’ lost wages and savings, apologizing for Trump’s illegal tax increases.