AFFORDABILITY

On 2026-09-03, Representative Andrea Salinas (D-OR-6) delivered a floor speech titled "AFFORDABILITY" in the House.

AFFORDABILITY

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 140 (Thursday, September 3, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 140 (Thursday, September 3, 2026)] [House] [Page H5491] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] AFFORDABILITY (Ms. SALINAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. SALINAS. Mr. Speaker, I have spent the past month traveling across my district talking with Oregonians about the challenges they face right now. Above all else I heard the same thing. Everything is too expensive. Since President Trump took office, Oregonians have had to pay an extra $3,900 because of inflation, his tariffs, and his war with Iran. I could stand here all day listing what has gotten more expensive because of his harmful policies, but I only have 60 seconds, so I want to highlight how just one of his failures, the war in Iran, is hurting Americans. Before the war, farmers in my district paid $4.22 a gallon for diesel. Now Trump's war is driving up fuel costs, and my farmers are now paying $5.87 for that same gallon of diesel. That rise in costs for farmers impacts the prices everyone pays at the grocery store. The cost of fresh tomatoes is up by nearly 40 percent, costing an all-time high of $2.69 cents a pound. That is not a record anyone should be proud of, but does President Trump care? No. People across my district are struggling, and they are paying for the failures Trump and Republicans in Congress have created. Families deserve a Congress focused on lowering costs and making it easier for them to get ahead. This Congress is not it. ____________________