Every election cycle, politicians promise to make life more affordable.
But here’s the question every American should ask:
How much has Washington helped create the affordability problem in the first place?
Consider this: Between 2020 and 2022, Congress approved more than $7.5 trillion in spending through COVID relief, infrastructure programs, and industrial policy legislation.
Research from the Federal Reserve has reported that these programs have contributed to higher inflation.
And when inflation rises, your paycheck buys less.
That’s what affordability really means.
So when politicians promise new programs, subsidies, or benefits, it’s worth asking:
- What will it cost?
- Who will pay for it?
- And will it actually lower prices, or could it make inflation worse?
At the same time, the federal government carries more than $40 trillion in national debt (excluding future liabilities), and annual interest cost on that debt is nearly $1 trillion.
That’s money that can’t be spent elsewhere.
None of this means the government should never spend money.
It means spending has consequences. Just look at Obamacare. We are financing Obamacare at an estimated $270 billion annually. Has Obamacare made healthcare more affordable or has it shifted more of its costs onto taxpayers?
The next time a candidate promises affordability, don’t just ask what they’re giving.
Ask how they’re paying for it.
Because affordability isn’t a campaign slogan.
It’s an economic outcome.
If you really want to help citizens,
- Reduce the money the federal and state governments spend
- Lower our taxes, and
- Reduce burdensome regulations
Unfortunately, this would require Congress to get something done and put the nation before their self-interest.
References:
1. Congressional Budget Office — Health Care Spending (2026) Confirms your exact figures: Medicare $1.1 trillion, Medicaid $708 billion, and ACA premium tax credits and related spending $112 billion. https://www.cbo.gov/topics/health-care
2. Congressional Budget Office — Federal Subsidies for Health Insurance (July 2026) Projects $2.4 trillion in total federal health insurance subsidies in 2026, including tax subsidies for employer-sponsored insurance. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/62539
3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — CPI Inflation Calculator Documents the loss of purchasing power from inflation. https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
4. U.S. Treasury — Federal Spending Explains federal spending trends, annual expenditures, and spending relative to GDP. https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/federal-spending/
5. Government Accountability Office — COVID-19 Relief Spending Documents approximately $4.6 trillion in pandemic relief funding authorized in 2020–2021. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-106647
