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The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Groundwork Collaborative
Contact: press@groundworkcollaborative.org

“Affordability Czar” Nothing More Than a PR Stunt, Says Groundwork’s Alex Jacquez

Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview that the Trump Administration would designate an “affordability czar” to address high prices. The announcement comes as Americans sour on Trump’s economy, with consumer sentiment nosediving and inflation expectations rising. Americans consistently list inflation as a top priority, but already think Trump is not focused on it and handling it poorly. Groundwork Collaborative Chief of Policy and Advocacy Alex Jacquez reacted with the following statement:

“President Trump knows that voters disapprove of his handling of the economy, and now he’s scrambling. This is nothing more than a PR stunt to pretend they’re addressing high cost-of-living while pushing policies that will raise prices and gutting programs like Medicaid that support working class families, all to line the pockets of billionaires like Elon Musk.”

Email press@groundworkcollaborative.org to speak with a Groundwork expert about the cost of living and the Trump Administration’s approach to the economy.

BACKGROUND

  • 66% of voters said Trump wasn’t focusing enough on lowering prices, according to a Feb. 9 poll from CBS/YouGov. This is no surprise given that 63% of people surveyed by the Pew Research Center say inflation is a “very big problem.”
  • In a new Marist poll out today, 57% of Americans think the price of groceries will increase in the next six months.
  • A CNN/SRSS poll found that 62% of people say the president has “not gone far enough” in trying to reduce prices.
  • Recently, Gallup found that Trump’s approval rating on the economy was just 42% – his lowest ever rating on the economy as president.

The Groundwork Collaborative is dedicated to advancing a coherent and persuasive progressive economic worldview and narrative capable of delivering meaningful opportunity and prosperity for everyone. Our work is driven by a core guiding principle: We are the economy. Groundwork Collaborative envisions an economic system that produces strong, broadly shared prosperity and power for all people, not just a wealthy few.