Email from Rep. Dan Newhouse The American Dream is our national ethos, but this day and age it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve. Making the American Dream a Reality By Reps. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06) The American Dream is our national ethos, but this day and age it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve. Families are struggling and younger generations are not being set up for success, largely due to a broken economy. Interest rates for home ownership have skyrocketed, gas prices have soared, groceries cost 25.8% more than in 2020, and a college degree no longer guarantees a job after graduation. In past generations, parents could work hard, save diligently, and provide his children with the opportunity for a quality education, setting them up for a better future. Children spent time in school dreaming of their futures, and after graduating, would enter the workforce and secure fulfilling jobs, continuing the cycle. But now, children and adults alike are starting to recognize that the dream they had hoped for is far more difficult to achieve. When President Biden took office, inflation was at 1.4%. Since then, it has surged by 20.1%, causing the average American household to spend over $1,000 per month more than they were three years ago to purchase the same goods and services. It is easy to see why American families are struggling to make ends meet—let alone save for a rainy day. Purchasing power has plummeted, and middle-class families are bearing the brunt of egregious price increases. Even as families face record-high inflation and a rising cost of living, real wages are down roughly 4.4% since 2021. For those receiving a paycheck every two weeks, this drop in earnings constitutes a loss of about a paycheck and a half each year. Simply put, Americans are feeling the strain of an economy that does not work for them. Let’s look at the facts: 56 million Americans have been struggling with credit card debt for at least a year, one-in-three adults aged 18-34 live in their parents’ home, and the cost of living is so bad, one in eight retirees are planning to go back to work just to put food on their tables. This is not what the American Dream is supposed to look like, but defining the problem is the first step toward making things right. As proud fiscal conservatives and members of the House Appropriations Committee responsible for federal budgeting, we remain committed to advocating for a common-sense, conservative approach to spending that works for Americans rather than against them. Every day, we hear from constituents who tell us that things have become unaffordable, and as Congress works to finalize next year’s federal spending bills, we will fight to cut spending and ensure American families are better off tomorrow than they are today. The American Dream, which we still see as a beacon of hope and opportunity, feels more out of reach today than ever before. By working to lower interest rates, bringing costs back down to reasonable levels, and being more strategic with entitlement programs that incentivize unemployment, we can once again provide a better life for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come. View on the Washington Times newhouse.house.gov     Congressman Dan Newhouse | 504 Cannon House Office Building | Washington, DC 20515 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice