Families across America are being squeezed—and it’s not by accident.
As “affordability” becomes a political buzzword, the debate around it often misses two key points. The first is that the cost-of-living crisis isn’t just about inflation; it’s about the basic building blocks of opportunity and upward mobility that have grown increasingly out of reach. Today, working families’ deep-seated concerns are rooted less in the price of eggs or gas and more in the cost of child care and health care—in whether they can afford to send their kids to college, pay rent, or even retire comfortably. And while economic pain is widespread, our research shows that working class and younger Americans, people of color, and women bear the brunt.
Second, Americans know exactly who’s doing the squeezing. When people are asked why they’re struggling, they don’t just cite high prices; they blame corporations and a rigged system in which the wealthy shape markets and set their own rules. People watch prescription drug companies hiking the cost of insulin and utility monopolies padding their profits while families face shutoffs. They see incomes at the very top continue to rise while their own wages stagnate. And they understand that all these things are connected.
That’s why The Century Foundation is launching a new campaign, Affordable Futures: Policy for People—Not the Powerful, to reframe how we think about America’s affordability crisis and advance transformative solutions that tackle the true drivers of families’ cost-of-living challenges.
What “Affordable Futures” Means
Our campaign is anchored in the belief that a free, fair, and affordable future for families is only possible if we fix our broken economic system and build power for the working class. Through Affordable Futures, we’ll:
→ Expose the power imbalances driving high prices. Whether it’s hospital consolidation jacking up health care prices or private student loan companies inflating what it costs to borrow, we’ll shine a light on how corporate power is making life unaffordable—both who’s profiting from it and how the Trump administration is enabling it.
→ Put families’ real financial struggles front and center. Traditional economic indicators like GDP and stock prices mask what’s really happening around kitchen tables. We’ll track what matters: the medical bills people can’t pay, the college loans crushing young families, and the energy, auto, and credit card debt piling up.
→ Champion solutions that put more money in people’s pockets. Lowering costs isn’t enough if working people don’t have a voice in the economy. We’ll push for policies that strengthen worker power, crack down on price-gouging and predatory actors, and ensure that the government works for families—not wealthy campaign donors.
What You Can Expect
In the coming months, you’ll see us take on powerful interests, from the White House to Wall Street, that are rigging our economy and democracy. We’ll fight tirelessly on behalf of working-class Americans and roll out:
- Hard-hitting research and analysis that connects the dots between the administration’s efforts to slash the social safety net and weaken consumer protections and the rising costs of health care, education, child care, housing, and more.
- New data on families’ financial precarity that highlights the underbelly of America’s affordability crisis—a simmering household debt epidemic—which, if left unchecked, will bring devastating and far-reaching impacts, particularly for people already at the margins.
- Bold and actionable policy solutions that don’t just tinker around the edges of a broken system, but seek to fundamentally address why things are so expensive and rebalance the scales of our economy.
- Strategic advocacy and partnerships to shift prevailing narratives and create the conditions necessary for change, ensuring our research and ideas reach the decision-makers who can turn them into reality.
Why This Matters Now
For over 100 years, The Century Foundation has championed policies that level the playing field and helped create the big, public programs that our country has come to rely on. Today’s challenges demand the same kind of ambition. The old playbook is no longer sufficient.
As the Trump administration cuts taxes for billionaires, tens of millions of working families live on the brink, one unexpected bill away from financial ruin. Trust in government is at historic lows because Americans have seen, time and again, that our elected leaders care more about catering to the powerful than delivering for the people.
It’s time we fix that. It’s time to lower costs, return power to families, and restore people’s faith in government to solve problems and make their lives easier. It’s time for Affordable Futures.
Tags: working families, cost of living, Affordable Futures
How We’re Fighting for Affordable Futures
Families across America are being squeezed—and it’s not by accident.
As “affordability” becomes a political buzzword, the debate around it often misses two key points. The first is that the cost-of-living crisis isn’t just about inflation; it’s about the basic building blocks of opportunity and upward mobility that have grown increasingly out of reach. Today, working families’ deep-seated concerns are rooted less in the price of eggs or gas and more in the cost of child care and health care—in whether they can afford to send their kids to college, pay rent, or even retire comfortably. And while economic pain is widespread, our research shows that working class and younger Americans, people of color, and women bear the brunt.
Second, Americans know exactly who’s doing the squeezing. When people are asked why they’re struggling, they don’t just cite high prices; they blame corporations and a rigged system in which the wealthy shape markets and set their own rules. People watch prescription drug companies hiking the cost of insulin and utility monopolies padding their profits while families face shutoffs. They see incomes at the very top continue to rise while their own wages stagnate. And they understand that all these things are connected.
That’s why The Century Foundation is launching a new campaign, Affordable Futures: Policy for People—Not the Powerful, to reframe how we think about America’s affordability crisis and advance transformative solutions that tackle the true drivers of families’ cost-of-living challenges.
What “Affordable Futures” Means
Our campaign is anchored in the belief that a free, fair, and affordable future for families is only possible if we fix our broken economic system and build power for the working class. Through Affordable Futures, we’ll:
→ Expose the power imbalances driving high prices. Whether it’s hospital consolidation jacking up health care prices or private student loan companies inflating what it costs to borrow, we’ll shine a light on how corporate power is making life unaffordable—both who’s profiting from it and how the Trump administration is enabling it.
→ Put families’ real financial struggles front and center. Traditional economic indicators like GDP and stock prices mask what’s really happening around kitchen tables. We’ll track what matters: the medical bills people can’t pay, the college loans crushing young families, and the energy, auto, and credit card debt piling up.
→ Champion solutions that put more money in people’s pockets. Lowering costs isn’t enough if working people don’t have a voice in the economy. We’ll push for policies that strengthen worker power, crack down on price-gouging and predatory actors, and ensure that the government works for families—not wealthy campaign donors.
What You Can Expect
In the coming months, you’ll see us take on powerful interests, from the White House to Wall Street, that are rigging our economy and democracy. We’ll fight tirelessly on behalf of working-class Americans and roll out:
Why This Matters Now
For over 100 years, The Century Foundation has championed policies that level the playing field and helped create the big, public programs that our country has come to rely on. Today’s challenges demand the same kind of ambition. The old playbook is no longer sufficient.
As the Trump administration cuts taxes for billionaires, tens of millions of working families live on the brink, one unexpected bill away from financial ruin. Trust in government is at historic lows because Americans have seen, time and again, that our elected leaders care more about catering to the powerful than delivering for the people.
It’s time we fix that. It’s time to lower costs, return power to families, and restore people’s faith in government to solve problems and make their lives easier. It’s time for Affordable Futures.
Tags: working families, cost of living, Affordable Futures