Everyone should be able to afford groceries, medicine, and other essentials. That means lowering prices and also supporting local businesses so people have access to necessities. This commitment would keep more money in Americans’ pockets and help us stay healthy.
Make Essentials Affordable and Accessible
- People are struggling to keep up with necessary medications while drug companies walk away with huge profits. The federal government should lower prescription drug prices and improve rural access to medicines.1
- Restore funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).2
- Ensure access to grocery stores and affordable healthy food in every community, including support for farmers markets, publicly owned grocery stores, and competition among retailers.3
- Establish a rural energy plan to reduce energy prices.4
- Lower costs for child care, education, housing, and broadband.5
Notes
- See Strengthening Medicare And Reducing Taxpayer Prices Act, the Lower Drug Costs for Families Act, and reform rural-specific programs like 340B. For more on health care, see “Health Care Access” and “Reproductive Health Care.”
- The 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act cut billions from SNAP which will lead to rural people going hungry and reduce revenue for local grocers, threatening even more grocery store closings.
- For more on supporting local food systems, see “Use Federal Dollars to Support Rural Economies.” Furthermore, the 2023 Rural Policy Action Report noted how big box retailers push out local pharmacies and grocery stores, raising prices and hurting access.
- See “Establish a Rural Energy Plan.”
- See “Child Care” and “Education.” For more on housing and broadband, see “Invest in Rural Infrastructure.”