Addressing Inflation and Lowering Prices in San Antonio
In San Antonio and across the country, high prices for gas, groceries, and other basics needs are making it difficult for hard-working folks to make ends meet. At the same time, big corporations are making record profits — while passing along higher costs to struggling consumers.
If you’re frustrated and worried, you’re not alone. Our economy is improving, but I know that a full recovery needs to come faster. As we emerge from the pandemic, I’m focused on solutions to create good-paying jobs, bring prices down, and hold corporations accountable for price-gouging.
Over the last several years, I have voted to pass laws to address supply chain issues and lower prices for San Antonio families, including:
- The Inflation Reduction Act, which lowers the cost of prescription drugs, health care, and consumer energy costs while creating good-paying jobs in clean energy.
- The Access to Baby Formula Act, which gives low-income families more flexibility to use WIC benefits to buy different varieties of baby formula during the current shortage.
- The FORMULA Act, which waives tariffs and quotas on safe, foreign-made baby formula to help the U.S. import more formula from abroad. The FORMULA Act also allows WIC recipients to use vouchers to purchase any type of formula that is available.
- The Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which reduces costs for consumer goods by cracking down on unfair shipping price hikes and strengthening maritime supply chains.
- The REMOTE Act, which ensures that student veterans can continue to receive full housing benefits if their classes are conducted remotely.
- The Keep Kids Fed Act, which increases federal funding for school meals and expands flexibility for schools to provide curbside meal pickup and summer meal programs.
- The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which invests in high-need infrastructure projects (including roads, bridges, airports, public transportation, and high-speed internet) to create jobs, address supply chain challenges, and make it easier and faster for Americans to get where they need to go.
- The American Rescue Plan, which continues to fund affordable housing and eviction prevention programs, utility bill relief, small business grants, and other assistance in San Antonio and across the country.
In the coming months, I hope the Senate will also pass a number of bills that I’ve already voted for in the House of Representatives, including:
- The Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, which would lower prices in the grocery aisle and at the gas pump by supporting American farmers and ranchers and expanding access to American-made fuel.
- The Affordable Insulin Now Act, which would cap a month’s supply of insulin at $35 or 25% of a health plan’s negotiated price, whichever is lower.
- The Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act, which would provide additional grant funding to save jobs and keep the doors open at restaurants, arts and entertainment venues, and other small businesses.
- The Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act, which would prohibit price-gouging on gas and other fuel during a crisis.
- The Housing Temperature Safety Act, which would require owners of some rental units to install unit temperature sensors, allowing tenants to monitor whether their landlords are maintaining a healthy apartment temperature in compliance with Texas law.
- The Student Veteran Work Study Modernization Act, which would allow veteran students who are studying at least half-time to receive a work study allowance.
The House also recently passed legislation that I wrote to direct Brooke Army Medical Center to waive surprise medical bills. For more information on my work to address high medical costs for civilians at BAMC, click here.
Resources to Lower Costs for Your Family:
- The Texas Homeowner Assistance Program provides grants up to $40,000 to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. I voted to fund this program and I want to make sure families can use it to stay in their homes. To learn more about applying for the Homeowner Assistance Program, click here.
- Many households in San Antonio are eligible for low-cost, high-speed internet through the Affordable Connectivity Program, which I voted to create as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act last year. To learn more and enroll, click here.
- Find the cheapest gas in your neighborhood by clicking here.
- CPS Energy has help available for Texans who are struggling to pay their energy bills. To learn more, click here.
- SAWS has assistance available for Texans who need help with their water bills. To learn more and apply, click here.
- Texas Utility Help also has funding available to help with water and wastewater bills. To learn more, click here.
- The federal government has extended new student loan forgiveness flexibility to borrowers who work for federal, state, local, or tribal governments and non-profit organizations. To learn more about your options for public service loan forgiveness, click here.
- Students who attended Everest Institute in San Antonio or other predatory for-profit institutions may be eligible for debt cancellation. To learn more, click here.
More questions about my work to fight inflation? Click here to send me a message.