Congressman Dan Goldman, Councilmember Zhuang, Food Assistance Orgs, Community Leaders, Highlight Rising Grocery Prices and Cost of Living Resulting from Trump’s Chaos

New York, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today joined, NYC Council member Susan Zhuang, and community organizations – including the Chinese-American Planning Council, Parent Child Relationship Association, Homecrest Community Services, UA3, and the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park – as well as impacted constituents to highlight how Trump and the GOP are harming working New York families by driving up grocery prices and the overall cost of living. 

 

Since beginning his second term in January, Donald Trump and New York Republicans have made grocery prices skyrocket with reckless tariffs and bad economic policy. Egg prices have risen over 60% since last March, while the average price of groceries has increased by 2.4% since 2024. His administration terminated a $1 billion emergency food assistance grant that New York City organizations depended on to feed New Yorkers in need, and his cuts to the emergency rental assistance program as well as child care programs like Head Start have impacted thousands of New Yorkers’ ability to afford the already high cost of living. To compound the issue, the GOP’s budget proposal would cut SNAP and Medicaid significantly, which over 5 million New Yorkers rely on for nutrition and health care. 

 

“Donald Trump and the GOP’s reckless, self-serving agenda is breaking his campaign promises by making it harder than ever for working New Yorkers to put food on the table and provide for their families,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “Grocery prices are soaring, and families are struggling across the country, all so that Trump and Congressional Republicans can hand out tax breaks to billionaires. After running on a platform to lower costs, Trump has completely abandoned working Americans with reckless and pointless tariffs that have skyrocketed everyday costs while pushing forward with massive cuts to government programs that help New Yorkers get by.  It is long past time that New York’s Republican members of Congress choose their constituents over Trump’s billionaire buddies.” 

 

Councilmember Susan Zhuang said, “For years the cost of groceries, utilities, property taxes, and more has increased. Within the last few months, we’re watching those rates sky-rocket. I dedicate my time to make our community affordable because right now it’s difficult to put food on the table. We must pay attention to these rising costs and fight against it at the federal, state, and local levels.” 

 

Wai Yee Chan, President & CEO of Homecrest Community Services, said, "As the cost of living continues to rise, our community is feeling the pressure. While tariffs aim to protect local industries and ensure fair trade, they can also contribute to higher prices for everyday goods. When businesses face increased import costs, those expenses are often passed on to consumers. Nearly half of our members shared this week that they are struggling to afford basic necessities like food and rent. At Homecrest Community Services, we are deeply concerned about the growing financial strain on working families. We will continue to keep a close eye on the situation and work with partners at all levels to find fair solutions—ones that help our economy grow without putting too much pressure on everyday New Yorkers.” 

 

Nicole Huang, Executive Director of Parent Child Relationship Association, said, "Rising costs are not just numbers — they are daily struggles, especially for our most vulnerable communities." 

 

Congressman Goldman has made supporting working families a centerpiece of his time in office.  

 

In February 2025, Congressman Goldman joined Congresswoman DeLauro in introducing the ‘American Family Act,’ which would codify the expired, COVID-19-era expanded monthly Child Tax Credit. Passed temporarily in the Congressional Democrats’ American Rescue Plan, the expanded Child Tax Credit reached more than 61 million children and lifted nearly 4 million out of poverty in 2021 alone. 

 

In August 2024, Congressman Goldman cosponsored the ‘SNAP Theft Protection Act,’ which aims to update the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to allow states to use existing SNAP funding to refund stolen benefits to victims of SNAP-related scams.   

 

  

In July 2024, Congressman Goldman held a Summer Nutrition Town Hall to discuss food insecurity, share information about New York State’s Summer EBT program and its rollout, and provide resources to residents who would like to apply.