Young People need an economy that works for them

Someone recently left me a note on a flight to tell me how hard it is for them to even imagine a future they can afford. It’s a feeling many young Americans have these days, and I hear them. They're the future of this country, but they’re getting screwed at every turn. The system is broken because Washington has rigged it for the rich. I'm trying to change that. Here's how.

Gas and diesel prices have soared since Trump started his war with Iran started, so Representative Chris Pappas and I are pushing to suspend federal gas and diesel taxes to lower your costs at the pump and the grocery store.

I've also been fighting to put money back in your pocket by cutting taxes for Americans making less than $80,500 and eliminating federal incomes taxes for those making below the national median. This allows young Americans to save more of what they earn so they can plan for the future. How do we offset that cost? By raising taxes on millionaires for once.

Congressman Chris Deluzio and I have also been working to fix the way Washington makes decisions. It doesn't matter how good the stock market is doing when young Americans don’t have enough saved up to invest in that market. That’s why we have a bill to refocus Washington on what really matters: American families and the cost-of-living emergency they’re facing. Our legislation helps household budgets, not Wall Street, and makes it easier to hold corporations accountable for price-gouging.

Lastly, young people understandably have a lot of anxiety about how they’re going to get a job in our changing AI economy. I don’t want our country to wait around for the worst to happen before actually doing something about it. We have to prepare now and give young people career choices with job training, apprenticeships, and national service. That’s what my Make AI for Americans Act is all about. It makes the Big Tech companies driving the AI boom contribute to these solutions so that the next generation can succeed.

These are concrete steps that will make a huge difference for millions of young Americans who are not optimistic about the future. But we know there is a lot more to do done. I think about that note every day, just like I think about the country my kids and grandkids are going to inherit. It’s what drives me to work so hard to fix our economy so that the next generation has access to opportunities they deserve.