America’s Affordability Crisis and How MAGA is Making it Worse

America’s Affordability Crisis and How MAGA is Making it Worse

From Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams by Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams

February 17, 2026 · 1h 26m · Episode 72

About this episode

Stacey Abrams discusses America's affordability crisis with guests Pramila Jayapal and Talmon Smith, exploring the disconnect between economic perceptions and reality.

America is in an affordability crisis. Basic needs like groceries, rent, childcare, and healthcare keep getting more expensive, while wages struggle to keep up. Seventy-four percent of Americans say the economy is in poor shape, and for many Millennials and Gen Zers, the idea of owning a home is becoming laughable. Yet Donald Trump and his MAGA allies insist the economy has never been better. This week, Stacey sits down with U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal and New York Times Business Reporter Talmon Smith to break down the growing disconnect between what Americans are feeling in their wallets and what the White House is selling from the podium. They dig into the real state of the economy, the latest jobs numbers, and whether Democrats have found a message on affordability that actually meets the moment. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here . For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Learn & Do More: Be Curious: If you enjoyed my conversation with Talmon Smith, check out his work at The New York Times and keep an eye out for his upcoming book, Clout and Capital, published by Simon &amp…

People in this episode

Host: Stacey Abrams

Guests: Pramila Jayapal, Talmon Smith

Topics covered

  • affordability crisis
  • economy
  • childcare costs
  • wages
  • politics
  • Millennials
  • Gen Z

Keywords

  • affordability
  • economy
  • childcare
  • wages
  • housing
  • MAGA
  • politics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Times, White House, Congress, Child Care for Every Community Act

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