How the affordability crisis reshaped the politics of motherhood
By Michael Jones
President Donald Trump promised during his second inauguration last year that his administration would usher in what he described as a new “Golden Age of America.”
But in the 16 months since, Trump and congressional Republicans have slashed trillions of dollars in healthcare and nutrition assistance for low-income Americans to help offset trillions in permanent tax cuts benefiting large corporations and the nation’s wealthiest people.
They have since approved billions more for the war in Iran and are now pushing tens of billions in additional deficit spending to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection through the remainder of Trump’s second term. Their latest proposal also includes $1 billion for Trump’s East Wing ballroom project, despite his earlier promise that private donors, not taxpayers, would cover the cost.
Democrats argue those policy choices are affecting Americans broadly, but members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus say working moms and families are bearing the brunt of the fallout.
Last week, the DWC partnered with the Congressional Mamas’ Caucus for a shadow hearing ahead of Mother’s Day. The session focused on the financial pressures facing mothers and families, from childcare and healthcare to housing costs and the broader affordability squeeze Democrats have spent much of the past year warning about.
Members and witnesses argued Republicans’ economic agenda is intensifying those burdens. Several mothers described childcare costs as tantamount to a second mortgage, while lawmakers connected the affordability crisis to maternal health, economic security and the long-term stability of working families.
“It has never been harder for families, harder for moms and kids to thrive,” Democratic Women’s Caucus Caregiving Task Force Co-Chair Brittany Pettersen of Colorado said. “And I think that this is the most important discussion as we start building a legislative agenda for what we can deliver to not just right this ship, but deliver for the American people to bring back that American dream and ensure that our kids have a safe place to go, where they have access to childcare and can thrive, where parents can go to work, and where we can afford the basic necessities and build a better future for our kids.”
The hearing also doubled as a strategic effort by Democrats and allied advocacy groups to put tangible numbers behind the affordability crisis they argue Republicans have downplayed.
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO and executive director of MomsRising, told lawmakers that childcare now costs more than public college in most states and exceeds rent in 17 states, while the federal minimum wage remains stuck at $7.25 an hour.
Rowe-Finkbeiner contrasted the economic anxiety facing many mothers with the spectacle of Washington’s pageantry. As King Charles III prepared for a formal White House dinner on the evening of the hearing, she noted, many moms across the country would spend the same night stretching instant ramen or Hamburger Helper—without the hamburger—to feed their children while skipping meals themselves to make ends meet.
The hearing reflected an ongoing broader political effort by Democrats to recast the Republican Party’s so-called family values message as an economic argument heading into the midterms.
Democrats argue that supporting families means lowering the cost of raising children, expanding access to healthcare, investing in childcare and tackling housing affordability. They also see moms, particularly working mothers and younger women squeezed by rising costs, as both a key policy focus and a critical voting bloc in 2026.
While last week’s hearing may have centered on moms and families, DWC members increasingly view their agenda and political coalition more broadly than that.
The caucus partnered last month with Future Forum, the generational caucus of Millennial and Gen Z House members, for a roundtable focused on how younger women are experiencing many of the same economic pressures dominating Democrats’ recent messaging.
Participants described struggling with rising healthcare costs, student debt, child care expenses and widening economic insecurity while also navigating tighter abortion restrictions and weakened worker protections. Several also spoke about relying on nontraditional employment or family support to stay afloat, underscoring how economic instability is shaping the life decisions of younger Americans well before they become parents themselves.
Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.), one of the moderators of the discussion, told me Democrats should spend less time trying to perfect poll-tested messaging for younger voters and more time allowing them to speak directly about their lived experiences.
“What these young women highlighted is their experience with this complex policy in a way that people can understand,” Elfreth said. “And maybe we need to stop thinking about the 30,000-foot policy wonk in us and start to center their voices and experiences.”
The outreach also reflects a growing recognition among Democrats that younger women, particularly Gen Z voters who are increasingly skeptical of institutions and frustrated by rising costs, could become one of the defining political constituencies of the Trump era and beyond.
But in an institution still dominated by men, advocates argue the fight over caregiving and affordability cannot be treated solely as a women’s issue.
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) tied the debate to his own upbringing, describing how he was raised and supported by multiple maternal figures, including his adoptive mother, a Cuban refugee and longtime special education teacher, and his grandmother, who cared for him as a child and whom he later cared for during his first congressional campaign.
“I’m part of the Congressional Mama’s Caucus as a son,” Frost said during the hearing. “Because I am who I am because my mom loved me. And I’m proud to be a part of this fight.”
Michael Jones is an independent Capitol Hill correspondent and contributor for COURIER. He is the author of Once Upon a Hill, a newsletter about Congressional politics.
