Warren Launches New Probe into Trump Failure on Affordability
Over the coming weeks and months, Warren will press Administration officials, companies, and industry for answers about rising prices and the real-world impact of the President’s chaotic tariff policies on American families
Letter to President Trump (PDF) | Letter to Amazon (PDF)
Washington, D.C. – In response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, launched a new probe into President Trump’s failure on affordability. Yesterday, Warren wrote to the President directly requesting his plans to lower costs for families after his failure to provide them to the American people during his address on Tuesday night. Warren also wrote to Amazon about the company’s pricing decisions, the scale and timing of its price increases, as well as the extent to which they have been caused by President Trump’s actions.
“Last week, you declared that you have ‘solved’ affordability and in recent weeks have claimed that your Administration has ‘defeated’ inflation. Standing before a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, you repeated the claim, insisting that your economic agenda is working for American families and that ‘prices are plummeting downward,’” wrote Ranking Member Warren. “Your claims are directly at odds with the day-to-day experiences of American households, who are struggling with rising costs of essentials, including food, housing, health care, child care, and electricity.”
In the letter Sen. Warren notes that President Trump spoke for only a few minutes about affordability – one of Americans’ top concerns. She also highlights other issues Trump failed to mention in his keynote address including: American families and small businesses who were cheated by his illegal tariffs, his broken promise to cap credit card interest rates, and the 15 million Americans who got kicked off their health insurance thanks to his One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“You failed to address that American families paid hundreds of dollars more for groceries in 2025. You failed to mention child care, which is ‘one of the biggest expenses families face.’ And you went so far as to say ‘there was no inflation’ facing American families. In reality, your policies are failing to lower costs for Americans,” she continued.
In the letter, Ranking Member Warren highlights how inflation, as measured by Personal Consumption Expenditures, initially trended downward in early 2025 before rising again after President Trump’s “Liberation Day” and hitting a nearly two-year high in December 2025. She also details how prices across categories essential to American household’s budgets have risen under President Trump. She concluded the letter to Trump by requesting a detailed explanation from the President about which of his policies have actually lowered costs, what factors have driven the recent increase in inflation, and what concrete actions the Administration is taking to address rising grocery, electricity, health care, and child care costs.
Ranking Member Warren also sent the first in a series of letters to big corporations probing the impacts of President Trump’s chaotic tariff policies and failed economic agenda on American consumers. Her letter to Amazon follows recent comments by CEO Andy Jassy admitting price increases driven by President Trump’s sweeping tariffs have hit Amazon customers.
“This represents a notable shift from your statements last summer, which suggested that prices had not ‘appreciably go(ne) up’ as a result of tariffs. As one of America’s largest retailers, Amazon’s pricing decisions directly impact millions of families already struggling with high costs for everyday necessities,” wrote Ranking Member Warren. “I request additional information about the scale and timing of these price increases, as well as the extent to which they have been caused by President Trump’s actions.”
In the letter Warren requests written responses from Amazon by March 5, 2025 detailing the extent to which tariffs contributed to recent and anticipated price increases, which product categories are most affected, what steps Amazon is taking to prevent opportunistic price gouging by third-party sellers, and whether any potential tariff refunds would be passed on to consumers.
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