The affordability crisis in the U.S. has many factors pushing up prices, including premiumization of markets, profit-taking middlemen, and the failure to enforce antitrust laws. The Trump administration is doing nothing that affectively addresses the crisis, while many of its actions exacerbate it.

The affordability crisis (aka cost of living crisis) in the U.S. is multifaceted and has been growing for 45 years, due to low pay and high prices. There are many factors pushing up prices well beyond normal inflation, including profit-taking middlemen and privatization of public goods and services.