Pennsylvanians Say Skyrocketing Costs Are Squeezing Their Family Budgets

HARRISBURG, PA, UNITED STATES, September 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As costs soar, seven in ten Pennsylvanians are struggling to afford at least one basic need, such as housing, food, health care or child care. Moms, caregivers, and advocates are mobilizing across the state, sounding the alarm on the affordability crisis and holding Republican lawmakers accountable for policies they say are driving costs higher and higher.

Over the past week, MomsRising Together and Pennsylvanians Together in Action stationed pop-up “Pennsylvania Feels the Squeeze” lemonade stands in Langhorne, Harrisburg, Scranton and Bethlehem so they could hear from local families how the soaring cost of gas, groceries, health care, child care and other essentials is affecting their family budgets.

At each lemonade stand, families shared personal stories about the challenges they are facing as they try to make ends meet. Each event also featured a giant “receipt” contrasting the campaign pledges of U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Scott Perry (R-PA-10), Rob Bresnahan (R-PA-08), and Ryan McKenzie (R-PA-07) with their voting records and illustrating how policies they have supported are affecting families.

“At MomsRising, we hear from members every day who are facing impossible choices between buying healthy food or putting gas in their tanks, between going to the doctor or paying the soaring cost of child care,” said Karen Showalter, MomsRising Together Senior Director for Pennsylvania. “Instead of investing in the care and affordability policies families urgently need, Republican lawmakers have cut taxes for billionaires and giant corporations, raised food and energy costs, and slashed funding for health care and SNAP. Our children and our families are paying the price for their broken promises, and we have the receipts. We will continue to mobilize across the state to inform Pennsylvanians about these cuts.”

In Pennsylvania:

The average annual price of child care for two young children is $27,400.
The average monthly price of health insurance is $555 – up nearly 26 percent since 2025.
The average electricity bill is now $209.
Estimated average monthly grocery prices are now $1,130.

“Pennsylvanians don’t need anyone to tell them that the price is high—they are living it. A paycheck only goes so far when the cost of health care, groceries, child care, utilities and everything else a family needs keeps taking a bigger bite out of it,” said Felicity Williams, Executive Director of Pennsylvanians Together In Action. “But families also deserve to know how we got here. These lemonade stands are about connecting those kitchen-table costs to the choices being made in Washington. We’re putting campaign promises next to voting records, and those votes next to what families are experiencing across Pennsylvania. Pennsylvanians can see the record for themselves.”

The lemonade stands are part of Economic Security Project Action’s “The Price Is High” Week of Action from September 23-30, a coordinated, affordability-focused accountability push in key competitive districts across the country.

Magen Eissenstat
PR Solutions DC
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