U.s. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Visits Chicago Suburbs To Talk About Cost Of Living

U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who serves as House Minority Leader in Congress, visited Winnetka on Tuesday to highlight what he called a growing national affordability crisis.

Jeffries, a Democrat from New York,  joined U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, also a Democrat, who represents many north Cook County and Lake County suburbs in Congress, for a roundtable discussion with local business owners, housing advocates and social service providers in Schneider’s 10th District.

The event brought together representatives from organizations serving residents in Cook, Lake and McHenry counties, including a Northbrook mental health clinic, to discuss rising costs for housing, food, health care and child care.

“The state of the real economy in America is a mess. There is an affordability crisis that is not a hoax. It is very real,” Jeffries said at a press conference following the roundtable. “That point was brought home clearly during this discussion.”

“People are struggling with housing costs. People are struggling with health care costs. People are struggling with the cost of groceries. People are struggling with childcare costs. People are struggling with the cost of running a small business, particularly as a result of the Trump tariffs.”

Seeking to position themselves ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, Jeffries said Democrats are holding similar conversations around the country as they work to address cost-of-living pressures.

“We need to act decisively and get this situation turned around so we can bring the American Dream to life for everyone,” he said.

Schneider said the discussion focused on how inflation and higher living expenses are affecting working families in the region.

“Over the past year, life has gotten not just more expensive for the American people, it has gotten to the point that the American Dream seems out of reach for many people — an impossible dream,” Schneider said.

He described affordability as more than covering basic expenses.

“Affordability means not just getting by, it means being able to get ahead and to build a better future for yourself, for your community and your family — to pay your bills, save for the future and maybe take a vacation,” he said.

Also participating was New Trier Township Supervisor Gail Schnitzer Eisenberg, who outlined local indicators of financial strain among residents.

She said some community members are working, raising families and contributing locally but still struggling to make ends meet. While the Cook County minimum wage is $15 per hour, she said the estimated living wage for a family of four with two working parents exceeds $29 per hour, and $42.65 per hour if only one parent is working.

Schnitzer Eisenberg added that the township has seen a 110% increase in food pantry usage since 2015, along with a rise in requests for emergency financial assistance for housing and special needs.

“These are not people who lack work ethic,” she said. “The numbers simply cannot not add up.”

Rob Anthony of Community Partners for Affordable Housing said rent and home prices are increasing at two to four times the rate of income.

“There’s a widening gap and it’s not that people are not working hard or doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” he added, “but there’s a structural problem where income is not keeping up with home prices and it’s creating a widening gap for people.

“In the Chicago area, someone would have to earn $33.87 per hour just to afford a two-bedroom apartment. Compare that to the minimum wage of $15 per hour. So someone would have to work more than two full time jobs to afford a two bedroom apartment.”