JD Vance aims to calm affordability concerns in Lehigh Valley after Trump called it a "hoax"
Eastern Pennsylvania has been a popular destination for America's top two Republicans.
Just one week after President Trump rallied with supporters at Mount Airy Casino in Mount Pocono, Vice President JD Vance aimed to calm concerns over rising prices in the Lehigh Valley. Vance held his event Tuesday at a Uline facility in Alburtis, about 13 miles southwest of Allentown.
Vance touted the administration's tax cuts passed in the GOP's "Big, Beautiful Bill," saying middle-class Pennsylvanians should expect one of "the best tax seasons in 2026 that you've ever had." But much of his message around affordability focused on driving down the cost of energy.
"If we lower the price of energy, we lower the price of groceries, we lower the price of gasoline, and importantly, we bring good jobs back into this country so wages go up, that's how you give people a shot at the American dream again," Vance said.
Vance, like Mr. Trump a week ago in the Poconos, blamed economic challenges on the Biden administration and Democrats. But in a break from his boss, who has previously referred to affordability issues as a "hoax," Vance asked for "patience" in driving down the cost of living.
"Rome was not built in a day," Vance said. "But we are committed, every single day, to make sure every single American who works hard and plays by the rules, we want them to get a little bit richer every single day."
Affordability issues are top of mind for voters right now as we head into 2026 with key midterm elections set to decide which party controls Congress. A November CBS News poll found just 32% reported the economy as "good," the lowest rating of 2025.
Democrats say a focus on affordability helped propel them to big wins in November's gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair Eugene DePasquale says the back-to-back trips by Mr. Trump and Vance show the administration has taken note.
"It shows me they know they have a real problem," DePasquale said. "The affordability crisis is real for Pennsylvania families."
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the month ending September (the last data made available due to the federal government shutdown) saw inflation tick up to 3%, the same level it sat in January 2025 when Trump was inaugurated. Grocery prices were up 2.7% year-over-year, with things like beef rising even higher.
While gasoline prices were down 0.5% in the data, costs for electricity and natural gas were up.
"For the median family, those feelings are valid, a lot of that's driven by the things I mentioned: housing affordability, childcare affordability, utility costs," said Joshua Mask, an assistant professor in Temple University's Economics Department. "Until those things are addressed, and really until wages for that group start to outpace the prices of those things they pay, this is going to be a continual thing that they feel."
Mask said prices that began shooting up during the pandemic are unlikely to come back down, and that the solution to the issue is rising wages. Mask says wages are on track to outpace inflation this year.
However, he pointed to Tuesday's jobs report, the first from the federal government since the 43-day shutdown, which he says shows a "slow" labor market. That, Mask says, could slow wage gains.
"Being able to switch to a better job, being able to put pressure on your current employer because you have outside opportunities, you're not seeing a lot of that right now. So people aren't able to push their wages up," Mask said.