For Immediate Release: August 4, 2025 

Contact: press@borrowersaction.org

 

MAGA Republicans Advised to Avoid Their Constituents After Inflicting Repeated Pocketbook Pain 

President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ Broken Promise to Reduce the Cost of Living for Americans Means Lawmakers are Likely to Skip Out on Town Halls During the August Recess

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WASHINGTON, D.C.  — Last month, the House of Representatives fled Washington, but do not expect to see them at in-person town halls with their constituents any time soon. They know that their votes for the GOP’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” along with six months of Trump’s actions, are deeply unpopular with borrowers, consumers, and working families back home. 

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“Congressional Republicans and President Trump have inflicted unprecedented economic pain on student loan borrowers and working families all over the country,” said Aissa Canchola Bañez, Political Director for Protect Borrowers Action. “The GOP has voted over and over to give tax breaks to billionaires and corporations paid for on the backs of working people. It is no wonder they would rather run from their constituents than answer for their indefensible record that robs millions of their healthcare and raises costs on everything from food and housing to college tuition."

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The Republican “One Big Beautiful Bill” raided the social safety net in order to deliver huge tax cuts for billionaires and the biggest corporations in the world. It also rewards predatory private student loan companies, multimillionaires passing down their estates tax free, and repeat corporate lawbreakers—all while consumer complaints submitted to the CFPB have spiked to 10 million— as student loan borrowers, veterans, and medical debtors are left at the mercy of predatory corporations with no watchdog to help them. 

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Here are just some of the ways that President Trump and Congressional Republicans have pushed millions further into debt and ballooned the cost of living in the United States—breaking their campaign promise to do the exact opposite:

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• On August 1st, the Trump Administration forced nearly 8 million student loan borrowers to pay $3,500 per year in unnecessary interest charges. For a detailed state-by-state breakdown on how much borrowers in each state could expect to pay in unnecessary interest on their student loans, click here.
   

• Congressional Republicans voted to increase the typical annual student loan bill by $2,928 after July 1, 2026, compared to the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan. For a detailed district-by-district and state-by-state breakdown on how many borrowers could see higher payments, click here.
   

• Congressional Republicans voted to terminate or severely cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for 22.3 million families—with an average cut of $146 per month.
   

• Congressional Republicans voted to increase premiums by $624 for those who get their health care through the Affordable Care Act. That is in addition to the 10.3 million Americans estimated to lose their Medicaid coverage and an estimated 6.1 million who will lose their health insurance.
   

• Congressional Republicans voted to increase household energy costs by $110 a year, with those residing in Wyoming, North Carolina, and Tennessee paying $200 more a year, due  to the near full repeal of clean electricity tax credits.
   

• Congressional Republicans forced consumers who use overdraft protection to pay $250 more annually, as a result of its move to overturn CFPB’s Overdraft Rule. For a state-by-state breakdown on overdraft related CFPB complaints, click here.
   

• Congressional Republicans increased by $160 the annual amount the average taxpayer will spend on filing their federal taxes online by ending the IRS Direct File’s free service.​

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In a survey conducted by Morning Consult in June, The Century Foundation asked 2,007 Americans how they are managing amid the high cost of living in today’s economy. 60% of those polled placed the blame on President Trump for driving up the cost of living, and a majority said they believe that billionaires, corporations, and congressional Republicans have made their lives harder. The poll also revealed widespread financial insecurity and a greater reliance on borrowing that could have economy-wide consequences. 

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Voters are demanding answers. Representatives who won their seats last November by incredibly slim margins – like Reps. Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Zach Nunn (IA-03), Scott Perry (PA-10), Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), and Rep. Gabe Evans (CO-08) – appear to be on the run from facing their constituents. 

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About Protect Borrowers Action

Protect Borrowers Action educates, activates, and mobilizes Americans with student debt to hold right-wing officials accountable for their efforts to deny borrowers life-changing relief and keep them drowning in student debt. PBA is a fiscally sponsored project of Fund for a Better Future, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization. Learn more at borrowersaction.org.