Richard Stern, vice president of the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise, spoke with Fox News Digital about a new report from Advancing American Freedom focused on improving affordability for Americans. As Americans continue to feel the pressure of high housing, food and energy costs, affordability has become a defining issue ahead of November’s midterm elections, with both parties under pressure to show voters that they can lower the cost of living. Now, a new report from the conservative group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence offers its own prescription, laying out 10 proposals aimed at reducing costs by reducing bureaucracy and increasing production across the economy. “Yes, there is an unaffordability crisis, and it’s the government’s fault,” Richard Stern, vice president of the Plymouth Free Enterprise Institute at Advancing American Freedom (AAF), told Fox News Digital. That argument is at the center of the report, “10 Ways to Improve Affordability Now at 10 Levels of the Economy,” which calls affordability “the No. 1 issue facing the American people” and focuses on the costs associated with housing, energy and business, among others. The report’s proposals range from easing zoning restrictions and expanding access to oil and gas to overhauling Social Security and SNAP eligibility, echoing parts of President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda. But the conservative plan breaks with Trump on two key issues for the wallet: tariffs and credit card interest rates. DO YOU THINK YOUR STATE IS EXPENSIVE? NEW DATA REVEALS WHERE AMERICANS FACE THE HIGHEST COST OF LIVING President Donald Trump has defended tariffs as a tool to protect American industries and boost domestic production. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Getty Images) On trade, the report argues that Trump’s sweeping tariffs have come at a cost to American consumers and the broader economy, raising prices, straining American alliances and creating nearly 900,000 fewer jobs than expected. The AAF authors call for returning more tariff authority to Congress. But while the report paints a bleak picture of the broader economic impact of the tariffs, they have generated a windfall for Washington. In January alone, tariffs totaled $30.4 billion, up about 242% from $8.9 billion a year earlier, according to Treasury data. On housing, the report blamed zoning restrictions for driving families away from jobs and making homeownership more difficult for younger Americans. Those costs can be substantial. The National Association of Home Builders estimates that government regulations account for approximately 26% of the price of a new single-family home. SURPRISING HIDDEN COST THAT SILENTLY ADDS NEARLY $132,000 TO NEW HOME PRICES REVEALED Housing industry leaders say states that have prioritized housing construction have been better positioned to accommodate population growth and economic expansion. (Joshua Lott/Bloomberg/Getty Images/Getty Images) The report recommends limiting local zoning restrictions, expediting approval of projects that comply with existing rules, and tying roughly $50 billion in annual federal housing aid to zoning reform. In energy, the proposal calls for more oil and gas leasing and rejecting state bans on fracking. Stern argued that more domestic production could reduce costs across the economy because energy affects “every good we trade, every service provided.” CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP The cost of living remains a major concern for Americans as households face high prices for everyday needs. (Li Rui/Xinhua via Getty Images / Getty Images) Stern warned that economic frustration can turn Americans against each other, making them “see each other as enemies, and that’s what socialism is.” “I hope people can learn from this, that the problem is not the companies,” he said. “It’s not business people. It’s not other Americans. It’s the government.”
