EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The Joint Economic Committee minority branch, a Democratic congressional group that studies the U.S. economy, released a study finding that El Paso families have spent over $3,000 more under the Trump administration.
Below is a breakdown of how much El Pasoans have had to spend more on everyday essentials such as housing, food and healthcare since President Trump took office:
Housing
$281 more on housing costs such as rent and mortgage. Groceries
$310 more during President Trump’s first year, adding that prices have risen 4 percent since then, pointing out that the average price of ground beef has risen almost every month to what they say is now a “record high of more than $7 per pound, and that coffee prices have gone higher as well, saying that it is now over $9 per pound. Energy
$853 more per El Paso family– adding that the whole El Paso area has paid a total of $218 million more since the start of the Iran war– and $83 more in electricity in the first year that Trump took office, and $76 more in the first seven months of 2026, compared to that same period in 2024.Healthcare
Monthly premiums for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans rose over 50 percent on average in 2026 compared to 2025, and deductibles, they said, have “surged to record highs,” rising by more than $1,000 on average.
RECOMMENDED: El Paso gas prices near $4.50 a gallon, as drivers look for ways to cut costs
The study blames what they called “Trump’s reckless tariffs and war in Iran.”
The study cites data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index and Average Price Data, Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, Joint Economic Committee–Republicans, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Walmart.com, AAA.com, Federal Highway Administration, Energy Information Administration, Brookings (Tomer and Swedberg, April 27, 2026), Kaiser Family Foundation.
Attached is the fact sheet the JEC provided:
tx-16_inflation_fact_sheet_september_2026PDF previewPreview PDF
Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar released the following statement saying that President Trump’s decisions have had “devastating” consequences to the El Paso economy.
The Trump economy has had a crushing impact on our community. Families in El Paso have had to pay thousands of dollars more for goods and services as a result of devastating decisions that Donald Trump and Republicans have made over these last two years. Despite repeated promises from Donald Trump to end inflation on day 1, his policies have increased the cost of living and created an economic crisis. This report is further proof that El Pasoans should take him and his party at his word when he says that he doesn’t think about Americans’ financial situations at all.
RECOMMENDED: El Paso utility bills surge as low-income energy aid program limits assistance
KFOX14/CBS4 has reached out to the Republican branch of the JEC for comment.
This story will be updated once we get a response.
Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox.