Thank you for contacting me about rising costs. As a former Navy pilot, combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut, it is an honor to continue my service to our country representing Arizona in the United States Senate. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on the issues facing our state and our country. Hearing from Arizonans helps me better serve our state, and I hope you will continue to share your perspective and suggestions.

          I know that families in Arizona have been struggling with the rising cost of gas, groceries, housing, and other necessities. It’s something I’ve heard from Arizonans in every corner of our state and tackling it is my top priority. That’s why I‘ve continued to push the administration to take immediate steps to bring down rising costs and why I’m working in the Senate to deliver relief for Arizona families, whether it’s by cutting the federal gas tax, boosting our trucking workforce to ease supply chain bottlenecks, or bringing back American jobs and manufacturing to reduce our reliance on foreign countries for essential items.

          Arizonans are paying some of the highest prices for gas we have seen in years. That’s why I introduced the Gas Prices Relief Act, which would get rid of the federal gas tax for the rest of the year. That tax is about eighteen cents per gallon, and suspending it would provide relief to Arizona families who are commuting to work, school, and the store. I’ve also urged President Biden to outline his administration’s plans to tackle the rising cost of gas prices.. This includes increasing domestic oil and gas production, safeguarding our energy infrastructure from disruptions in the supply chain, preventing cyber-attacks on refineries and pipelines, and preparing for and mitigating the effects of extreme weather events.

In the United States, the increase in food prices has tripled beyond the 10-year average. I’ve urged the Biden administration to take specific, immediate steps to address high food prices facing Arizonans by ensuring big corporations do not artificially raise prices and alleviating the strain on our food supply chain.  In my letter to the heads of the Departments of Agriculture and Transportation, I laid out key ways the administration can help Arizona families squeezed by rising food prices and called for them to crack down on corporate price gouging and support competition within the meatpacking industry in order to lower meat prices. I also urged the administration to create an interagency working group within the supply chain task force exclusively focused on lowering food prices for middle class families, cut red tape to boost the commercial trucking workforce, and reduce costs of fertilizers, pesticides, and fuel for farmers and ranchers. At my urging, the Biden administration announced it would take some of these steps to lower food prices, alleviate the strain on the food supply chain, crack down on anti-competitive behaviors, and ensure big corporations do not artificially raise prices.

          Additionally, on February 2nd, I introduced the Licensing Individual Commercial Exam-takers Now Safely and Efficiently (LICENSE) Act with Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), which would help address supply chain shortages and increase the number of truck drivers transporting goods in the U.S. This bill would streamline burdensome licensing regulations by making permanent several waivers that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic last November.By cutting red tape and boosting our trucking workforce, this would ensure so we can safely and quickly deliver essential supplies and goods across the country to ease supply chain bottlenecks that are raising cost.

          I am also working to lower health care and prescription drug costs for Arizonans. I introduced a bill to cap the monthly out-of-pocket cost of insulin at $35, and am a cosponsor of the Empowering Medicare Seniors to Negotiate Drug Prices Act of 2021, legislation that would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to directly negotiate with drug companies for price discounts for the Medicare Prescription Drug Program and eliminate the provision that bans Medicare from negotiating for better prices. This would drive down prescription drug costs for Arizonans.

          I know how challenging it has been for Arizonans facing rising costs. Arizona families cannot continue to bear the cost of price volatility present within our food supply chains and at the gas station, and the federal government can do more to help. Rest assured I will remain committed to working with my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, to find common-ground solutions that lower costs for Arizonans.

          Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this issue, and I hope you will continue to contact my office with any future comments or questions. I’m committed to being transparent and accountable with all Arizonans, which is why I release my official Senate schedule at kelly.senate.gov. There you can also receive assistance with a federal agency and learn more about my work as Arizona’s senator.

Sincerely,