American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten says the most effective way to address the United States' affordability crisis is to put cash back into people's wallets — and she is urging voters to elect a new Congress in the Nov. 3 midterm elections that is committed to passing the Working Americans' Tax Cut Act.

In a Fortune opinion piece published Nov. 1, two days before Election Day, Weingarten pushed back on President Trump's characterization of rising costs, writing that higher prices for American families are no hoax. Households, she argued, are paying more to fill their gas tanks, feed their families, and keep a roof over their heads, and the average family is paying $4,200 more for basic necessities since Trump returned to office.

The bill she backs would provide direct relief to working- and middle-class Americans. Under the proposal, the first $46,000 of income for individuals — and $92,000 for married couples — would be exempt from federal income taxes entirely, with a substantial additional tax cut for middle-class families.

Weingarten laid out several examples: a new graduate earning less than $46,000 at a first job would pay no federal income tax, which she called life-changing for someone just starting out; a nurse or teacher making $50,000 would receive a tax cut of approximately $2,800; and a family of four making $95,000 would receive a $6,000 tax cut.

“That's not pocket change,” she wrote, describing the measure as a significant economic boost that would help people afford the basic building blocks of a decent life, with relief spread widely across the country. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, the Working Americans' Tax Cut Act would benefit 130 million Americans, including 25 million children.

The tax cut, she argued, would not add a cent to the national debt because it would be paid for by requiring wealthy Americans to pay their fair share. Millionaires and billionaires would pay a new tiered surcharge on their wages and other income, such as capital gains and investments. The Yale Budget Lab estimates the surcharge would raise $1.46 trillion over 10 years. Weingarten said the approach would not only put cash in the hands of those who need it most but also restore fairness by creating a more progressive tax code and valuing work, adding that it is unconscionable for a hedge fund manager or a billionaire to pay less in federal taxes than a teacher or firefighter.

The legislation cannot advance, she wrote, unless voters elect a new Congress in November. Congressional Republicans have refused to even consider the bill and have already adjourned, which she described as abdicating their responsibility to help the people they represent.

Weingarten criticized the current Congress for spending the last two years acquiescing to the costly demands of President Trump. The only meaningful legislation it passed, she said, was Trump's so-called Big Beautiful Bill, which provided $1.3 trillion in tax cuts to the wealthy by cutting healthcare, reducing food assistance, raising student loan payments, and making life harder for American families. Some of the bill's worst impacts do not even take effect until January, she noted. She also pointed to the President's war with Iran, which she said has caused record prices at the pump and increased inflation.

All told, she wrote, Americans are paying on average 50% more for a gallon of gas since the Iran war started, while heating oil is up 60%. Because of the Big Beautiful Bill, the average family will pay $4,000 more on student loans, and those who get healthcare through the Affordable Care Act have seen premiums rise by 50%. Grocery prices are now 4% higher than when Trump took office, and families have had to spend an additional $833 on housing costs.

Working- and middle-class Americans need a tax cut, she argued, “and they need it now.” At the same time, she acknowledged the Working Americans' Tax Cut is not a panacea: the country must still fight to make healthcare and college affordable, increase the minimum wage, ensure a secure retirement for all, and strengthen the right of every worker to join a union and negotiate a better future with their coworkers.

The tax cut and the direct relief it provides, she concluded, would move the country closer to restoring the basic American bargain — that if you work hard, you should be able to provide a decent life for your family — but only if voters elect congressional majorities who commit to passing it.

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