Alabama lawmakers this week addressed concerns about the rising cost of living after a Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality analysis found nearly three-quarters of state residents struggle to afford at least one essential need such as housing, food, health care or childcare.
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala. said she is working on multiple fronts to reduce costs for residents.
As chair of the Housing, Transportation, and Community Development Subcommittee of the Senate Banking Committee, Britt helped pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which included several of her bills aimed at making housing more affordable, the senator’s team highlighted in an email to AL.com Friday.
Britt also played a role in passing the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which eliminated taxes on tips, overtime and social security.
“She believes we have an obligation to get prices down and is committed to working around the clock to make the lives of all Americans more affordable,” the email read.
Britt also supported the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which was signed into law last week.
She said in the email that Russia’s war with Ukraine has increased oil, gas and food prices by limiting fertilizer and wheat supplies, and the legislation aims to provide economic tools to end the conflict and reduce prices.
The affordability issue has become a central theme in Alabama’s congressional race between state Rep. Rhett Marques, a Republican from Enterprise, and U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Democrat from Mobile.
Marques said in an email to AL.com Thursday that residents across the district are struggling financially and blamed Figures for voting against what he described as the largest tax cut in U.S. history.
He accused Figures of voting to spend tax dollars on benefits for people in the country illegally and voting against the Stop Insider Trading Act.
Marques said he would address affordability by ending government waste, stopping illegal immigration, achieving domestic energy dominance, supporting a balanced budget amendment and bringing manufacturing jobs to Alabama.
“All across this district, I am hearing from Alabamians who are stretching every dollar to make ends meet,” Marques said.
“But the answer isn’t the radical woke policies supported by AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and Shomari Figures that cost our families their hard-earned money.”
Figures countered that President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are responsible for high costs.
He said Trump’s trade policies and what he called an unnecessary war with Iran have driven up prices while Republicans fail to intervene.
“Trump’s priority is getting richer and giving tax breaks to his billionaire friends while people in Alabama can’t afford food and healthcare,” Figures wrote in an email to AL.com Thursday.
“Rhett Marques would be just another Trump enabler in Congress, doing only what Trump says do, regardless of how hard it makes life for people here at home on Alabama.”
The election is scheduled for Nov. 3.
Efforts to reach gubernatorial candidates U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. and Doug Jones for comment were not immediately successful.
Tuberville came under fire this week after he said in an interview with CNN that Alabama residents will “deal with” high gas and diesel prices to support the war in Iran, with some calling the comment out of touch.
In a campaign ad released Sept. 8, Tuberville positioned his fiscal policies against those of Democrats as he seeks the Alabama governorship.
The ad, titled “bumper sticker,” frames the political divide through competing slogans.
Tuberville characterizes the Democratic approach as “more taxes, less results” while promoting his own message of “less taxes, more results.”
In the advertisement, Tuberville highlights his record in the Senate, stating he helped pass what he calls “the largest working-class tax cuts in history” and “delivered Alabama its biggest tax refund ever.”
Looking ahead to a potential gubernatorial term, Tuberville outlined specific tax reduction proposals.
He pledged to eliminate the state’s grocery tax and implement audits of state spending.
“As your governor, I’ll cut taxes even further, starting with the elimination of the state’s grocery tax,” Tuberville said in the ad.
“And I’ll audit every state dollar, ensuring your tax dollars deliver real results.”
Jones, who formerly represented Alabama in the U.S. Senate from 2018-2021, lists the affordability crisis as one of his priorities as the possible future governor of Alabama.
His affordability plan, posted on his campaign site, proposes suspending the state gas tax during price spikes, fully eliminating taxes on groceries, raising the minimum wage and reforming utility oversight.
Jones frames the proposal as addressing immediate financial pressures while building toward long-term solutions.
“Affordability isn’t just a slogan, it’s what families feel at the gas pump, in the grocery aisle, and when the bills come due,” according to the campaign plan.
“Doug’s priority is simple: deliver immediate relief now and raise take-home pay long-term so Alabama families can breathe again.”
The plan identifies rising costs at gas pumps, grocery stores and in monthly bills as squeezing Alabama families, with wages failing to keep pace.
The proposal also points to utility decisions being made without meaningful public input or accountability.
On wages, Jones proposes raising the minimum wage alongside broader strategies to help workers earn more.
The plan calls for renewing a “no tax on overtime” law so additional work hours result in higher take-home pay.
For utility costs, the plan advocates keeping the Public Service Commission accountable to voters and pushing for public representation at commission meetings.
According to the proposal, current utility decisions impact what families pay monthly without adequate public involvement.
“Families aren’t looking for excuses — they’re looking for leadership,” the site reads.
“Doug’s plan starts with relief, then moves to reforms that raise incomes and lower costs for the long haul.”
