Senator Ruben Gallego Introduces Three Proposals to Help Expand the Middle Class

This week, Senator Ruben Gallego continued adding to his menu of policy proposals to help expand the Middle Class in the country.

After introducing plans to increase access to affordable energy and housing, the Senator unveiled The Strong Start Act, which builds on one of the few positive policy components of Trump’s Big Billionaires First Bill by:

• “Establishing a $3,000 New Child Tax Credit to be paid to parents as a one-time payment as soon as 30-days after birth.
• Changing the name of Trump Accounts to American Dream Accounts and make the $1,000 government contribution permanent, indexed to inflation.
• Automatically enrolling newborns into the program, reducing the logistical burden on families.
• Adding an additional $500 yearly government contribution for children ages 0 to 17 from households with incomes below $75,000 ($150,000 for married joint filers), indexed to inflation.
• Adding an additional $250 yearly government contribution ($750 in total) for children from Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)-eligible families per year, indexed to inflation.
• Creating a $1 to $1 match on individual contributions, not to exceed $250 per year, for households eligible for the EITC.”

It should be noted that former Vice President Kamala Harris laid out similar proposals in her 2024 Presidential run.

Commenting on the plan in a press release, Senator Gallego wrote:

“As a father of three, I understand just how expensive it is to welcome a child. From the crib and car seat to the seemingly endless diapers and wipes, the costs add up fast. And those costs are just the beginning of what kids need to grow up financially secure. This bill is about ensuring every American child gets a strong start in life. It’s about getting us one step closer to making sure every kid, no matter their circumstances, can achieve the American dream. I’ll fight for this bill because it what kids and their parents deserve.”

Later on social media, the Senator said:

“Thank you for joining me on my continuing tour of how to make the Middle Class, the real Middle Class, like it used to be…the Strong Start Act. Working-Class families get a little money as the baby is born so they can buy some necessary goods for them to have a strong start. And what does that look like? When you have a newborn, for those that don’t know, it costs a lot of money. That means cribs. That means strollers. That means car seats. It means buying as many diapers in bulk wipes. My bill is going to give that family three thousand dollars in the first month of their baby being born. That could also be used to, for example, pay down your co-pay on your insurance. I’m still paying off parts of Cooper’s Insurance co-pays from his birth.”

“The second part of that is the American Dream Bond. Basically, what it does is every child in this country is automatically going to get a thousand-dollar bond in their name, and you could go every year, and parents and people at family parties can just add more and more money to them by the time it matures, when they’re 18, they could use that money for whatever they want. It’s basically if you’re born the United States, you’re going to get this right away, and you’re going to be able to use it…This is how we start creating the real middle class, the middle class that actually has spending power that has opportunity to enjoy life, invest in themselves, invest in their families, and actually, really live part of the American Dream.”

Rebuilding the middle class starts with families.

The Strong Start Act gives parents $3,000 when their baby is born and sets every child up with a $1,000 bond that will grow over their lifetime that they can cash in when they’re 18. It’s about helping families stay afloat early… pic.twitter.com/DHfUpIqo4W

— Senator Ruben Gallego (@SenRubenGallego) February 3, 2026

Commenting on Senator Gallego’s Strong Start Act, Third Way Communication Director Kate deGruyter told Blog for Arizona:

“Senator Gallego’s legislation is so timely and smart. We’re big fans. This strategy to start building wealth at birth is part of how we create a revolution in wealth attainment for working families. It tracks with our focus at Third Way on giving every American a slice of the growing economy, which we expand on in this recent paper.”

Zach Moller, Senior Director of Third Way’s Economic Program also said of Gallego’s program:

“Senator Gallego’s forward-thinking bill would make a big difference for working families in Arizona and across the country. The Strong Start Act not only helps parents afford the huge expenses that come with having a new child, but also gives that child a leg up on building wealth for their future. It’s an idea that should have strong support.”

Senator Gallego, with other Senate colleagues, held a press event, announcing a new effort to further reduce prescription medication prices after drug companies announced the raising on 948 medicine costs at the start of the New Year.

In his comments at the event, Senator Gallego said:

“We’re not going to accept an America where millions of families live in that fear, in that world. Nobody should have to choose between prescription or making rent. That is not the country you want. We need to be on the side of working people.”

Citing the experiences of one of his constituents who has lung disease and his own mother, Gallego noted:

“The doctor wrote prescriptions, and her inhaler cost $471 for just three months supply. (This) is a result of our broken health care system…Two-thirds of Americans say that prescription costs are a financial burden for them. Ten percent state say it is a catastrophic burden. My mom was one of those people…We had to struggle for every dollar we could. I remember growing up, after going to bed, hearing her crying in the middle of the night over all the stress of having to make ends meet. I remember her every day, trying to make, get that dollar stretch.”

In a press release, the Senator wrote:

“When Big Pharma gets richer off the back of a grandmother struggling to pay for cancer medication, the system is broken. That’s what this is all about: big pharma execs sitting in their fancy corner offices profiting off of sick, working-class Americans. We are not going to accept an America where millions of families live in fear of getting sick and needing to fill a prescription. We are going to fight and fight hard for a health care system that does what Donald Trump never did: actually lower costs for working families.”

On Gallego and his Senate colleagues efforts to further reduce drug prescription prices, Third Way’s deGruyter told Blog for Arizona:

“We are very supportive of capping drug costs for employees at the same $2,000 level as Democrats enacted for Medicare. We’re also thrilled to see Gallego continue to prioritize affordability and lowering costs in essentials from housing to medicine.”

Yesterday, February 5, the Senator released his proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $20.00 an hour over three years in the Give America a Raise Act.

The measure would also “index the minimum wage to the higher of either inflation or GDP growth – ensuring that when prices go up, wages keep up and that when the economy is doing well, working people share in the success they helped create.”

Commenting on this proposal in a press release, Gallego stated:

“Across the country, people are struggling to make ends meets. But as the cost of groceries, housing, and utilities continue to go up, the minimum wage has remained stagnate for over a decade. No one who works full-time in this country should live in poverty. Building an economy that works for working people starts with ensuring not just a minimum wage but a living wage, and that’s what this bill does.”

Later on social media, the Senator posted:

It’s time for the minimum wage to be a livable wage. pic.twitter.com/iNWS2bW6im

— Senator Ruben Gallego (@SenRubenGallego) February 6, 2026