Lower Costs for Everyday Americans Act
Lower Costs for Everyday Americans Act is a broad, multi-division bill introduced in the House by Rep. Pallone on March 3, 2025. It packages initiatives across recycling and environmental programs, commerce and consumer protections, and health policy, with the common goal of reducing costs for households and consumers. The proposal includes new or expanded funding authorities (notably for recycling infrastructure and safe drinking water), reauthorizations of several energy/health programs, and a suite of consumer-facing transparency and safety measures (from hotel and ticket pricing to smart-device disclosures). It also touches on supply chain resilience and technology policy, and it makes a wide range of health-care changes intended to save money for beneficiaries and the government over time. Because many provisions reference authorizations rather than direct spending, the bill would depend on appropriations and agency rulemaking to implement. The act envisions a governance role for agencies such as the EPA, HHS, FTC, Department of Commerce, and others, with Congress directing reporting requirements, program design, and oversight. Some provisions explicitly authorize funding (for example, a Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program with defined caps and set-asides), while others direct reauthorizations or new authorities without attaching new appropriations. In short, the bill aims to lower costs by expanding infrastructure, increasing transparency, protecting consumers, and strengthening domestic supply chains and health programs—while laying out a wide, interagency implementation path.
Key Points
- 1Recycling accountability and infrastructure program
- 2- Creates a Recycling and Composting Accountability Act and a Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program to fund projects that improve recycling access, especially in underserved communities, using a hub-and-spoke model. It requires inventories of facilities, data reporting, and periodic Congress-facing reports. The program structures include a substantial federal role (with set-asides for underserved areas and limits on federal cost share, plus a minimum grant size). A pilot program is funded and first-year funding is specified.
- 3Drinking water infrastructure risk and resilience funding
- 4- Expands and updates funding for drinking water risk and resilience programs, adjusting timelines and grant/loan amounts (e.g., increasing certain funding levels and shifting applicable years to 2026–2027). This is intended to bolster safe water infrastructure and reduce long-run costs associated with water threats.
- 5Lowering prescription drug costs
- 6- Strengthens oversight and transparency around prescription drug pricing, including pharmacy benefit managers, rebates, and generic drug application transparency. This package is designed to reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients and improve price signals in the drug market.
- 7Consumer pricing transparency and protections
- 8- Advances price transparency and consumer protection across several markets: prohibits deceptive hotel pricing, requires all-inclusive ticket price disclosures (and sets rules for refunds and anti-bot enforcement), and requires disclosure of camera/recording capabilities in certain internet-connected devices. The Federal Trade Commission would enforce these protections, helping consumers avoid surprise fees and opaque pricing.
- 9Health care access and affordability through Medicaid/Medicare provisions
- 10- Streamlines Medicaid enrollment for eligible out-of-state providers; expands home- and community-based services; extends telehealth flexibilities; and preserves or extends other Medicare/Medicaid provisions intended to improve access and reduce costs for beneficiaries (including coverage and service delivery flexibilities, and program integrity improvements). These changes aim to lower costs by broadening access and reducing unnecessary or duplicative spending.