It's no secret that young Americans are struggling. Fewer children than ever outearn their parents. Over 15 percent of Gen Zers max out their credit card monthly. The rise of the "stay-at-home son" is here. There are signs everywhere that our system is broken, but you don't need statistics to see that. Any student, parent or recent graduate can tell you that we're letting our young people fall behind.
As a mom of four, these issues are personal to me. And I know they're personal to a lot of Americans too. As someone who has only ever run -- and won -- tough campaigns, I know well that those are the issues we need to focus on. I'm a Democrat who flipped a Republican seat in the general election, becoming one of only seven members of Congress to do so last cycle. I won because voters trusted that I'd focus on real problems and common-sense, bipartisan solutions.
That's why I introduced by K-30 platform: a bold, practical agenda and commitment for Democrats to support young Americans from kindergarten through age 30.
In the 2024 election, Gen Z voters shifted 21 points away from Democrats compared to 2020. That didn't happen by accident, and I can't say I'm surprised. For too long, Democrats have taken young voters for granted instead of actually earning their support. If we don't tackle the issues that shape their daily lives, we can kiss our electoral chances goodbye.
Fortunately, we don't need to guess what those issues are. Young Americans are telling us exactly what troubles them: things cost too much and opportunity feels too scarce. My K-30 platform addresses those problems by focusing on three key pillars that are ripe for bipartisan action: education, jobs and housing.
Education
Opportunity begins with education. Our students are the building blocks of our future and we need to invest in their education. My K-30 package includes legislation to rebuild rural education by surging teachers to underfunded areas, to ensure our kids have access to the mental health and disability resources they need to succeed and to make applying to college and trade school more affordable.
Jobs
I tell my kids all the time that we have to get them "off payroll." Plenty of parents can relate to seeing their kids enter the workforce, but still come home to "shop" from their pantry because groceries are cheaper there than at the store. That's a sign that our economy is failing young workers.
If our kids do everything that's asked of them -- go to school, work hard, graduate -- there should be good-paying opportunities in front of them. I've already had three bills pass the House to help small businesses start, grow and stay open. The jobs pillar of K-30 builds on that work by investing in local industries, revitalizing rural economies and ensuring people already in the workforce don't have to choose between their job and their family.
Housing
No package aimed at helping young people would be complete without a focus on housing. Parents want our kids living down the street, not downstairs. But due to the astronomical cost of buying a home, that's just not a reality for far too many Americans. For the first time ever, the average age of a first-time home buyer rose to 40 years old. That means our kids can do everything right and still wait nearly two decades to afford a home -- the goalposts keep getting moved. That's not sustainable.
My goal is to bring the average first-time home buyer age back down to 30 years old. One of the main reasons housing is so expensive is that we don't have enough homes. It's estimated that the United States has a shortage of nearly 5 million homes. K-30 focuses on increasing the housing supply by matching first-time home buyers' savings, reducing the tax burden on new developments and training more home builders. The more housing we can build, the more costs will come down.
At the end of the day, this isn't about political parties or policy specifics. It's about trust -- and whether we're willing to keep our promise to the next generation. Millions of young Americans did exactly what's been asked of them, but our country isn't returning the favor. K-30 will build a foundation to empower America's next generation and show them that Democrats have their backs. If we want young people to believe in America's future, it's time for America to start believing in them.
Janelle Bynum, a Democrat, represents Oregon's Fifth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.