Jordan Wood is a candidate for Congress in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. He is the former chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter of California, vice president of End Citizens United and founder of democracyFIRST.

All Mainers know how serious our winters are. We know that when the cold sets in, keeping the heat on is not a choice. But for too many people across Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, the cost of heating oil has made winter harder and more stressful than it should be.

I hear it everywhere I go. People’s energy and heating bills are rising, and the cost of keeping your home warm is becoming unaffordable. Maine relies on heating oil more than most states, and that means when prices go up, we feel it quickly. When these costs go up, but your paycheck doesn’t, it forces families to choose between paying for groceries and filling the oil tank. This is a choice no family should be forced to make, but it is a reality for many in Maine and has been for far too long.  

I know because my family experienced it when I was growing up. In the 2000s, when the cost of heating oil in Maine hit a record high, increasing the price 40% in one year, my parents made hard choices to keep our house warm. Like so many Maine families who live paycheck to paycheck, we made it work with wool socks, the fireplace, extra blankets and sweaters. 

This is what the affordability crisis is all about: the unpredictable, skyrocketing costs of the necessities required to live and raise a family. In America, we need to make it possible to live and raise a family and that means making basic needs — housing, child care, energy and health care — affordable. 

The affordability crisis facing working families isn’t an accident, it’s the result of a broken political system that gives big corporations, special interests and the wealthy too much power. This is what happens when politicians prioritize the needs of campaign donors over the needs of regular people. Families end up paying more for heat, more for housing, more for child care and more for health care — while feeling like they’re falling further behind.

We don’t have to accept that.

We need to make sure help is there when families need it. Programs like LIHEAP help people pay for heating oil in the winter, but too often the money runs out, or the process is confusing. If someone needs help keeping the heat on, it should be easy to get and there when it’s needed.

We also need to help people lower their bills over time. Heat pumps and newer heating systems can save money, but the upfront cost keeps many families from even considering them. Rebates and financing should make these options possible for everyday families, not just people who already have money in the bank.

At the end of the day, this is about priorities. I don’t take corporate PAC money because I believe members of Congress should answer to the people they represent, not to the companies that benefit when prices keep rising. We need leaders who are focused on lowering costs — whether it’s heating your home, paying for child care, affording rent or seeing a doctor.

Maine people are tough. We look out for each other and get through long winters by sticking together. But we shouldn’t settle for a system where staying warm — or raising a family — feels this hard.

If I’m elected to Congress, my focus will be simple: lower costs, fix what’s broken and make sure Maine families can get by without constant worry. Keeping the heat on shouldn’t be something people fear every time winter comes around.

In Maine, staying warm — and getting by — shouldn’t feel this hard.