NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Rep. Pat Ryan is raising awareness about the concerns families across the Hudson Valley have regarding affordability. The congressman on Tuesday visited Alexis Diner in Newburgh for "kitchen table" conversations with housing experts, dairy farmers and child care experts.

The attendees held candid discussions about inflation prices, tariffs and the affordable housing crisis impacting New Yorkers. 

"The sum of what we're hearing and seeing in the last 57 days is it's mostly a lot of confusion, a lot of uncertaintly, volatility [and] risk," Ryan said. "I ran two businesses. The most dangerous thing to a business is uncertainty and risk."

Seasoned entrepreneurs like Rick Osofsky, owner of Ronnybrook Dairy Farm in Pine Plains, said despite his family business being around since the late 1930s, he's concerned for its future.

“Tariffs are a concern," Osofsky said. "We get a lot of our raw material in terms of packaging from Canada, and we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. And I’m just nervous about it. I don't know whether they're actually going to be implemented completely or not; I'm just hoping that they're not."

Whether you're running a dairy farm or a small business, RUPCO Chief Executive Officer Kevin O'Connor expressed his concerns to Ryan as they relate to affordable housing. O'Connor specializes in providing sustainable and affordable housing opportunities for communities across the state, yet said the cost of living is becoming unattainable for many people.

"I’m told we have two-bedroom units coming to the city of Beacon for $6,000 a month," O'Connor said. "Two-bedroom units for $6,000 a month! This is not pricing that’s generally affordable to folks. So, having some intervention in housing is important."

Ryan reiterated his plans for his affordability agenda. The Lower Grocery Prices Act, his first legislation of the 119th Congress, aims to lower costs for families concerned with groceries, prescription drugs, housing and Social Security.