Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost appeared on Jubilee’s debate program “Surrounded,” a format that places one guest at the center of a group of ideological opponents who rotate through short debates. In this episode, Frost was surrounded by 20 Baby Boomers for a wide-ranging exchange on affordability, taxation, government spending, socialism and whether the American Dream is still attainable.
The discussion centered on the rising cost of living, including groceries, housing, cars and medical care. Frost acknowledged the financial pressure facing Americans but argued the response should focus on broader economic policy rather than blaming any single generation.
“I want to teach people is that we’re going to make smart decisions as a nation, not just based on the fact that I went through this or you have to go through it, but how can we uplift our economy?” Frost said. “You saying that young people are all of a sudden going to think everything that can be paid for by other people is just not true. Why? We’re not dealing with one crisis here. It’s not just a crisis of student debt. We’re dealing with the housing affordability crisis. Healthcare is too expensive. Getting a car is too expensive. You were talking about the student loans on top of that, the groceries, every little thing that we consume in life has gone up.”
One of the Boomer participants offered a different explanation for rising prices, pointing to government policy rather than market forces alone.
“The reasons that things go up, three things, taxation, regulation, and currently illegal immigration,” the guest said.
The conversation also turned to taxation. Frost argued that taxes should not be understood as punishment but as a means of funding public services that benefit Americans broadly. Other participants pushed back on that framing, questioning the scale and direction of government spending it would support.
Participants also debated whether the American Dream remains achievable. Some in the group pointed to inflation, taxation, regulation and government spending as ongoing obstacles to economic mobility.
Frost, 29, became the first member of Generation Z elected to Congress. Before his election, he worked as an Uber driver while running for public office.
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