America Needs to Get its Priorities Straight

By Marc H. Morial, Chicago Sun Times

Last month in Nashville, at the National Urban League Conference, I delivered the 2026 State of the Urban League address with a simple message: America is facing a crisis of priorities.

As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, we should be asking whether the American Dream is becoming more attainable or slipping further out of reach.

For too many Americans, the answer is obvious.

Housing costs have skyrocketed. Healthcare remains unaffordable for millions. Childcare strains family budgets. Young people wonder whether they’ll ever be able to buy a home. Even Americans with good jobs often feel one unexpected expense away from financial trouble.

This is not a crisis of resources. It is a crisis of priorities.

The United States remains the wealthiest nation in the world. We have the capacity to expand affordable housing, strengthen schools, improve healthcare access, modernize infrastructure, and create pathways to economic mobility. The question is not whether we can afford to make these investments. The question is why we so often choose not to.

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