New Democrat Coalition releases a ‘clear strategy’ affordability plan

The House’s New Democrat Coalition on Wednesday unveiled a plan to tackle the “affordability crisis,” saying it would lower the costs of groceries, health care, housing, family care and energy.

The group of 115 center-left lawmakers focuses on what they call “common-sense” solutions as Democrats focus their midterm election campaigns on the economy and voters’ dissatisfaction with high prices.

“Our Affordability Agenda represents bold policy ideas from some of the brightest minds in Congress, and a path forward for lawmakers to empower everyday people to reach their full economic potential,” Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois, the coalition’s chairman, said in a statement.

For groceries and household essentials, the coalition suggests rolling back President Trump’s tariffs and making U.S. products more competitive abroad.

They also want to increase the minimum wage while supporting family farms and small and midsize businesses, though higher wages typically hurt small businesses.

Mr. Trump has long said that tariffs will bring respect back to the U.S. after being taken advantage of for years and that they’ll reduce trade deficits. Democrats insist that it is Americans who pay the price of higher tariffs.

The proposals for helping health care affordability include extending the enhanced Obamacare subsidies, an idea Democrats pushed for last year and shut down the government for 43 days in a failed bid to force more taxpayer support for health insurance premiums.

The coalition also called for fully funding Medicaid and strengthening Medicare.

For housing, they proposed cutting red tape and updating permitting and zoning to increase home building, along with converting wasted properties to housing units and building more affordable homes by increasing low-income housing. 

The plan also calls for the elimination of “unfair tax breaks for private equity and large investors,” a similar proposal to Mr. Trump’s recent order banning institutional investors from buying single-family homes.

“New Dems know that we can’t truly lower the cost of living if we don’t quickly make housing more affordable and accessible to current and future generations,” said Rep. Emilia Sykes of Ohio, who leads the group’s housing task force.

To lower energy costs, the blueprint proposes an overhaul of permitting rules to speed up and lower the cost of building energy transmission and infrastructure. 

And for families, they want a national paid family and medical leave program for all Americans. The proposal stops short of the calls for universal child care coming from the Democratic Party’s left wing.

The New Dems opted for a “federal pilot programs that explore cost-sharing partnerships among families, employers, and government to lower monthly child care expenses and strengthen workforce participation.”

They also want expanded tax cuts and national universal pre-K, along with a tax refund for those taking care of their elderly or disabled family members.