House Republicans ready for battle over cost of living in midterm elections

They are not calling it “affordability,” but House Republicans acknowledge that the midterms in November will be a referendum on what their party did or did not do to lower the cost of living.

As Democrats ramp up an aggressive campaign to blame Republicans for what they call an “affordability” crisis, Republicans are preparing to pass more legislation aimed at lowering prices, particularly in the energy, housing and health care sectors.

“Everything’s been more expensive,” said Rep. John McGuire, Virginia Republican. “And so we’re just trying to make good decisions.”

Mr. McGuire is one of a handful of House Republicans whom The Washington Times interviewed about the party’s developing agenda for the year.

All agreed that the cost of living, along with the broader economy, will be the top focus for voters in November as they decide whether Republicans should continue to control both chambers of Congress.

“It’s going to be a pocketbook issue,” said Rep. Robert Latta, Ohio Republican. “Americans are going to say, ‘How do I feel about the economy? How do I feel about what’s in my wallet? How can I help make sure that my family has a better life?’”

Democrats are just a few seats away from winning control of the House this fall. They say they can convince voters that President Trump and congressional Republicans’ governing majority is not delivering on those pocketbook issues.

“The president made a lot of promises, especially around affordability, and I don’t think that’s turned out the way the American people had hoped,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, Florida Democrat.

A Gallup poll conducted in December found that 47% of U.S. adults view economic conditions as “poor,” the highest level since September 2024.

Just 21% say economic conditions are either “excellent” or “good.” Another 31% describe them as “only fair,” Gallup said.

Republicans argue that the full economic impact of their policies has yet to be realized. They say voters will begin seeing the benefits of their sweeping tax cut package as they file their returns in the coming months.

“There’s no question that seeing cost reductions in the country, people feeling the recovery that I really believe is underway,” will make a difference in the midterms, said Rep. Mark Harris, North Carolina Republican. “We still have a little bit of a jet lag, obviously, from the Biden administration. And I feel like the principles have been put in place.”

Republicans are quick to tout the “working families tax cut” package enacted last year and promise to expand on it.

That 2025 package included some energy policy changes designed to cut red tape and lower costs, but Republicans want to do more as they pursue “a strategy of energy dominance,” said Rep. Gabe Evans, a Colorado Republican whose swing district is home to major oil and gas and renewable energy producers.

“One of the bills that I’m working on adjusts the Clean Air Act so that American jobs aren’t held responsible for wildfire smoke from Canada or for pollution from China or from other sources that we have no control over,” Mr. Evans said.

He and Mr. Latta, members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, cited “permitting reform,” an effort to streamline regulatory approvals for energy projects, as a crucial part of the Republican agenda.

“If you’re sitting on vast reserves of natural gas or oil and you can’t get them when you need it, it’s pretty worthless,” Mr. Latta said.

Increasing energy production will help lower prices at the gas pump and reduce costs for groceries and other products as delivery to stores becomes cheaper, he said.

The House passed a few permitting-related measures at the end of last year, but a bipartisan overhaul lost significant Democratic support after Republicans amended it to ensure the measure would not thwart Mr. Trump’s efforts to halt offshore wind projects.

Lowering housing costs is another key part of the Republican agenda this year.

The House Financial Services Committee began work on that issue last year and approved a bipartisan bill to update outdated housing programs and remove regulatory roadblocks for developing affordable housing.

Republicans are also considering alternative housing ideas.

Mr. McGuire is introducing the American Dream Act this week. The legislation aims to provide incentives to rental property owners 65 or older to sell to first-time homebuyers by reducing their capital gains taxes.

“What this bill would do is give a younger generation a future,” he said.

In a daylong retreat last week, House Republicans began fleshing out their 2026 legislative plans.

Mr. Trump delivered a speech to kick off the session. He told Republicans they needed to take the health care issue away from Democrats and “own” it.

“We need health care that’s truly affordable, and a solution that says you can keep your current provider or seek others and not try and put people in a small bubble,” said Rep. Cory Mills, Florida Republican. “I think that’s really what Americans are looking for and what Republicans are trying to deliver.”

Mr. Mills was referring to the Republican effort to develop health care proposals to lower costs for all consumers, not just those on Obamacare plans.

Democrats’ COVID-19 expansion of Obamacare premium subsidies expired Dec. 31, leading to out-of-pocket price spikes for millions of Americans on those plans.

Republicans argue that the subsidies are rife with fraud and are distributed directly to insurance companies, which continue to raise premium prices.

“We have to fix the system so that we’re not just lighting taxpayer money on fire, which drives up inflation and still doesn’t deliver health care to anyone,” Mr. Evans said.

He touted as an example a bill House Republicans passed last year that allows small businesses to band together to purchase health care plans at lower prices.

Republicans have said they plan to expand on that bill this year, perhaps using another party-line reconciliation measure to avoid the obstacle of a Democratic filibuster in the Senate.

“The cue for reconciliation is probably going to come from the White House, whether or not they’re willing to put the time and effort into getting something like that across the finish line, given just the very narrow margin” in the House, Mr. Evans said.

House Democrats have successfully seized on Republican divisions over health care and are aiming to do the same on other issues heading into the midterms.

Their bill to renew the enhanced Obamacare subsidies for three years passed last week because of a successful discharge petition, a process that allows a majority of House members to force a vote over leadership’s objections.

“We’re in the minority, but we forced a vote on this issue and passed it,” said Rep. Daniel Goldman, New York Democrat. “I think that we’re going to continue to be creative and continue to push these issues to the forefront.”

• Mallory Wilson contributed to this report.