Defining the midterm: What’s on the 2026 Republican agenda?

The 2026 midterms are fast approaching, and the GOP is moving to steal Democrats’ biggest talking point. Washington Times Congressional Correspondent Lindsey McPherson sat down with members of the House GOP to ask questions about the party’s agenda looking ahead to the 2026 midterms. 

John J. McGuire III of Virginia, Gabe Evans of Colorado, Mark Harris of North Carolina, Cory Mills of Florida and Ohio’s Robert E. Latta spoke to The Washington Times from Capitol Hill.

What will be the 2026 midterm’ defining issue?

[McPHERSON] President Trump spoke with you, you know, we’re really jump starting here on the 2026 agenda. It’s a midterm year. So my first question is if you had to just pick one issue that is going to be the defining issue of the midterms, what do you think that would be? 

[McGUIRE] Cost of living. 

[EVANS] It’s going to be cost of living. 

[HARRIS] Cost reductions. 

[MILLS] You know, for me, it’s economy. You know, making sure that people have affordable housing, affordable, you know, groceries. 

[McGUIRE] You know, egg prices about a year ago, about $4 a dozen this week, $1.99. At the Circle K gas station in Roanoke on December 7th, gas was $1.89 a gallon because we’re drilling more than ever. 

[HARRIS] Still have a little bit of the jet lag, obviously, from the Biden administration. And I felt like that the principles have been put in place. And so I really think that one word is with a hyphen, is cost reduction. People feeling the economy that is really, I think, about to take off. 

[EVANS] I represent one of the major economic engines of the region, specifically in terms of like oil, gas, wind, solar, energy, that all-of-the-above strategy. And so making sure that we have that available, affordable, plentiful energy, that’s key to driving down the cost of living. 

[LATTA] You know, when you look at the inflation that we had, the spiking in energy prices that we had under the Biden administration of all those years when the Democrats also through the House and the Senate. I think that’s what you’re going to see is that the American people would make a differentiation and say that, you know what, the Republicans have worked out there to make sure I do have more money, especially when you look at the family, you know, working family tax relief out there. They’re going to find in April, they’re going to have more money coming in their pocket. They won’t have to send to Washington. 

What is the GOP’s vision for healthcare?

[McPHERSON] As part of the cost of living, you know, one of the big issues lately, the topic de jour has been health care with expiration of the Obamacare subsidies. Trump told you guys on Tuesday that Republicans should take the issue of health care from the Democrats and own it. What does that mean to you? And what do you want to see happen on health care this year? Do you think it should be some kind of bipartisan proposal or should there be a party line reconciliation bill?

[McGUIRE] Something has to be done. The Affordable Care Act should be called the Unaffordable Care Act. Healthcare premiums have gone up 26% every year, unaffordable. It was so bad that during the pandemic, they created these subsidies, and they wanted to make the subsidies permanent in the country when they had control, when the Democrats had control. But even when they had control, they couldn’t make it permanent because it was too expensive. 

[MILLS] When you look at ACA and what they had promised the American people, when the Democrats did try and control health care, they told you, don’t worry, you can pick any provider that you want. You don’t have to change your provider. That was a lie. They said your premiums are going to be lower, your overall cost is going to be lower. That was a lie. We need healthcare that’s truly affordable and gives a solution that says, you can keep your current provider or seek others and not try and put people in a small bubble. And I think that’s really what Americans are looking for when the Republicans are trying to deliver. 

[EVANS] I think like the cue for reconciliation is probably going to come from the White House, whether or not that they’re willing to put the time and effort into getting something like that across the finish line, given just the very narrow margin that Republicans have in the House. So if it does not go through the reconciliation process, that more narrowly tailored process, it takes 60 votes to pass something in the Senate. Republicans have 53 votes. So you’re going to have to work together. But as we’re seeing right now with the appropriations packages, we can work together and we can find that bipartisan common ground. A lot of times it doesn’t generate the same attention when folks are getting along and not fighting with each other. But I think we can actually get something done in that space as well. 

How with the GOP defend Trump against “lawlessness” claims?

[McPHERSON] Democrats, one of the messages they’ve been running on both in that arena and spending and other things is just this overall umbrella of what they call Trump’s lawlessness. Obviously Republicans would disagree with that assessment, but how do you guys counter that as a message, you know, in the midterms? 

[McGUIRE] You’re telling me the party, during the summer of love, when they burned our cities for 80 days, told the police to stand down, created the defund the police movement, used their campaign funds to bail people who are setting buildings on fire out of jail so they could go set more buildings on fire and they want to tell you they’re the party of law and order? It’s laughable 

[LATTA] You look what the president’s been able to do you know we’ve seen a war in Gaza that’s killed thousands of people and the president worked over there with the parties of you know getting that stopped. He’s he’s had great success in different countries of with warring factions and you know and again uh if if you can go in and say that you can stop you can top massive amounts of illegal drugs flowing into this country, the American people will say yeah you’re making it safer for us. So they’re going to have to come up with some kind of phrase to combat his successes. So, unfortunately they are coming up with a phrase like that but the American people are going to see through that. 

What is Congress’ role in the Venezuela conflict?

[McPHERSON] Venezuela and, you know, the future of Venezuela is a big topic. Trump has this larger, that’s part of his larger war on drug trafficking. How do you see some of these foreign issues playing out this year? Is their role for Congress to take? And, you know, is it going to be a big issue in the midterms? 

[HARRIS] Well, I think the big issue that it ought to be in the midterms is that Trump promises made, promises kept. He told us that he was going to make a difference on the war on drugs. And really, war on drugs has been a common slogan, it’s been a common theme. He’s probably the first leader to actually demonstrate action to do something. We took the war on drugs to the source. 

[EVANS] And Congress actually has acted on this. One of the votes that we had last year in December, I believe, was specifically around Venezuela. And should Congress restrict the ability of the president to be able to operate for the safety of Americans in Venezuela. And the House actually voted that down. So if you go back and you look at the congressional record, Congress has voted on this. They voted like in the inverse by voting down restrictions on the president’s ability. And so I think on every front that you look at, the legal front, is this a war or not? Congress is, you know, deciding to act or not. You have very clear votes or other evidence in those spaces that say what happened in Venezuela is totally within bounds. It is respecting the wishes of Congress, and it’s arresting a narco-terrorist who’s killed countless Americans through the drugs and the poison that he’s peddled into our communities.

Is there a need to increase next year’s defense budget?

[McPHERSON] The president yesterday said he’d like to see a 1.5 trillion defense budget for, I assume, for the next fiscal year do you think that’s something that Congress is capable of enacting? And is it needed? 

[MILLS] Well, it absolutely is needed. I mean, we have to start looking at things like how far we’re behind on hypersonic ballistic missile capabilities. We have to start looking at building up our force to ensure that we can not only keep America safe, but we can guarantee standoff distance in the Indo-Pacon region, which has been a great threat. So the president’s smart with a peace through strength method, which is the exact same thing that President Reagan utilized by bolstering our military to make sure war fighters and our warriors have everything that they need in the event. Now do we pray for peace? Every single time. But we must prepare for war. 

[McGUIRE] I’m a limited government person but if we do anything we need to keep our people safe at home and abroad, and when America’s strong we have less wars in the world.

[HARRIS] I’m all for making sure that we have the adequate defense, things we need. I’m a big as you say fiscal hawk that believes in pay for us. And so if we can find the extra money and the case is made and put together to be able to make that happen, I can get behind it. But I do think that we’ve got to recognize we’re $38 trillion in debt. That’s one of the reasons that I came to Washington, to serve in Congress, because I have 11 grandchildren. And I want them to have a future. And I want our nation to still be here for them and for them to be able to live. And I just don’t feel that a nation that is racking up this kind of debt where we’re spending more on interest than we are on defense is going to be able to make it happen. So we’ve got to get serious about bending the curve.

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