Republicans’ Affordability Agenda? Blame Biden

Republicans are gearing up for a midterm election year with Americans uneasy about the high cost of living, but many GOP lawmakers are appearing to blame Democrats without developing their own plan to ease household budgets.

Fresh off Democrats’ sweep of the Nov. 4 elections during which the winning candidates focused on affordability, Republicans are increasingly acknowledging the economic squeeze some voters are feeling. However, many GOP lawmakers are attributing current discontent about the high cost of living to Democrats’ economic policies during the Biden administration.

“This is the Biden economy. You can’t turn it around instantaneously,” House Rules Committee chairwoman Virginia Foxx told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a brief interview last week.

Republicans’ apparent reluctance to take ownership over the economy could risk backfiring in an election year that will determine the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency.

“As I see it today, Republicans’ messaging on the economy is awful,” Sam Kay, director of external affairs and public opinion at the Manhattan Institute, told the DCNF. “I hear a lot of ‘stop complaining,’ ‘have patience,’ and ‘it’s Biden’s fault,’ which is exactly the kind of stuff you tell voters right before you get blown out in the midterms.”

Republicans swept to power in Washington following the 2024 elections in part by lambasting former President Joe Biden for a spike in inflation and channeling voters’ unease with the high cost of living that rocked his tenure. They have found it difficult, however, to reverse voters’ perception that their purchasing power continues to decline amid persistent inflation and rising electricity costs.

A recent Fox News poll released Nov. 19 found 76% of voters view the economy negatively, which is a higher percentage than the 70% who gave the same opinion at the close of former President Joe Biden’s term.

The survey found by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, 62% of registered voters hold Trump more responsible than Biden (32%) for the current state of the economy. More than 40% of Republicans say Trump is responsible, though a majority of 53% blame Biden.

On affordability, 85% of respondents said grocery prices have increased over the past year, including 60% who said costs went up by “a lot.” Voters also said costs have increased for utilities (78%), healthcare (67%), housing (66%) and gasoline (54%).

Voters in New York City, Virginia and New Jersey also said the cost of living or the economy was their top issue in the Nov. 4 elections, according to exit polls.

If Republicans want to succeed in the 2026 elections, the party needs to become “hyper-aggressive” with its economic messaging, Kay told the DCNF.

The first order of business? “Voters think the economy is bad, so don’t tell them it’s good,” Kay said.

A common refrain from GOP lawmakers is that their efforts to slash regulations on energy production and provide tax relief just needs more time to hit voters’ pocketbooks.

Several Republicans told the DCNF that voters’ outlook on the economy will improve once the expansion of existing tax cuts and new tax breaks within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act kick in early next year. The Trump administration has also highlighted the president’s success in reducing the cost of eggs and falling gas prices.

“President Trump’s trying to get his head above water, much less be perfect the very first year out,” Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville told the DCNF.  “Give him seven, eight more months, it will be fine.”

Kay told the DCNF that Republicans’ should spotlight their wins on tax cuts, energy production and deregulation, but the party must also craft a forward-looking message.

That means working to pass legislation that addresses voters’ top concerns on the economy and cost of living, according to Kay. He also urged Republicans to talk about the party’s future agenda that they will work to make law if they maintain House and Senate control during the midterms.

“Do all of this, do it aggressively, and do it now, before it’s too late,” he added.

However, it’s not clear whether Republicans will unite behind a legislative agenda over the coming year — nor have the votes to pass one. House Republicans are heading into 2026 with a two-seat advantage with several special elections on the horizon. The threat of more resignations following Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s surprise announcement also looms.

Following Democrats’ record-breaking government shutdown, the House of Representatives spent last week consumed by intraparty conflict, grievances expressed through censure resolutions and rising pressure to demand the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Lawmakers appeared to spend little time discussing cost of living concerns.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has hinted at an “affordability agenda” that could be taken up in the lower chamber as soon as December without elaborating on the specifics.

Republican Texas Rep. August Pfluger, the leader of the conservative House Republican Study Committee, has also floated a three-pronged legislative blueprint centered around affordability, law and order and the American family that Republicans could take up early next year. However, it is far from certain if congressional leadership and the White House are on board with pursuing the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process for a second time.

Republicans have also yet to unite behind a proposal to address rising health care costs, though several GOP lawmakers have pitched their own plans.

“We don’t have the guts to do much of anything,” Republican Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett said in a brief interview last week. “We will write a strong letter or we’ll have a great hearing and raise a lot of hell on it, but we don’t really do a lot. And then we go home and pat ourselves on the back on our zero accomplishments.”

Further underscoring the challenge, some of Trump’s economic agenda could take longer than next year to provide a boost to price-sensitive voters.

Trump has relentlessly used tariffs to remake the country’s trading relationships and incentivize manufacturers to reshore their operations in the United States. The president has also secured trillions in investment from foreign companies and world leaders, though much of that has yet to materialize.

Trump’s idea to send $2,000 checks to working-class Americans using tariff revenue is likely a no-go on Capitol Hill, several Republicans told the DCNF.

“Going into next year, we’ve got to point to green shoots. We’ve got to be able to deal with any headwinds the tariffs created, show the return on investment,” Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said last week. “There are some people, economists, who want to implement these policies and say we’ll see results three or four or six years .”

“In 🏛️Politics, you don’t have three or four or six years,” Tillis added.

Andi Shae Napier contributed to this report. 

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