Democratic leaders say affordability and accountability will be focus of new Congress

On Nov. 3, Democrats won majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Now, party leaders are promising to move quickly in the new Congress to send legislation to President Donald Trump to address the cost of living and other top national concerns.

New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, is likely to be speaker of the House when the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3.

In a letter to reelected and newly elected Democratic colleagues in which he made a pitch to be elected speaker, Jeffries named affordability the top priority for 2027. “In the new Congress, we will aggressively fight for an affordable America,” he wrote. “Life is way too expensive, and millions of hardworking taxpayers are drowning in this failed economy.” To lower the cost of living, Jeffries says, Democrats would “find bipartisan common ground whenever and wherever possible,” with a focus on lower costs for housing, healthcare, groceries and goods, gas and utilities, and caregiving.

“In addition to the forward progress that we must make in the next two years, there is a lot of damage done by the MAGA extremists that needs to be repaired,” the letter says. “During the first 100 days, House Democrats must act to reverse the Medicaid cuts, restore SNAP funding, extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, eradicate the Trump tariffs and stop the reckless war of choice in Iran.

The era of MAGA extremism is coming to a crashing end.” An NBC News exit poll found that 63% of voters believed higher-than-usual prices were more due to Trump’s policies than to factors outside of his control and 66% believed his policies have worsened economic conditions in the U.S.

It also found 89% of voters said the cost of living was crucial or a major factor in determining their vote. Jeffries says House Democrats will prioritize accountability for “an out-of-control executive branch,” stop “corrupt price gouging,” and “ban Members of Congress from trading stocks.” According to Politico, New York Democratic Sen.

Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, told reporters on Nov. 4, “We’re not going to take our eye off the ball. Number one: reducing costs, ending corruption,” and that the Senate would “work hard to drive costs down with the president or without him.

Period.” Schumer said, “Whenever Trump defies the will of the American people or the law, we will launch investigations, take him to court and entangle him in legislative razor wire,” This will be the first time Trump will have Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate; Democrats held a majority in the House in 2019 and 2020, but Republicans held a majority in the Senate and blocked hundreds of House bills without bringing them up for a vote.

Trump told Fox News on Nov. 1 that if Democrats held majorities in Congress the next year, “I’ll guess I’ll become Mr. Veto — I’m not going to let them — and then at some point we’ll probably make deals.

This wouldn’t be the first time. You’ll have a president, and you won’t have the House or the Senate. They’ll be sending stuff up, you veto it.

And eventually, after a month or two of getting all vetoed, you know, they’re just wasting — they come over and you make a deal.”