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Democrats won on affordability. Can they deliver it?
Democrats made affordability the central promise of their campaign and won control of Congress in a larger-than-expected victory. Voters were frustrated by the cost of everyday essentials despite healthy economic indicators, but delivering lower bills will be difficult while President Donald Trump can veto legislation.
Democrats propose restoring help with health insurance, reversing Medicaid cuts, scrapping import tariffs, lowering energy costs, building four million homes over a decade and expanding tax credits for families. A veto can be overridden only with a two-thirds majority in both chambers, so many plans would need Republican support. Economists expect the average tariff rate to remain around 10% during Trump’s term, while tariffs have risen from just over 1% of federal revenue in 2024 to more than 5% this year.
In short
- Affordability helped Democrats win control of Congress.
- Trump can veto their plans, making delivery difficult.
- Tariffs are expected to remain around 10% during his term.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Democrats have a mandate to address the squeeze on household budgets: voters faced high costs for essentials even as headline economic indicators looked healthy. Restoring health insurance support, reversing Medicaid cuts, reducing tariffs and expanding housing and family tax credits could ease major expenses, though the veto makes progress dependent on negotiation or broad support.
The case against
A campaign promise does not by itself show that these proposals will lower overall costs, and the scale of the plans may raise questions about funding, trade-offs and how quickly households would feel a difference. With the president able to veto legislation and some measures requiring Republican backing, Democrats may need to narrow or revise their programme; tariffs also bring federal revenue, making their removal a fiscal choice as well as a consumer-price policy.
Explained simply
Affordability means how easily households can cover essentials such as food, housing, energy and healthcare. Even when the wider economy is growing, rising household bills can leave people feeling financially stretched.
The Democrats are one of the two main political parties in the United States; Congress is the federal legislature, made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The president can veto bills passed by Congress, and overriding a veto requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers.
The proposals touch areas where federal policy can affect costs, including health insurance, taxes, tariffs on imports and housing. Their progress depends on support in Congress, while tariffs also bring in government revenue and can affect the prices of imported goods.