As Republicans gear up for a midterm election year, Americans worry about the high cost of living, But many GOP lawmakers appear to be blaming Democrats for failing to come up with their own plan to ease household budgets.
Fresh from the Democratic victory on November 4th. elections during which the winning candidates concentrated regarding affordability, Republicans are increasingly recognizing the economic compress some voters feel it. But many GOP lawmakers attribute current dissatisfaction with the high cost of living to Democratic economic policies during the Biden administration. (RELATED: Republicans pour cold water on Trump's $2,000 check proposal)
“This is the Biden economy. You can't change things overnight,” House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx said in a brief interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation last week.
Republicans' apparent reluctance to take responsibility for the economy could backfire in an election year that will define the final two years of Donald Trump's presidency.
“What I see today is that Republican messaging on the economy is terrible,” Sam Kay, director of external affairs and public opinion at the Manhattan Institute, told DCNF. “I often hear the phrases ‘stop complaining,’ ‘have patience,’ and ‘it’s Biden’s fault,’ which are exactly the things you tell voters right before you get kicked out in the midterm elections.”
Republicans took power in Washington after the 2024 elections, thanks in part to criticism former President Joe Biden for soaring inflation and expressing voters' concerns about the high cost of living that rocked his term. However, they have found it difficult to change voters' perceptions that their purchasing power continues to decline amid ongoing inflation and rising energy prices.
Recent Fox News vote The report, released Nov. 19, found that 76% of voters had an unfavorable view of the economy, up from the 70% who expressed the same view at the end of former President Joe Biden's term.
The poll found that by a margin of nearly 2 to 1, 62% of registered voters believe Trump is more responsible than Biden (32%) for the current state of the economy. More than 40% of Republicans think Trump is to blame, although a majority of 53% blame Biden.
In terms of affordability, 85% of respondents said grocery prices have increased over the past year, including 60% who said costs have increased “significantly.” Voters also said costs for utilities (78%), health care (67%), housing (66%) and gasoline (54%) have increased.
Voters in New York, Virginia And New Jersey also said the cost of living and the economy were a top issue for them in the Nov. 4 election, according to the outlet polls.
People shop at a discount supermarket in Union, New Jersey on September 22, 2025. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
If Republicans want to succeed in the 2026 elections, the party must become “super-aggressive” in its economic messaging, Kay told DCNF.
First business order? “Voters think the economy is bad, so don’t tell them it’s good,” Kay said.
GOP legislators often hold back on their efforts to slash regulations on energy production and give tax breaks just take longer to hit voters' wallets.
Several Republicans told the DCNF that voters' views on the economy will improve once existing tax cuts and new tax breaks under the One Big Beautiful Bill take effect early next year. The Trump administration also highlighted the president's success in reduction cost of eggs and fall gas prices.
“PPresident Trump is trying to rise above water, much less be perfect, in his first year,” Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville told DCNF. “Give him another seven to eight months and he'll be fine.”
Kay told DCNF that Republicans should highlight their victories on tax cuts, energy production and deregulation, but the party also needs to craft a forward-looking message.
That means working to pass legislation that addresses voters' core concerns about the economy and cost of living, Kay said. He also called on Republicans to discuss the party's future agenda: They will work to pass legislation if they retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections.
“Do it all, do it aggressively and do it now before it’s too late,” he added.
However, it is unclear whether Republicans will unite around a legislative agenda next year, and they do not have the votes to pass it. House Republicans enter 2026 with a two-seat advantage, with several special elections on the horizon. Threat of More Resignations After Surprise by Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announcement also looms.
Following the Democrats' record government shutdown, the House of Representatives spent the past week absorbed intra-party conflictgrievances expressed through blame resolutions and growing pressure to release Jeffrey Epstein's files. Lawmakers seem to have spent little time discussing cost-of-living issues.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson hinted on the “accessibility agenda”, which could be considered in the lower house as early as December, without going into detail.
Texas Republican August Pflueger, leader of the conservative House Republican Research Committee, also swam a three-part legislative plan focused on affordability, law and order and the American family that Republicans could pass early next year. However, it is far from certain that the leadership of Congress and the White House support the budget reconciliation process for the second time.
Republicans also have yet to unite around a proposal to address rising health care costs, although several GOP lawmakers have already done so. broken your own plans.
“We don't have the courage to do anything,” Tennessee Republican Tim. Burchett said in a short interview last week. “We'll write a harsh letter or they'll listen to us and make a lot of noise about it, but we don't actually do much. And then we go home and pat ourselves on the back for zero accomplishments.”
U.S. Representative Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, speaks to reporters before the House vote on the Epstein File Transparency Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., November 18, 2025. (Photo by DANIEL HEUER/AFP) (Photo by DANIEL HEUER/AFP via Getty Images)
Further highlighting the problem, some of Trump's economic programs may take longer than next year to reach price-sensitive voters.
Trump has relentlessly used tariffs to overhaul the country's trade. relationship and encourage manufacturers to resume operations in the United States. The President also received trillions of dollars investments from foreign companies and world leaders, although much of this has yet to materialize.
Trump's idea send $2,000 checks to working-class Americans using tariff revenues likely won't pass on Capitol Hill, several Republicans told the DCNF.
“Next year we must point to green shoots. We must be able to overcome any headwinds caused by tariffs and demonstrate a return on investment,” North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said last week. “There are people, economists, who want to implement these policies and say that we will see results in three, four or six years. [from now]”
“In politics, you don’t have three, four or six years,” Tillis added.
Andie Shae Napier contributed to this report.
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