As affordability concerns mount, Hill Republicans are struggling to act

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Politico

12/08/2025 04:45 AM EST


Republicans want to put the economy at the center of their midterm message as they seek to protect their majorities in Congress. But as cost-of-living concerns mount across the political spectrum, the GOP is struggling to act decisively to address them. Already top Republicans acknowledge they haven’t done enough to sell the “one big, beautiful bill,” the party-line centerpiece of their economic agenda they enacted over the summer. Now internal divisions and the need for bipartisan support in the Senate are threatening any attempt to follow up on it.

The GOP is struggling to coalesce behind a health care plan that would prevent Obamacare premium hikes set to kick in next month and efforts to rein in President Donald Trump’s tariffs have run aground in the House. Meanwhile, the administration’s proposal to distribute $2,000 rebate checks has gotten a lukewarm response on Capitol Hill and the fate of other smaller bills to address things like housing prices and student debt have sparked intraparty sparring.

“The cost of living is a legitimate issue — I think it was one of the main reasons President Trump was elected. I think it’s still an issue,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said in an interview, urging Republicans to pursue another party-line bill before the midterms in response.

While many in the GOP — including Trump — continue to lay blame for their economic problems with former President Joe Biden, there are clear warning signs for Republicans. Forty-six percent of respondents in a recent POLITICO Poll said the cost of living is the worst they can remember it being. That includes 37 percent of those who voted for Trump in 2024, and about a quarter of Trump voters say he is either fully or mainly responsible for the current state of the economy.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/08/republicans-affordability-congress-00679545

[NCDem47]

1. They won't remove tariffs or extended healthcare subsidies...

Sooooooo...what exactly would they have in their bag of tricks to buy off voters in time for midterms? A $2,000 check to SOME citizens won't happen in a million years. Looks like they are sitting around waiting for BBB to trickle down---HA!

I'm seeing a mutli-state ruse by state Republicans to "reduce or eliminate" property taxes. Is that their answer?

[IronLionZion]

2. How long are they going to keep blaming Biden?

Last edited Mon Dec 8, 2025, 10:32 AM - Edit history (1)

Are MAGA policies not great enough to overcome it?

[Martin68]

3. Hilarious! "Hill Republicans are struggling to act." That defines the MAGA-GOP.

[travelingthrulife]

4. So...Politico's pretending they are trying to solve the crisis they just caused?

[bronxiteforever]

5. The GOP can't govern. They have one economic policy

and that is trickle down and tax cuts to the richest. They can’t do anything for other Americans because they don’t care about them.
The only new thing they brought to the world stage is American fascism.

[Ol Janx Spirit]

6. This is like a pyromaniac being concerned about what people will think about all the buildings burning down....

What part of Republican policy over the last 50 years been geared towards helping ordinary Americans afford anything?

In fact, they have actively blocked efforts by Democrats to actually help ordinary Americans afford things like healthcare, childcare, starter homes, education, and almost anything else you can mention at every turn.

Look at the total meltdown they have had over trying to make healthcare affordable for Americans since way before the ACA even.

Republicans can't care about corporate profits and affordability at the same time. They can not care about tax cuts for billionaires and making things affordable for ordinary families at the same time.

Quite the contrary. Their policies have made most things more expensive for ordinary Americans while transferring their generational wealth to the top 1%. They've also done everything in their power to undermine even basic protections and other policies that make work-life tolerable for ordinary Americans.

But they've done a heck of a job convincing a lot of those ordinary Americans that it is all worth it because of God, guns, and the individual freedom to be a jerk to all those around you--and that they just might somehow be billionaires one day.

But good luck with affordability GOP! Your entire mindset will need to change. But you are following a madman into the abyss as we speak, so I guess nothing is really off the table.

[Historic NY]

7. They struggle Because they aren't used to helping Americans only the wealthy 1%

[progree]

8. And year-over-year inflation has been rising for 5 straight months, and is now 3.0%, 1.5 X the Fed's target

Last edited Wed Dec 10, 2025, 01:20 PM - Edit history (1)

and prices have risen over the last 3 months for which there is data (July thru September) by 0.9%, which annualizes to roughly 3.6% (using the actual index numbers and the proper formula that includes compounding, it also comes to 3.6%). That's 1.8 X the Fed's target rate

According to the admin's own numbers.

So when do lower prices on day one take effect?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20846218

The CPI includes food and energy, it's the CORE CPI that excludes these two items. (Some people are harping on lower gasoline prices -- these are included in the CPI, and still the CPI inflation rate is going up and up)

[hibbing]

9. Can't be hard to "sell" huge tax cuts for the ruling class can it? n/t

[Sneederbunk]

10. Repugs are great at struggling

just before they fall on their faces.

[JPK]

11. The only thing that has not gone up a lot here,

Is gasoline here in NE FL. It still fluctuates between $2 0 and $3:05/gallon depending on the price of oil. I think it has been pretty stable for the last year or so if not longer. Everything else is way up. I bought 2lbs of ground beef at Walmart and it was $17.00. I think the tariffs are showing up as well. I went to Walmart to buy a 12 cup drip coffee maker. There used to be several brands, Mr. Coffee, Hamilton Beech, Black and Decker, Cuisinart, Ninja. Now, the only brand they had was their private label Mainstay brand. There were also a dozen Keurig branded coffee makes, no other brands. Now this store is not one of their bigger stores. Maybe they shipped the other product to their bigger stores.

[Skittles]

12. such a QUANDARY for them

they literally do not give a fuck if Americans can afford healthcare or groceries but they care about VOTES.....what to DOOOOOOOOOOOO

[AZProgressive]

13. Smart for Mamdani to campaign on "affordability"

Most mayor candidates campaign on "public safety" because that is usually what polls first in local races and is what Cuomo ran on but "affordability" puts the Republicans on the defensive.