Democrats map out an agenda to repair damage and challenge Trump-era priorities in a possible House majority
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House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said the party would focus on restoring ACA tax credits, undoing Medicaid cuts, ending the Iran conflict, and rolling back Trump-era tariffs if they win control of the House.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said the party’s agenda would center on making health care more affordable, reversing recent Medicaid cuts, ending U.S. involvement in the Iran conflict and rolling back tariff measures enacted under President Donald Trump. Jeffries outlined five working groups aimed at tackling health care, housing, food and energy costs, and caregiving, with each group co-led by a progressive and a centrist Democrat in an effort to build common ground without losing sight of the urgent needs facing working families.
Illinois Representative Nikki Budzinski, who is expected to chair the New Democrat Coalition, said Democrats want to show they can govern responsibly and deliver tangible relief. Texas Representative Greg Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, brushed aside claims that a more diverse Democratic caucus would be divided, saying progressives intend to push legislation forward rather than let it languish.
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson warned that, if Republicans retain control, they would keep pressing the current agenda of tax cuts and reduced federal spending. Johnson told CNBC’s Squawk Box that the next two years would bring a continuation of policies he said are designed to strengthen the economy, even as Democrats argue that those policies mainly reward the already powerful.
Democrats plan to move quickly to reinstate the Affordable Care Act’s health-care tax credits, which expired in 2025, and to reverse Medicaid work-requirement provisions introduced by Republicans. They also intend to introduce legislation to repeal Trump-era tariffs and to push war-powers resolutions that could limit U.S. military action in Iran, reflecting a broader effort to shift priorities away from endless conflict and toward domestic stability.
The feasibility of the agenda will depend on the size of any Democratic majority in the House and on the composition of the Senate. Justice Democrats spokesperson Usamah Andrabi said the party cannot simply return to the previous status quo, while Louisiana Representative Troy Carter warned that the workload would be extensive and that immediate fixes would not be possible.