Senate Democrats on Wednesday announced a 2026 initiative in which they’ll push proposals to lower the costs of health care, energy, housing, groceries and tariffs.
The initiative comes as Democrats have successfully used affordability as a political issue in off-year elections and plan to make it a defining issue in their 2026 campaigns to flip control of Congress.
“We believe that the cost of living shouldn’t be a constant crisis. It should be something that the American people can live with and contain,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat. “And while we don’t know what 2026 will bring, I can promise you this: Democrats will fight making costs our highest priority.”
Mr. Schumer announced the 2026 initiative alongside Senate Democrats who will take the lead across the five issue areas on which they plan to focus:
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on housing affordability;
• Sens. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico and Maria Cantwell of Washington on food and grocery costs;
• Sens. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island on energy;
• Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, on health care;
• Sens. Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts and Raphael G. Warnock of Georgia on tariffs.
The Democrats did not detail any specific proposals on Wednesday but said they plan to spend the next year promoting their ideas to lower costs anytime the Senate debates legislation.
While they said they will work with Republicans if they can, Ms. Warren pointed to a bipartisan Senate bill to increase the supply of affordable housing that House Republicans blocked from being added to the annual defense bill as an example of the obstacles they face.
“Through tariffs and through obstruction of legislation, Republicans are directly driving up the cost of housing right now in America,” Ms. Warren said. “If Republicans are not going to bring down the cost of housing, then leave it to the Democrats. Because when we’re in charge of this place, we are going to bring down housing costs.”
