Healthcare tops the Democrats’ to-do list if they win control of the House in 2026

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said his party would unify around undoing Trump’s Medicaid cuts and reviving ACA funds that the GOP ended. Some Democrats want to go bigger.

WASHINGTON — Vying to become House speaker in a few months, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries outlined four items on the agenda that he said would enjoy “uniform Democratic support” and advance the party’s goal of “making life more affordable.”

The first two were about healthcare, and all four set a direct contrast with President Donald Trump.

“We have to reverse the Medicaid cuts. We should extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,” Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Monday in response to a question from NBC News. “We should restore congressional authority as it relates to tariffs, because the Trump tariffs are making life more expensive for the American people. And we should end, decisively, if it’s still going on, Donald Trump’s reckless and costly war of choice in the Middle East.”

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said there is consensus that Democrats’ first bill out of the gate, legislation that carries high symbolic weight known as H.R. 1, would need to focus on affordability.

But there’s not yet consensus on what the bill would look like, as voters cite the cost of living as a top concern heading into November’s elections.