{"id":8137,"date":"2026-07-27T23:36:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T23:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/07\/27\/hakeem-jeffries-puts-affordability-at-centre-of-democrats-midterm-campaign\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T23:36:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T23:36:28","slug":"hakeem-jeffries-puts-affordability-at-centre-of-democrats-midterm-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/07\/27\/hakeem-jeffries-puts-affordability-at-centre-of-democrats-midterm-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"Hakeem Jeffries puts affordability at centre of Democrats\u2019 midterm campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>With 100 days until the US midterm elections, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries used a campaign rally in Pennsylvania to launch the Democrats\u2019 \u201cFighting for an Affordable America\u201d agenda, making affordability the centrepiece of the party\u2019s push to retake the US House of Representatives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to live a middle-class life, a comfortable life, an affordable life, live a good life,\u201d Jeffries said during his Sunday campaign speech for Democratic congressional candidate Bob Brooks in Pennsylvania\u2019s 7th Congressional District, one of several Republican-held seats that Democrats are targeting.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 4 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/22\/trump-ally-andy-biggs-wins-republican-nomination-for-arizona-governor\">Trump ally Andy Biggs wins Republican nomination for Arizona governor<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/22\/iran-wars-37bn-price-tag-why-does-trump-want-67bn-more\">Iran war\u2019s $37bn price tag: Why does the Pentagon want $67bn more?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/26\/what-lies-ahead-for-iran-as-scope-of-us-war-grows-beyond-hormuz\">What lies ahead for Iran\u2019s economy as scope of US war grows beyond Hormuz?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 4 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/17\/key-takeaways-from-donald-trumps-speech-on-election-security\">Key takeaways from Donald Trump\u2019s controversial speech on election security<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>\u201cYou know what that looks like: a good-paying job, good housing, good healthcare, a good education for your children, and when it\u2019s all said and done, a good retirement,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what you need to know about the speech by Jeffries and the Democratic Party\u2019s campaign message:<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-were-the-main-takeaways-from-hakeem-jeffries-s-speech\">What were the main takeaways from Hakeem Jeffries\u2019s speech?<\/h2>\n<p>Throughout the speech, Jeffries repeatedly returned to the theme of affordability and the rising cost of living, framing everything from groceries and housing to healthcare through that lens, arguing that people in the United States are paying more for everyday essentials under President Donald Trump and Republican control of Congress, while promising to lower the cost of living if Democrats win back the chamber.<\/p>\n<p>But beyond broad priorities, he offered few specifics on how Democrats would measure success or what concrete policies they would pursue to bring down costs.<\/p>\n<p>While affordability dominated the speech, Jeffries also focused on government ethics and corruption. He pledged to crack down on price gouging; ban stock trading by the president, vice president and members of Congress; release files linked to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; and \u201chold the crooks accountable\u201d if Democrats return to power.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-affordability-and-why-are-democrats-making-it-their-top-midterm-issue\">What is affordability, and why are Democrats making it their top midterm issue?<\/h2>\n<p>The Democrats\u2019 focus on affordability comes as many Americans continue to feel squeezed by the rising cost of everyday essentials. Grocery prices are up 33 percent since the beginning of 2019, according to US government data, forcing many households to hunt for discounts, switch to cheaper brands, or cut back on food purchases.<\/p>\n<p>Housing has also become increasingly unaffordable after home prices surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, and higher interest rates pushed mortgage costs even higher. Trump\u2019s war on Iran has also <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/economy\/2026\/6\/7\/100-days-into-iran-war-americans-face-higher-prices\">added to household budgets<\/a>. In May, Moody\u2019s Analytics estimated that, on average, households had spent $750 more in expenses due to the war.<\/p>\n<p>A Reuters\/Ipsos poll conducted in May found that 74 percent of Americans believed the cost of living was on the wrong track, while 73 percent disapproved of Trump\u2019s handling of the issue, both the highest levels recorded during his second term.<\/p>\n<p>While the Democrats have been increasingly betting on affordability as a universal issue, Trump has alternated between calling it a \u201cfake word\u201d, blaming the affordability crisis on the Democrats, and taking credit for easing it.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-did-jeffries-say-the-democrats-will-lower-the-cost-of-living\">How did Jeffries say the Democrats will lower the cost of living?<\/h2>\n<p>Jeffries did not spell out a detailed legislative agenda, but did outline what the Democrats\u2019 priorities would be, should they win back the House.<\/p>\n<p>He pledged to lower the cost of groceries, petrol and housing, make healthcare more affordable and protect Medicare and Social Security. He also vowed to hold businesses and others accountable for driving up costs, while accusing Republicans of allowing Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire and cutting Medicaid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor the American people, the high cost of living isn\u2019t an academic exercise. It\u2019s a stone-cold reality,\u201d Jeffries said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"how-did-jeffries-link-trump-to-rising-living-costs\">How did Jeffries link Trump to rising living costs?<\/h2>\n<p>Jeffries repeatedly blamed Trump and Republicans for making everyday life more expensive, accusing them of enriching themselves and their wealthy donors while ordinary Americans struggle.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed to Trump\u2019s growing personal wealth, saying \u201che\u2019s added more than $2bn to his bank account\u201d since taking office, while his sons had made \u201chundreds of millions more\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Jeffries criticised the Trump administration for giving tax breaks to billionaire donors at the expense of Medicaid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re a member of the Trump cartel or one of his billionaire donors, then you\u2019re doing extremely well. But that\u2019s not the case for everyday Americans, who are struggling to make ends meet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He also accused Republicans of believing \u201cthe affordability crisis is a hoax\u201d and said voters should give them \u201ca pink slip\u201d in November.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"why-did-jeffries-attack-trump-s-policies-on-iran\">Why did Jeffries attack Trump\u2019s policies on Iran?<\/h2>\n<p>Jeffries folded Iran into his economic pitch, saying Republicans had been willing to spend money on Trump\u2019s \u201creckless war of choice in Iran\u201d while failing to make life more affordable at home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen it comes to making your life more affordable, the cookie jar is empty,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Near the end of the speech, Jeffries brought Iran up again in the context of his broader message, telling voters they could choose \u201can America that puts an end to Donald Trump\u2019s reckless war of choice in Iran\u201d alongside one that lowers the cost of groceries, gas, housing and healthcare.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With 100 days until the US midterm elections, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries used a campaign rally in Pennsylvania to launch the Democrats\u2019 \u201cFighting for an Affordable America\u201d agenda, making affordability the centrepiece of the party\u2019s push to retake the US House of Representatives. \u201cWhen you work hard and play by the rules, you should &#8230; <a title=\"Hakeem Jeffries puts affordability at centre of Democrats\u2019 midterm campaign\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/07\/27\/hakeem-jeffries-puts-affordability-at-centre-of-democrats-midterm-campaign\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Hakeem Jeffries puts affordability at centre of Democrats\u2019 midterm campaign\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}