WASHINGTON: US House Democrats are preparing an ambitious 100-days agenda focused on delivering their campaign promises — making life more affordable and conducting vast oversight of the Trump administration — if the party seizes majority control in next month's elections.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is in line to become House speaker if the party wins power, said the Democrats will be united "right out of the gate" on reinstating Affordable Care Act tax breaks, reversing Republican Medicaid cuts, holding votes against the Iran war and undoing President Donald Trump's tariff regime.
They expect to launch the agenda in the first 100 hours, once the new Congress is seated in January.
"Fighting for an affordable America — that's what unites Democrats all across the country," Jeffries said recently at the party campaign headquarters in Washington.
"That's our commitment to the American people, because the cost of living is way too high and far too many people who are working hard, playing by the rules, can't thrive and can barely survive — and are drowning — in the Trump economy."
It's a hyper-focused agenda tapping into the voter sentiment that is driving much of the midterm election as Americans wrestle with affordability concerns and inflationary costs from the Iran war and other policies.
The undertaking will also test the ability of the sprawling House Democrats to work together and avoid the chaotic divisions and disruptions that have hobbled Republicans under Speaker Mike Johnson's leadership.
Democrats have been out of power in the House since 2023. If Jeffries takes the helm, he would be the first Democratic speaker since Nancy Pelosi, leading a new generation of lawmakers that includes a handful of left candidates who are aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America.
"The antidote to that is getting things done," said Illinois Rep. Nikki Budzinski, who is poised to become chair of the New Democrat Coalition, the largest caucus within the House Democrats.
She said the party is determined to show the American people that "Democrats know how to govern."
A Freedom Caucus of the left?
Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, the chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said he is often asked if Democrats will be confronting their own version of the Freedom Caucus, referring to the far-right Republicans who often grind the House agenda to a halt.
"It doesn't work that way," Casar told The Associated Press in an interview. "The Freedom Caucus breaks things. But if you're a progressive, you want to pass things."
Leader Jeffries, Casar and other Democrats have been in touch with the progressive candidates, many of whom are backed by the DSA as the party focuses on shared priorities.
"This notion that because we'll have new members somehow we're going to be disjointed — not so," said Louisiana Rep. Troy Carter, who hopes to become chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. "All those banking on that, save the popcorn for another day."
The Republicans, who are confronting an increasingly difficult election-year climate to hold onto their majority, portray Democrats as beholden to a far-left socialist agenda.
If Republicans retain power, Johnson has said they would press on with what they have already accomplished alongside Trump, which has been an agenda focused on cutting taxes and federal spending.
"What we would do in the next two years is exactly what we have been doing already," Johnson said on CNBC's Squawk Box, "and that is putting the conditions in place for a strong America again."
Fix healthcare, stop war, end tariffs – and investigate Trump
Months ago, Jeffries launched five working groups to tackle the affordability agenda focused on healthcare, housing, groceries and goods, gas and utilities, and care-giving.
Each group is headed by a progressive and a centrist Democrat — the healthcare working group, for example, is run by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama — with the goal of striking common ground on draft policies that all House Democrats can support.
At the same time, Jeffries has tasked the ranking Democrats on the House Oversight and Judiciary committees with preparing investigations. They are focused on Trump, his family and his administration, as part of a sweeping anti-corruption agenda. Impeachment, Jeffries has said, is neither on nor off the table.
"We need to lower the cost of groceries and gas. Two, we need to make healthcare affordable for every single American. Three, we're going to hold the crooks accountable who've visited unprecedented corruption on the American people," Jeffries said. "Beginning on day one."
Democrats plan to vote quickly to reinstate the health care tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, which expired in 2025, leaving millions of Americans confronting higher health insurance costs.
Proposals are also ready to reverse the Medicaid cuts that Republicans put in place as part of their "One Big Beautiful Bill" of tax breaks and program cuts, including new work requirements for recipients.
There are measures to reverse Trump's tariffs as Congress works to claw back power from the White House.
And Democrats, who have forced multiple votes on ending the Iran conflict, plan to pressure the Trump administration to end the military action by pushing forward more war powers resolutions.
Much of the House Democrats' agenda, if they regain power, would depend on the size of the majority. Details also depend on the Senate, and whether it flips to Democrats.
"We cannot simply go back to the status quo," said Usamah Andrabi, a spokesman for Justice Democrats, an outside group that supports the left progressives.
And Trump, at the White House, has ultimate say, with veto power at the stroke of a pen. "We're going to do a lot and we're going to be very busy," Carter said. "We will not be able to fix everything overnight."