Congressional Republicans are increasingly voicing concern — both publicly and behind closed doors — that their party’s scattered approach to addressing Americans’ affordability worries is falling short, and that President Donald Trump’s sometimes dismissive tone isn’t helping.
While GOP lawmakers argue that today’s high cost of living is a problem they inherited from President Joe Biden, many say their own message and policy agenda need sharpening before the midterms — or they risk losing their narrow majorities in Congress.
“If we don’t do that, we would be morons, because the economy is very much on people’s minds,” Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, told NBC News. Democrats “failed to really hammer the economy, and it cost them the election,” he added. “If we as Republicans fail to do the same, it wouldn’t surprise me if we had a similar turnout.”
Nearly two dozen Republican senators, House members, strategists and congressional aides expressed unease about how their party is handling the affordability issue in interviews with NBC News. Another six acknowledged the challenge but said they believe Republicans will eventually rally around a clearer strategy.
Their worries come after Democrats notched a series of wins in this year’s elections, where many voters pointed to economic pressures as a driving factor. At the same time, Trump has repeatedly waved off affordability as a Democratic “hoax,” language that some Republicans say undercuts their efforts.
Even committed MAGA-aligned Republicans are urging a reset. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., argued that better rhetoric isn’t enough — the party, he said, has to deliver tangible relief.
“People aren’t dumb,” Hawley said. “They know when they go to the grocery store what it costs and what it doesn’t. They know what their rent costs. They know what their prescription drugs cost. And all of that stuff is too high. And they can’t afford it. And they know that. So we’ve got to deliver.”
Some Republicans have raised these concerns directly with party leaders in private meetings, calls and conversations, according to two GOP lawmakers familiar with the discussions. One said they also passed along the same message to White House aides.
At least one House Republican — Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey — said he spoke to Trump last week about the issue, focusing in particular on health care costs, which are expected to spike if Congress doesn’t act before year’s end.
“Dozens of members and senators have been voicing concerns for several months to anyone that will listen,” said a Republican strategist who works with congressional candidates. “Senior White House aides have been a part of many of those discussions. Whether those aides have ever relayed the level of consternation to the president, that’s the unknown.”
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, once one of Trump’s closest allies in Congress, has been among the loudest critics, complaining that the president has spent too much time on foreign policy and not enough on pocketbook issues. Her public frustration with Trump contributed to a major rift, and she has since announced she’ll resign next month.
The rising anxiety comes as Republicans grow more unsettled about Trump’s political standing and the broader environment. His approval rating in the latest Gallup poll — 36% — is the lowest of his second term and has set off alarm bells in GOP circles.
“I do think there’s challenges in a midterm year with our party in power,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who represents a swing district and is retiring after this term, said in an interview. “It’s always hard. And then, you know, the president’s poll numbers today were 36% in Gallup, and I don’t think our side should ignore that.”
The Gallup survey showed Trump’s approval dropping sharply among Republicans and independents. His handling of the economy — historically a strong suit — stood at just 36% approval, while his marks on health care and the federal budget were 30% and 31%, respectively. “I think there’s red flags, and our party should take that threat serious,” Bacon said.
A special election in Tennessee this week underscored those worries. The Republican candidate won by 9 points in a district Trump carried by 22 points last year, tightening that margin dramatically. Multiple voters who spoke with NBC News said the cost of living was a top concern that brought them to the polls.
“It’s certainly a wake-up call that the Democrats are gonna be ready to go, and we need to pick up our game on the issues that matter,” Rep. Scott DesJarlais, a Tennessee Republican, told NBC News. “It’s always the economy, but health care has been put on the front burner, and we need to address that.”
The GOP candidate in that race, Rep. Matt Van Epps, put affordability at the center of his victory remarks in Nashville on Tuesday night.
“Together we’ll bring down the cost of living,” he said. “I’m tired of too many Republicans ceding affordability to Democrats.”
Leaders preach patience
Top Republicans are trying to steady nerves by arguing that Americans will start to feel better about their finances once major elements of Trump’s tax law fully kick in next year — including provisions eliminating taxes on tips and overtime and expanding the child tax credit.
Pressed by NBC News on whether Republicans are doing enough to confront the cost-of-living crunch, Speaker Mike Johnson insisted that the party is on track.
“We are exactly on the trajectory of where we’ve always planned to be. Steady at the wheel, everybody, it’s going to be fine,” Johnson said. “Our best days are ahead of us. Americans are going to be feeling a lot better in the early part of next year.”
But one senior House Republican, who spoke on condition of anonymity to be candid, warned against banking on the party’s marquee tax package to soothe voters’ concerns, arguing that “no one in America knows what’s in that bill.”
This lawmaker also faulted Johnson for effectively idling the House during the government shutdown, saying that nearly two critical months were lost when Republicans could have been voting on cost-of-living measures or searching for a health care deal. Johnson has defended his approach, saying the extended standoff helped ratchet up pressure on Senate Democrats, who ultimately agreed to a compromise.
“There’s no key kind of strategic messaging about these major wins in the ‘one big, beautiful bill,’” the senior Republican said. “This is a blown majority.”
Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly dismissed affordability concerns as a “hoax,” a “con job” and a “scam” by Democrats — rhetoric that has grated on some in the party. In an interview with NBC News this week, Vice President JD Vance said Trump “certainly understands that prices got way too high,” but argued that Democrats are trying to pin on his administration problems they created.
“The hoax is the idea that it’s our fault and not the Democrats’ fault. And I do think that’s a totally bulls— narrative,” Vance said. Johnson echoed that sentiment.
A White House official countered that the president’s policies have strengthened the economy, citing fuel standards and lower drug prices as evidence of an ongoing commitment to affordability.
Still, there are indications the White House recognizes it needs to more carefully address how voters feel about the economy. Next week, Trump is scheduled to travel to northeast Pennsylvania — a competitive area in a key battleground state — to promote his economic agenda.
“We’re now cleaning up what they still don’t have any actual solutions for,” the White House official said, referring to Democrats. “It’s more of a narrative thing than a substantive thing. With the trip coming up here, it’s more to reiterate or underscore that we’ve been working on this since Day 1. That’s not changing anytime soon.”
On Capitol Hill, House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain of Michigan told colleagues in a closed-door meeting this week that leaders intend to stay focused on passing legislation aimed at lowering costs and keeping their messaging tight, according to two GOP sources who were present. Immediately afterward, she touted the party’s “affordability agenda” at a weekly news conference, highlighting low gas prices.
Republicans also heard from Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio at a Republican Study Committee lunch this week, where he urged them to emphasize issues like drug price reductions when talking about health care and to be mindful of voters’ economic anxieties, according to attendees.
“Part of the message from Fabrizio is just identifying things that people relate to. They don’t want to hear about frivolous things. They want to hear about what things that affect them,” said Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., who delivered a House floor speech on affordability on Thursday.
Changing how voters ‘feel’
One of the party’s biggest obstacles is that, even as some prices — like gas and eggs — have eased, many families still feel squeezed by inflation, high interest rates and a cooling job market. The Biden administration wrestled with the same problem: how to respond when indicators looked better on paper, but voters were still unhappy. The truth, Republicans acknowledge, is that politicians can’t simply tell people how to feel about their finances.
“The economy has to feel better, and feeling better sometimes is subjective,” said Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., who served as Trump’s interior secretary in his first term.
Zinke argued that rates must come down and tariffs must actually produce favorable trade deals if Republicans hope to improve that sentiment. Trump’s tariffs have helped push prices higher and remain a sore spot for some in the GOP.
Another issue: a major chunk of Trump’s tax law effectively extends current tax rates, meaning many voters won’t notice a major change. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said Republicans need to do a much better job explaining what would have happened without their intervention.
“We do need to say that a lot more, and remind people, ‘Do you know you were about to lose thousands of dollars of your paycheck, and we stopped it?’” he told NBC News.
Even so, it’s unclear whether Republicans have a near-term plan that would significantly ease voters’ financial pain.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said those hoping for outright price declines are likely to be disappointed as long as the U.S. keeps adding trillions in debt each year.
“For prices to actually go down — people kind of misinterpret this — we’d have to actually have deflation,” he said. “And what we have is less inflation. So it’s better that prices go up 2% a year than 9%. … But it’s not like slowing down inflation all of a sudden means you go to the grocery store and it’s less. It means it’s just not going up as rapidly, which isn’t that satisfying.”
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who is on the ballot next year, said the first step should be “permitting reform,” which he argued would make it easier to build utility lines and expand energy production.
“Things like that, that we have control over, are on the agenda,” he said. “They’re just not yet accomplished, and they need to get accomplished.”
Hawley has floated a plan to allow out-of-pocket spending on insurance premiums to be deducted from taxes and to create a $25,000 deduction for medical expenses. He said he also wants to explore capping prescription drug costs and raising the federal minimum wage — proposals that many Republicans still oppose.
Johnson has pledged to hold a vote on a health care bill before the end of the year. But it’s far from certain Republicans can send legislation to Trump’s desk, especially before Affordable Care Act subsidies expire in January.
If Republicans fail to pass an alternative and the ACA tax credits lapse — a scenario that now appears highly likely — millions of Americans could see their health insurance premiums soar next year.
“It is frustrating. It’s a big deal,” Van Drew said when asked about the possibility that his party might let the ACA subsidies expire. “Affordability, it’s the new buzzword now. And I think the thing that we can do the most immediately right now is the health care issue.”
