Overview  >  Key Actions  >  Program 1: Affordability

PROGRAM 1: AFFORDABILITY

Kitchen Table Relief Package

Why voters want this •     About 9 in 10 voters called the cost of living a crucial or major factor in their vote. •     About 8 in 10 said inflation caused hardship at home; more than 8 in 10 worry about gas, groceries and utilities. •     About two-thirds say tariffs have hurt the national economy.

 

What the program does

1. Consumer tariff relief

Exempt or phase down tariffs on everyday goods such as food, household staples, children’s products and auto parts. Require a vote of Congress to extend emergency tariffs beyond a fixed period, tying affordability to accountability.

2. Utility Bill Protection

Expand home energy assistance and weatherization funding, and direct federal regulators to scrutinize rate increases driven by grid expansion for large industrial users. The goal is a visible cut or freeze in household bills in the highest-cost regions.

3. Grocery and gas competition enforcement

Fund antitrust enforcement in concentrated food processing, grocery and fuel distribution markets. Create a federal price-gouging standard for declared energy emergencies, such as the spike that followed the Iran war.

4. Fair pricing and fee transparency

Require the full price up front, including mandatory fees, and make subscription renewals easy to see and cancel. Publish consumer savings and restitution from enforcement.

5. Targeted family relief

Evaluate refundable credits for low- and moderate-income working families, with clear eligibility, phase-outs and anti-fraud controls, rather than broad tax cuts that mostly help households least exposed to price pressure.

6. State partner track

Encourage states to cut or suspend sales taxes on groceries, a proposal that featured in winning 2026 campaigns such as Georgia’s race for governor.

Design options

Option	What it means	Trade-off
Market-oriented version	Tariff rollback, competition enforcement and expanded energy supply.	Lower cost, broad appeal; slower and less visible relief.
Direct relief version	Adds rebates, energy bill credits and stronger price oversight.	Fast and visible; higher cost and a risk of adding to inflation.
Shared core (recommended start)	Tariff relief on staples, competition enforcement and fee transparency, which both versions include.	Most bipartisan; can move first while the larger choices are debated.

 

Success metrics

Measure	Baseline	Target
Households reporting inflation hardship	About 8 in 10	Clear decline by fall 2028
Residential utility bills in high-cost regions	Rising	Frozen or lower
Consumer savings from competition and fee enforcement	Not reported	Published every quarter
Real disposable income, bottom 60% of households	Under strain	Rising after inflation

 

Explore the other key actions

Next: Program 2: American Dream: Build and Care Initiative

All seven key actions

Sources for this page

• AP Voter Poll: The economy and the state of democracy are voters’ top issues (AP via PBS News, November 3, 2026)
• How Trump and Republicans lost the 2026 midterm elections, according to AP Voter Poll (AP via PBS News, November 4, 2026)
• Inflation, tariffs and a voter revolt: The midterm verdict on Trump’s economy (AP report, November 5, 2026)
• The Issues Voters Say Matter Most This Midterm (Gallup, October 29, 2026)
• Voters Put Affordability First (Forbes, November 4, 2026)

 

The 2026 Midterms: What Comes Next. Analysis updated November 8, 2026. Figures from election-day and pre-election surveys; projections may change as counting finishes.