House Democrats plan a first 100-days agenda if they sweep to power in
midterm elections
[October 14, 2026]
By LISA MASCARO
WASHINGTON (AP) — 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
far-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 far-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.
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House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York speaks during a
news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 30,
2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“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 the war, end the 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
far-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.”
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