The Year of Affordability Policies

We are now 300 days away from the 2026 election, and, like most past elections, the economy will take center stage as the core issue of the campaign cycle, with a particular focus on the costs facing consumers and the overall issue of the affordability of goods, services, healthcare, and more.  And, it seems as though both sides of the political aisle want to have this debate.

While there may be many issues that are above the fold in papers every day, few are things that voters can directly feel an impact from.  Affordability is certainly one that counters that trend. Polling shows that it is top of mind for voters, and this issue space has been active over two administrations (Biden and Trump), so people have strong awareness of it from both a policy and political perspective.  

Likely, policymakers from both sides of the political aisle and the White House will "flood the zone" with affordability proposals.  Expect lots of bills to be introduced and many executive orders issued. Most bills will not move (because getting bipartisan support on a politically sensitive issue with an election on the horizon is difficult, at best).  Even those proposals that do move are unlikely to see an immediate impact and, in some cases, that impact may not come until well beyond the current election cycle.

So, expect a healthy combination of ideas and blame in the coming 300 days as it relates to affordability. Those who win the debate are likely to be the policymakers whom voters trust the most to advance policies that would clearly make a difference -- a metric that may not necessarily be accompanied by near-term policies crossing the finish line.