Republicans are in disarray as they begin to realize that they may lose the House in the 2026 midterm elections. And congressional Republicans are placing the blame squarely on House Speaker Mike Johnson, accusing him of not focusing on affordability.
“The best friend the Democrats have right now is the Republicans messaging, because we do a terrible job of messaging,” GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee told CNN after Republicans severely underperformed in a special election in his state. “We got a real problem, and we better wake up.”
But no amount of messaging on affordability can save Republicans, because their plans to tackle the issue do the exact opposite of lowering costs for the American people.
For example, Johnson told a reporter this week that Americans worried about the rising cost of living need to just “relax” and wait for the provisions in the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” that Republicans passed earlier this year to kick in.
“We are exactly on the trajectory of where we’ve always planned to be. Steady at the wheel, everybody. It’s gonna be fine. Our best days are ahead of us,” Johnson said.
However, the bill will actually make the affordability crisis worse for low-income Americans by cutting tens of billions of dollars in Medicaid and food stamps.
What’s more, Affordable Care Act subsidies that make insurance more affordable for millions of Americans are set to expire at the end of the year. If they are not extended, millions will see their premiums more than double. And given that Johnson still has no planAmericans are likely to blame the GOP for that preventable catastrophe too.
Worse than that, President Donald Trump’s tariffs are hurting the economy, forcing companies to conduct layoffs from the levies and economic uncertainty. Other companies have raised prices for consumers—the exact opposite of what Americans voted for in 2024. And some Americans are even forced to pay the tariffs themselves, getting surprise bills for online orders.
Polls show that Americans loathe Trump’s tariffs, blaming his trade policy for rising costs. Still, Johnson has refused to let Congress assert its constitutional powers on tariffs.
Ultimately, Republicans are screwed in the 2026 midterms because none of their plans will lower costs—the issue that Americans care about the most.
And as the GOP freaks out over its waning majority, it’s turning the House into a total disaster, warring not only with Johnson but with each other.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries summed it up perfectly on Thursday.
“Donald Trump is fighting with Marjorie Taylor Greene. Marjorie Taylor Greene is fighting with the House Republican Conference. Corey Mills is fighting with Nancy Mace. Nancy Mace is fighting with Mike Johnson. Mike Johnson is fighting with Elise Stefanik. Elise Stefanik is fighting with Lisa McClain,” Jeffries said.
He then continued, “The whole thing is a mess. The 119th Congress has turned into a bad episode of ‘Republicans Gone Wild.’ And here’s the problem. Republicans are so busy fighting each other, they can’t be bothered to fight for the American people.”
