WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump is taking his economic message on the road tonight — heading to eastern Pennsylvania. It’s a place the White House views as ground zero for the issue they believe will decide next year’s midterms: lowering prices.
More than a year after his election, recent polling shows most Americans are still waiting for the economic prosperity President Trump campaigned on. A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll shows 55% of Americans believe the economy is on the wrong track and 36% of Americans believe the economy is on the right track. However, that perception bumped 3-points from 33% in November, according to the same poll.
The White House says the administration’s “whole-of-government effort will continue driving prices down, boosting take-home pay, and strengthening the economy so all Americans can feel relief.” The administration also points to the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act, one of the largest tax cuts in American history.
“This includes No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and No Tax on Social Security — all of which will save Americans money in their tax returns. This landmark legislation will raise Americans’ take-home pay by as much as $13,300 and wages by as much as $11,600. In fact, thanks to the landmark law, millions of Americans will see higher tax refunds — with the average refund estimated to increase by about $1,000 per filer,” the White House said in a press release Tuesday.
The White House said President Trump’s trip to Pennsylvania will be the first of many trips designed to reset the narrative, while also supporting House lawmakers in tough races next year. It comes at a time when health care costs are rising, impacting family budgets and overall affordability.
“Donald Trump is also facing a little bit of a rebellion within his own party, with the MAGA movement, people thinking that he hasn’t really been focusing enough on the United States, has his attention elsewhere and hasn’t been focusing enough on affordability,” said Dr. Todd Belt, professor and director of the Political Management Master’s Program at George Washington University. “I think he wants to remind everyone in the party exactly who’s the boss.”
Belt says the president’s trip to the commonwealth is about more than affordability.
“Help members of Congress raise money and to get votes and get people volunteering for them to help them with reelection. That really ingratiates these people. And if the Republican Party looks like there’s any fissures in it right now, like it does, this can help glue that back together,” said Belt.
Belt says the timing and location of Trump’s trip are not a coincidence.
“One of the things that Donald Trump wants to do by getting into these races earlier is he wants to discourage anybody to run in a primary election against these candidates. If they can just cruise through the primary election and have no challenger, they can save all their money, they don’t hurt anybody’s feelings and it makes it a lot easier in the general election for them,” Belt said.
Health care expenses are still a top concern. Enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies will expire at the end of the year, expected to drive up premiums if no action from Congress. Despite an abundance of ideas and proposals, there’s still no clear plan to stabilize costs.
“Democrats have put forward the cleanest, fastest, most realistic solution — a three-year extension of the current tax credits. No gimmicks, no poison pills,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “Republicans have had all year to avoid this premium crisis. They ignored every warning.”
Senate Democrats are guaranteed a vote on their proposal to extend the enhanced subsidies for three years. A vote on their plan is expected Thursday. However, it’s an unpopular concept among Republicans, who are trying to build consensus around a plan that would give money directly to patients, as opposed to insurance companies.
“As a conference, our members and I can’t say 100%, but I think for the most part, I would argue are united behind the Crapo-Cassidy proposal,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Senators Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Bill Cassidy, M.D., R-La., unveiled the Health Care Freedom for Patients Act, which the lawmakers say gives money directly to families to control their own care, as opposed to sending billions to insurance companies.
“Giving billions of taxpayer dollars to insurers is not working to reduce health insurance premiums for patients,” said Sen. Crapo. “We need to give Americans more control over their own health care decisions. This bill builds on the work we did in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and will help Americans manage the rising cost of health care without driving costs even higher.”
It’s unclear what a compromise to the competing plans will look like, but what is clear is the dwindling amount of time lawmakers have to strike a deal.
