WASHINGTON — With 47 days to go before the November midterm election that could end Republican control of Congress, House Democrats on Wednesday called out their GOP colleagues and President Donald Trump for policies that have increased the cost of living.

Speaking on the Capitol steps, Democratic leaders reiterated a claim they have repeatedly made this year: that they are fighting for an affordable America.

“Two years ago, Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans promised to bring down grocery prices on Day 1. They promised to stop endless wars in the Middle East,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said at an event where he was joined by dozens of his Democratic colleagues and a handful of their constituents who shared stories about the challenges of affording healthcare, childcare and everyday basics such as gas and groceries.

“They promised to bring energy prices down by 50%. They promised to get gas prices below $2 a gallon, but Republicans have done nothing to make life more affordable for the American people,” Jeffries said. “Instead, they’ve made life more expensive.”

The annual inflation rate in August was 3.4%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee estimates Americans have paid at least $4,200 more for goods and services since Trump started his second term.

The tariffs Trump began imposing last year added about $1,000 in costs to the average American family last year, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, while the war in Iran has almost doubled gas prices over the past six months, according to AAA.

Healthcare costs have also increased for many Americans, following the end of enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans in 2026. KFF, a nonprofit organization focused on health policy, estimates the end of the tax credits increased monthly health insurance premium payments by 58%. For 2027, KFF said ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing a 15% premium increase.

“I shouldn’t have to choose between providing healthcare insurance and paying my team fairly,” said Terri Bradley, founder of Brown Toy Box, an educational toy company in Atlanta that has five full-time employees.

Bradley said she gives her employees a $300 monthly stipend for healthcare but lost an employee because she couldn’t provide full coverage.

“I can’t afford coverage for myself either,” said Bradley, who said she dropped her ACA insurance in July because she could no longer afford to pay a premium that more than doubled to over $1,000 per month this year.

Recent polling from the Pew Research Center found the economy and cost of living are the top voter concerns heading into November’s election, but Democrats have only a slight edge over Republicans when it comes to tackling the issue.

With Trump’s approval rating standing at 34%, and 64% of Americans saying they disapprove of his job performance, according to Pew, Democrats are working to tie the president’s policies to what they say is an affordability crisis.

Kat De La Cruz, a married mother of two young children from Phoenix, shared her story of needing to return to work three weeks after giving birth to her second daughter because she didn’t have paid leave from her job as a paralegal. She said she pays $1,400 a month for part-time childcare and is now paying double for groceries since Trump took office.

“It shouldn’t be this hard to work and raise a family. We are a working, middle class family,” De La Cruz said, as she held her 3-year-old. “Instead of investing in care policies families need, President Trump and Republicans in Congress have slashed healthcare funding and childcare funding all while the president’s tariffs drive up the cost of everything from food to baby products higher and higher.”

Many Republicans, including the president and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., insist the price spikes are temporary and will fall once Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz. When that will happen, however, is unclear as the Iran war is now in its seventh month.

“People are drowning in Donald Trump’s failed economy,” Jeffries said. “House Democrats are determined to make life more affordable for the American people. We just need a handful of Republicans to stand up to Donald Trump and join us.”

“Instead, they have decided to cancel votes and run out of town without providing any relief to hardworking American taxpayers,” he said, referring to Johnson’s decision Wednesday to cancel Thursday’s House votes and recess the chamber until after the midterms.

Testifying before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended Trump’s economic record, citing job growth, higher wages and tax cuts.

“President Trump’s economic turnaround is especially impressive given the severity of the situation he inherited from his predecessor,” Bessent said.