Beyond relatable campaign messaging, what concrete steps will newly elected leaders take to tackle the escalating costs of housing and healthcare?

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They will be judged less on their “busy mom” messaging than on whether they can move specific housing and health-cost policies through Congress and statehouses. On housing, the clearest near-term agenda is supply plus preservation. Research from the Housing Multiplier Project and allied groups argues that costs fall fastest when governments remove barriers that restrict construction: easing zoning limits, allowing duplexes and small apartment buildings, reducing parking mandates, speeding permits, and opening public land for housing. In Congress, lawmakers have also introduced preservation measures such as the Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act, which would create low-interest loans to repair distressed HUD-assisted properties, and larger proposals to expand the National Housing Trust Fund and supportive housing. At the state and local level, leaders are also pursuing renter protections, legal aid in eviction cases, and emergency voucher funding to keep families housed while new supply comes online. On healthcare, the likely pressure points are insurance premiums, out-of-pocket costs, drug prices, and medical debt. Policy experts have proposed capping deductibles and annual out-of-pocket costs, tying excessive hospital prices to Medicare-based limits, banning facility fees for routine outpatient care, and requiring no-cost coverage for high-value primary care, behavioral health visits, and essential generic drugs. Leaders in non-expansion states are also push…

Record Number of Women Win Congress Seats on Family-Cost Platforms in 2026

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Record Number of Women Win Congress Seats on Family-Cost Platforms in 2026

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