Democrats won big.
asserted
Democrats → win → ?
Can they lower your grocery bill?
asserted
they → lower → bill
Affordability concerns, including high food costs, were top of mind for voters heading into the midterms, as the Trump administration's tariffs and the war in Iran continued to drive up prices.
asserted
tariffs → include → prices
That economic strain helped Democrats win control of both houses of Congress on Tuesday.
asserted
Democrats → help → Tuesday
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the incoming majority would make tackling high prices a priority come January.
asserted
tackling → say → prices
"It was a tremendous victory for the American people and a strong rebuke of MAGA extremism, which has made life more expensive for everyday Americans despite their promises to lower the high cost of living on day one," he told NPR on Friday.
asserted
he → make → Friday
The question is how Democrats will do that with President Trump still in the Oval Office, willing to wield his veto pen.
asserted
Democrats → do → pen
Senate Democrats won't have a filibuster-proof majority, and Trump may have little appetite to roll back his signature tariffs or reverse course on the Iran war, two of the main causes of high food prices.
uncertain
Trump → have → prices
Lael Brainard, who leads a public policy group called The Kitchen Table Project, said Americans are nevertheless expecting relief from Washington — and quickly.
asserted
Americans → lead → Washington
"They are feeling like they are getting squeezed by high prices that don't need to be that high," she said.
asserted
she → feel → prices
What Democrats plan to do to lower food prices
asserted
plan → plan → prices
Despite the political hurdles, Democrats said they intend to move ahead with plans to cut grocery bills, including by rolling back Trump's tariffs.
asserted
they → say → tariffs
Those tariffs have not only raised the cost of certain foods and drinks imported to the U.S., but also created other pressures on the food industry by making it more expensive to import things like machine parts and packaging.
asserted
it → raise → parts
The Iran war has led to a surge in energy prices, which has made it more expensive to transport just about everything.
asserted
it → lead → everything
Fertilizer costs also grew when the closure of the Strait of Hormuz cut off a significant portion of the global fertilizer trade.
asserted
closure → grow → trade
But getting Trump to backtrack on tariffs or the Iran war — or his immigration crackdown, which has led to labor shortages on U.S. farms — could prove tricky for Democrats.
"
uncertain
which → get → Democrats
I think the president would certainly want to find ways to reduce the cost of groceries.
asserted
president → think → groceries
Democrats [also] see that in their interest," said Lehigh University political science professor Chris Borick.
asserted
Borick → see → interest
"The mechanisms, the tools, the levers that would be most readily available to do that — there's quite a bit of distance between the president and Democrats that'll be taking over both the House and the Senate.
asserted
that → do → House
Several incoming Democratic senators also floated other proposals during their campaigns that aim to make groceries more affordable.
asserted
groceries → float → campaigns
James Talarico of Texas said he would push back against "attacks" on the federal food assistance programs WIC and SNAP, the latter of which is undergoing a major overhaul by the Trump administration and has seen a precipitous drop in participation since last summer.
asserted
latter → say → summer
Kansas' Adam Hamilton announced his support for a national ban on "dynamic pricing" in grocery stores.
asserted
Hamilton → announce → stores
And multiple candidates, including Roy Cooper of North Carolina, vowed to block food industry mergers they say would raise consumer prices.
asserted
they → include → prices
Democratic governors take a piece of the affordability pie
asserted
governors → take → pie
Beyond the blue wave in Congress, Democrats also made gains in state capitals across the U.S. on Tuesday.
asserted
Democrats → make → Tuesday
At least 28 states will have Democratic governors beginning next year, and ten state legislative chambers flipped to Democrats, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
uncertain
chambers → have → Legislatures
Incoming state governors have floated their own ideas for how to give residents relief in the grocery aisle.
asserted
governors → float → aisle
Keisha Lance Bottoms proposed allowing municipalities in Georgia to suspend or fully eliminate their local sales tax on groceries, baby formula, diapers and more.
asserted
municipalities → propose → groceries
Gina Hinojosa, the governor-elect of Texas, promised to outlaw "predatory surveillance pricing" and price gouging in grocery stores.
asserted
Hinojosa → promise → stores
In New Mexico, Deb Haaland said the state would explore a policy similar to one in Albuquerque that temporarily waives permitting fees for markets that sell healthy and affordable food in so-called "food deserts," the Albuquerque Journal reported.
asserted
Journal → say → deserts
However state and federal officials decide to go about lowering prices, Americans say they want to see cheaper groceries soon.
asserted
they → decide → groceries
According to a poll released by the Kitchen Table Project and Global Strategy Group in September, nearly half of respondents said their most important goal was seeing their grocery bills lowered within six months.
uncertain
bills → accord → months
The Aporia
