House Democrats open 2026 Issues Conference with midterm push

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - House Democrats opened their 2026 Issues Conference Wednesday, less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress; launching a three-day gathering focused on economic affordability and the upcoming midterm elections.

The conference, officially titled “Fighting for an Affordable America,” is centered on convincing voters that the cost of living has not improved under Republican leadership.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar of California offered a direct response to the president’s State of the Union speech: “The truth is that under Donald Trump, the state of the Union is incredibly weak,” Aguilar said, responding to the often-used line “the state of the Union is strong”, once again uttered by Trump Tuesday.

Democrats are taking the week to flush out their 2026 agenda, with Rep. Ted Lieu of California saying the conference would partly focus on providing an alternate option to high costs than the one pitched by the Trump administration. “The American people are drowning in debt, and Donald Trump didn’t want to talk about it,” Lieu said. “Democrats are going to talk about it this entire Issues Conference.”

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries framed the November elections as the path to lasting policy change. “It will come when Democrats take control of the House, laying a foundation to end this national nightmare in the United States of America,” Jeffries said.

Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington pointed out the party is on the cusp of taking the Speaker’s gavel, saying Democrats only need to net three seats in November to tip the House majority scales in their favor.

Wednesday marked the opening of the conference. Additional press conferences, caucus meetings, discussions with policy experts and interviews are scheduled through Friday.