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Out of power in Washington, and with their brand in the dumps, House Democrats say they see a silver lining after the first weeks of the second Trump administration.
“I think a number of people who voted for the current administration are having second thoughts,” Albany-area Congressman Paul Tonko said.
Tonko joined other House Democrats in huddling Thursday in suburban Virginia at their annual retreat, focused on forging a message and agenda for the year ahead. The ultimate goal: reclaiming the House majority in next year’s midterm elections.
Internal polls show Democrats have work to do to improve their image in key battleground districts.
But with President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk slashing federal payroll and spending, and Republicans in Congress advancing legislation that Democrats warn will lead to Medicaid cuts, Democrats are hoping what is happening in Washington will serve as a wake-up call for voters.
“Last week, a group of Republican doctors in my district who supported Trump heavily asked to meet with me,” Rep. Grace Meng of Queens said. “They were so upset with a lot of the Medicaid cuts that have been proposed that they were scared.”
“Clearly it is becoming apparent that Trump’s promise to lower prices fall flat on their face, that he hasn’t done that,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat said.
This congressional term, New Yorkers are leading three influential caucuses on Capitol Hill representing Black, Hispanic and Asian Pacific Americans — demographics where Republicans made some inroads in November.
Those three lawmakers Thursday were eager to highlight what they argue is the threat that Trump and his policies pose to those communities.
“We can expect these tariff wars to have acute impacts on our communities,” Rep. Yvette Clarke, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, said.
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of Brooklyn is the top Democrat in the U.S. House, where Democrats are just a few seats shy of the majority. This week, he signaled confidence that next year’s midterms will not be pretty for Republicans.
But the next election is more than a year and a half away.
