Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania) speaks with reporters in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, March 27, 2026.
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call Inc. | Getty Images
Republicans have argued for months that inflation was former President Joe Biden’s problem. Now, as they stare down an inflation crisis of their own making just in time for the midterm elections, the blame game is just beginning.
Inflation rose to 3.8% year-on-year in April, the highest level since 2023. Much of that increase is due to the soaring energy prices that have been occurring since President Donald Trump started the war with Iran.
President Trump and Congressional Republicans took control in 2024, promising to defeat the inflation that plagued President Biden’s term. But they are now at risk of a crushing defeat in the 2026 midterm elections due to their own inflation crisis, and are struggling to find a clear message to fight high prices as the president seeks $400 million to build a White House ballroom and a $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded legal relief fund for victims of the government’s “use of arms.”
Congressional Republicans are now questioning whether their priorities are right.
“At a time when half of America is living paycheck to paycheck, the word ‘ballroom’ should not be in anyone’s vocabulary,” moderate Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania), who represents a swing district, told reporters at the Capitol. “We should always, always focus on affordability. Both parties are getting it wrong. That’s why we’re in the current crisis.”
Mr. Fitzpatrick’s comments were a rare rebuke from within his own party for President Trump’s priorities, which have largely been in lockstep with the president through months of economic turmoil caused by on-and-off tariffs and the current war with Iran.
And when asked about what Republicans can communicate to voters in the district, Fitzpatrick did not specify exactly what the party is talking about.
“Why do we need to abolish the two-party system when both parties are bankrupt?” he said.
He’s not the only Republican warning that a pinch of inflation will hit the party in November, especially after years of rising costs that have fallen on Americans.
“It’s not as bad as the worst situation under the Biden administration,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), a frequent critic of the president who is retiring at the end of his term. “But I don’t think most Americans have recovered from all of that. That’s why it’s still a problem.”
Bacon focused on President Trump’s inflationary tariffs.
“I think tariffs are bad policy. Milton Friedman, Adam Smith, they’re the bible of conservatism, and we’re violating them,” he said, referring to free market economists. “We shouldn’t have overturned that here in Congress.”
Asked what Republicans could say to show Americans that life is better under Republican rule, Mr. Bacon said, “The president will certainly be able to show that we have secured our borders.”
It’s been four years since the U.S. consumer price index peaked at 9% in June 2022, igniting Americans’ anger over post-pandemic price increases. Now, the war with Iran is once again raising affordability concerns.
According to the latest Consumer Price Index released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, household grocery prices rose 0.7% from March to April alone. This contrasts with an average monthly increase in food prices of 0.25% in 2025.
According to AAA, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline as of Tuesday was $4.49, 51% higher than just before the war started.
Voters have long expressed widespread dissatisfaction with prices and the economy. Meanwhile, President Trump’s approval ratings on the economy have plummeted, with just 33% of voters giving him a positive rating in a recent New York Times/Siena College poll. His approval ratings on the cost of living were even worse, with just 28% of voters saying they approved.
Democrats are leading in general parliamentary opinion polls. According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, Democrats lead Republicans by 7.1 percentage points. Republicans hold a five-seat majority in the House of Representatives.
Rep. Susan DelBene, D-Wash., chair of the New Democratic Coalition, speaks with reporters outside the West Wing of the White House after meeting with President Joe Biden to discuss domestic issues in Washington, Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Standing with DelBene are Congressman Scott Peters (D-Calif.) (left) and Congressman Ami Bera (D-Calif.).
Patrick Semanski | AP
Rep. Susan DelBene (D-Wash.), head of the House Democratic Campaign Division, told CNBC that voters were reacting to “broken promises.”
“They’ve said over and over again, ‘If you wait, things will get better,'” DelBene said. “None of this is true and people are tired of broken promises. President Trump said from day one he was going to cut costs.”
Not all Republicans are giving up hope that they can turn the tide on inflation.
Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) said he expects voters to react to the tax cuts passed by Republicans as part of the 2025 budget reconciliation package, known as “one big, beautiful bill.”
“If you’re looking for a solution to this problem, what is the group that gave the largest tax cut in American history?” Nunn said. “We’ve got more trade deals than in recent memory… We’ve passed things like biofuels, and economic growth in my home state of Iowa is $23 billion. And we’ve made serious onshoring a priority, so we’re starting to see some local economic growth.”
And Republican leaders continue to offer a rosy outlook for the economy and the next election.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said Sunday that he expects a Republican victory in November.
“I’m absolutely confident that the majority will grow,” Johnson told Fox News in an interview at the Indy 500. “Kitchen table issues will decide the midterm elections.”
But how Republicans will lower kitchen table prices in time for the election remains an open question. Some Republican lawmakers are proposing a third tax and spending package this year focused on cutting costs. Doing so would be a monumental task, especially after President Trump angered some allies in the Senate last week with his social circles, support for popular incumbent challengers and funding to “weaponize” the Justice Department.
But most Republican policymakers agree that the most important price point, gasoline, is unlikely to fall until the war with Iran ends or the Strait of Hormuz, a vital sea route that carries one-fifth of the world’s oil, opens.
In a recent analysis, natural resources research firm Wood Mackenzie found that under expedited dispute resolution, brent Oil prices will fall to $80 per barrel by the end of the year. If the Strait remains closed until the end of the year, the situation will get worse, with oil prices rising towards $200 a barrel by the end of the year.
“It’s all about getting energy costs back to where they need to be, and that’s going to include getting some solutions in Iran,” said House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark. “There are still some things that can be done through reconciliation, but this is really just a fundamental supply and demand issue.”
