DORAL, Florida — House Republicans traveled to the Sunshine State this week with one considerable goal: find a legislative and messaging strategy that will not only secure their majority but also ensure another two years of a GOP-focused agenda under President Donald Trump.
But the party appears to be hitting roadblocks with just six months of legislative session left on what should be their primary messaging strategy. Affordability and rising costs of living are at the forefront of voters’ minds heading into the midterm elections, but the president’s eyes are set on the war in Iran and passing a GOP voter identification bill.
House Republican leadership opened their first press conference of the 2026 issues conference by homing in on affordability, making contrasts between the GOP and the Democrats, and frequently pointing to their One Big Beautiful Bill Act, redubbed the “Working Families Tax Cut,” as the shining example of how people’s lives have changed and will continue to change with Republicans in charge.
“We’ve got to continue saving the country,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Tuesday. “House Republicans are working hand in hand with President Trump and his administration to bring down the cost of living for hard-working American families. We’ve done an extraordinary amount of work in that regard, and there is much more work left to do. So that’s what we work on every day, and this team is committed to that result.”
But that stood in stark contrast to the remarks made by the president Monday evening. During his hourlong speech in front of members at his Trump National Doral hotel in Florida, he mainly stressed election integrity and the passage of the SAVE America Act as the No. 1 priority heading into the midterm elections, adding that the Democrats can not win on this issue.
“If you don’t get it, big trouble, in my opinion,” the president said. “I’m for it if it takes you six months, I’m for not approving anything. … I don’t think we should approve anything until this is approved.”
During his remarks, the president only mentioned “affordability” three times and pointed to inflation lowering.
“They were bad with everything,” Trump said of Democrats. “I mean, I said, name one thing that they did right. They can’t name one thing. But they also gave us very high prices. And then they said the word ‘affordability.’ That’s the first time I ever heard it. They said ‘affordability.’ My first day in office. They said ‘affordability.’”
“They’re the ones that caused the problem, but we’re really bringing down prices big,” the president added. “Do you notice you don’t hear that word anymore? They don’t say it anymore, because we brought down prices so much.”
When asked by reporters if there was a disconnect in what should be the priority of GOP messaging, Johnson said, “We’re all on the same page,” and noted that passing the SAVE America Act is a “90-10 issue.”
Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX), who has been a staunch supporter of the SAVE America Act and a second reconciliation bill, echoed the same sentiment as Johnson regarding their legislative priorities and affordability.
“The messaging has to be tight about the legislative tools that we have passed that we know will make things better,” Pfluger said of how Republicans need to message on affordability this year.
“So I think we talk about the facts of the One Big Beautiful Bill, and then we also say, ‘But we’re not done,’” Pfluger added.
Affordability was a central focus for last year’s elections as both Govs. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) focused much of their campaigns on affordability, as did New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. It has become one of the top issues ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, as both parties rush to find messaging that resonates in hopes of picking up seats in either chamber.
House Republicans are using this policy retreat not only to strengthen their messaging, but also to hear updates from committee chairmen on what bills are coming down the pipeline over the next six months. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) pointed to the farm bill and a housing bill as important pieces of legislation the chamber wants to move forward on.
“You look at what we’ve done again on so many different issues, to finally get control over spending, not just rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, but to put more money back in the pockets of working families to get this economy moving again,” Scalise said.
“We’re going to keep our focus as House Republicans on working with President Trump to make life more affordable for working families,” Scalise added. “If Democrats want to keep voting ‘no,’ the voters are going to have something to say about this November man who’s been working tirelessly, not only on the agenda, but going all around the country to spread this message.”
Pfluger pointed to a number of healthcare bills he wants to get across the finish line to “lower premiums.”
“We have multiple, multiple bills that would immediately bring premiums down, as an example,” the RSC chairman said. “We’ve already passed some of those out of the House, so we’re going to re-attack that and we should.”
But the president has vowed not to sign any other bills into law until the SAVE America Act hits his desk, a politically dangerous gamble considering that doing so may take considerable time as Republicans try to get the upper hand on messaging legislative wins in the midterm elections.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday that he plans to put the House-passed SAVE America Act on the floor next week. But Thune has remained adamant that removing the 60-vote filibuster to pass the voter ID bill is not an option, despite calls from conservative lawmakers and influencers to do so.
“We don’t have the votes either to proceed, get on a talking filibuster, nor sustain one if we got on, but that’s just a that is just a function of math, and there isn’t anything I can do about that,” Thune told reporters Tuesday. “I mean, I understand the president’s got a passion to see this issue addressed, as we all do.”
Thune has been under pressure to use a talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act from Trump, as well as conservative lawmakers and influencers. A talking filibuster would sidestep the 60-vote threshold on most legislation, but could eat up weeks of floor time as it would allow lawmakers opposing a bill to speak on the Senate floor for as long as possible to delay passage.
Still, Johnson remains confident that there is a path to passing the SAVE America Act.
“Now, I don’t tell Leader Thune how to run the Senate,” the speaker said. “He doesn’t tell me how to run the House. I know he’s working on it. I know they’re looking at all avenues, but the president and I are exactly in lockstep on that, of course, because he emphasized the importance of that.”
Johnson echoed a Trump sentiment that Democrats are at a loss politically, despite Republicans facing off against a historical trend in which the party opposite the White House flips the House.
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“Defying history to win the majority is not a simple task, but it is one that we will do, and you have to remember, because all of you track this, and you report on it, you keep the progress reports,” Johnson said. “This House Republican majority has defined expectation and historical trends and conventional thought virtually every single day that we’ve been governing.
“I would much rather be us than them going into this election cycle, because Democrats … have no message and no vision, have no leadership. They’re guided solely by retribution and their blinding hatred for Donald Trump.”
David Sivak contributed to this report.