Trump promised us an end to foreign wars, release of the Epstein files, cheaper gas, lower inflation, and a more affordable life. We   got the opposite.

Instead of peace, we got a war with Iran. The Pentagon puts the direct cost to taxpayers at $47.1 billion through Oct. 16, AP reported. That is before the higher fuel bills and the $95 billion package the White House wants for the war and other priorities. Instead of lower prices, we got tariffs. The Budget Lab at Yale finds that tariffs could raise costs for the typical American household to more than $1,000 a year.

On Tuesday, voters answered. Democrats took the House and the Senate. Both parties should understand the warning: Voters will fire whoever fails to deliver.

Darius Assemi
Opinion

When the new Congress takes office in January, Donald Trump will still be president. Democrats cannot sign bills into law themselves or wish away his veto. But they will control which legislation reaches the floor, which investigations move forward, and what spending they are willing to approve.

They asked voters for that authority. Now they have to use it.

Start With the Cost of Living

If Democrats truly put America first, their agenda should start here.

Repeal the tariffs. Tariffs are paid by importers, with costs passed along to American families and businesses, not a bill sent to foreign governments. Pursue their repeal and require congressional approval before a president can impose another sweeping round. An affordability agenda should not begin by making imported goods more expensive.

Fix immigration on both ends. Keep the border closed to illegal immigration. At the same time, overhaul the legal system so it is easier for the people we need to come here: doctors, nurses, and scientists; skilled workers to build our housing and roads; and investors who bring capital into our economy.

Make sure no American goes without health care. The Census Bureau estimates that 26.7 million people went uninsured throughout 2025. Use the best technology available. Negotiate better prices on medicine, learn from other countries, and use global efficiencies to lower costs for Americans.

Build housing everywhere. An average middle-class family should be able to buy a median-priced home. That means more homes of every kind, in every community.

Turn prisons into a pathway back to work. Overhaul our correctional system so people leave it ready to be taxpayers, not tax spenders.

Make justice a shield, not a weapon. Law enforcement exists to protect the American people, not to go after those who disagree with whoever holds the White House.

These priorities require money and choices. Democrats should explain what they will fund, what they will cut, and how they will pay for their plans. Military spending deserves the same scrutiny as health care, housing, and every other domestic program.

Challenge Power, Including Your Own

Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer are institutional figures. Will they follow the old guard and protect the concentrated wealth that funds campaigns? Or will they open up opportunity so capitalism can flourish for everyone?

That question applies to news and media, too.

On Oct. 6, Paramount Skydance completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The combined company, now called Skydance, brings CBS News and CNN, HBO and Paramount+, and the Paramount and Warner Bros. film studios under one roof. The company says the Ellison family holds its largest equity stake and, together with RedBird Capital Partners, controls all its voting shares.

David Ellison leads the company. His family’s relationship with Trump has helped fuel concerns about newsroom independence, although Ellison says editorial independence will be protected, AP reported.

That concentration of influence deserves congressional scrutiny. Supporting free markets means asking whether competition can survive when so much of the business belongs to so few owners. Supporting a free press means taking the independence of those newsrooms seriously.

The same independence should apply to foreign military aid.

In April, Schumer was one of seven Democratic senators who voted against advancing a resolution to block a proposed arms sale to Israel. In July, Jeffries opposed eliminating $3.3 billion in proposed military financing for Israel, while more than 100 House Democrats supported the cut. He argued that the amendment was overly broad.

The 2016 assistance agreement pledged $38 billion in U.S. military aid to Israel over fiscal years 2019 through 2028, subject to congressional funding. Israel has a national health insurance system covering its residents. Millions of Americans remain uninsured.

Redirecting that aid alone would not pay for universal health care. But Americans can reasonably demand that their leaders show the same determination to secure health coverage at home that they show in sustaining military commitments abroad.

Follow the Evidence, Then Deliver

The Justice Department says it released nearly 3.5 million pages in compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. It says materials withheld included duplicates, privileged records, and material covered by statutory exceptions.

But that has not settled the question of full disclosure. In October, a coalition of 17 attorneys general accused the department of failing to comply fully with the law, withholding millions of records, and exposing victims’ identifying information. They urged Congress to strengthen enforcement.

Democrats should pursue that dispute through hearings, document demands, and enforceable disclosure requirements. Protect survivors’ identities. Establish what remains withheld and why. Follow credible evidence wherever it leads, including toward people in their own party. A name appearing in a file is not proof of wrongdoing, but political connections should never decide who receives scrutiny.

I am America first. To me, that means affordable health care, homes people can buy, legal immigration that serves the country, and trade that stretches a family’s paycheck. I support global trade and the efficiencies it brings, and I oppose tariffs. I support comprehensive immigration reform. It means requiring a convincing explanation before financing another war and supporting healthy fiscal and legislative policies that promote economic mobility for every American.

If the new majority keeps the old priorities and answers to the same donors, America just got a new paint job with no change to its engine.

Whether you voted red or blue, ask your representative and senators what they intend to deliver, how they will pay for it, and when they expect results.

Then watch their votes. Democrats asked for this power. Now we will see what they build with it.

About the Author

Darius Assemi is the publisher of GV Wire and the CEO/president of Granville Homes.