House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) sparked debate last week by omitting impeachment from his list of top priorities for the new term, focusing instead on affordability. But progressives warn that such a narrow approach misses the point: voters see corruption and economic pain as intertwined.
In The New Republic, Michael Tomasky cautioned against a false choice between tackling kitchen-table issues and holding the administration accountable. He's right. Exit polls show nearly nine in ten voters across party lines rank corruption alongside affordability as top national concerns. Americans are in no mood for a party that can only handle one crisis at a time.
Jeffries and other leaders are treating affordability and accountability as separate tracks, but they should be fused into one strategy. Bold accountability actions can set the stage for serious affordability legislation—and vice versa. The real issue is a sprawling public corruption crisis that touches both.
Trump's graft offers plenty of openings. The lowest-hanging fruit lets Democrats show bipartisanship while reclaiming Congress's co-equal status. Rep. Thomas Massie's (R-Ky.) impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were a ripe start. Hegseth has few defenders, and many Republicans blame his mismanagement of the Iran war for their midterm losses. He even held a rare Pentagon press briefing to project confidence, claiming he was "not worried" about impeachment. But rank-and-file Republicans have turned against him, partly due to his handling of the war and resulting fuel and fertilizer price spikes.
Although that effort stalled, another target looms at Health and Human Services. Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces staff resignations and accusations of corruption from former adviser Calley Means. Democrats have offered him the same ultimatum: resign or face impeachment. Several Republicans have lost patience, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Senator-elect Annie Andrews (D-S.C.) support impeachment. Hearings would let Democrats highlight both Kennedy's conspiracy theories and popular healthcare reforms.
Democrats have a real opportunity to link affordability and accountability through actions that show how Trump's lack of accountability has made life worse for everyday Americans. The soaring credit card debt and gas prices are direct results of policy failures. By framing these as consequences of corruption, Democrats can build a compelling case.
They can also push for transparency on drug pricing and legislative wins that address both affordability and accountability. The choice isn't either/or—it's both, and Democrats must treat them as two faces of the same Trumpian corruption crisis.
