A new survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that a majority of registered voters across party lines want the 120th Congress to prioritize lowering the cost of living and ending the war in Iran. The poll, conducted from October 8 to 12, found that roughly 80 percent of respondents named reducing prices as a top priority, while about 70 percent focused on concluding the conflict with Iran.
The survey comes as the United States approaches midterm elections during the second year of President Donald Trump’s current term. Democratic candidates have campaigned on a platform of blocking the administration’s tariffs and winding down military involvement in Iran. Republican leaders have countered that voters should maintain their majority to implement the president's agenda, though the poll found that only about 20 percent of all voters—and roughly 40 percent of Republicans—consider supporting the Trump administration’s agenda a high priority.
The Iran conflict is nearing its eighth month and has resulted in the deaths of 21 U.S. service members. Domestically, annual inflation rose from 2.4 percent in February to 3.7 percent in September, with energy prices increasing 20.4 percent year-over-year. Beyond the primary concerns of costs and war, about 50 percent of voters prioritized reducing the budget deficit, while 40 percent favored investigating the Trump administration or regulating artificial intelligence.
The scale of the military conflict affects thousands of U.S. service members and their families stationed in or near the Gulf region. With 21 American deaths reported over the first eight months of the war, a change in congressional priority toward ending the conflict would alter the deployment schedules and safety risks for federal military personnel. Additionally, the poll identifies a divide among Democrats, as those identifying as democratic socialists are more likely to prioritize ending military aid to Israel and investigating the executive branch, while moderates in both parties expressed a stronger desire for lawmakers to find common ground.
The poll results set the stage for a potential legislative divide depending on which party controls the House and Senate following the November midterms. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has already outlined an ambitious 100-day agenda focused on affordability and oversight, while MAGA Republicans—roughly 60 percent of whom support the president's agenda—look for continued implementation of current administration policies. The next significant milestones include the midterm election results in November and the subsequent seating of the new Congress in January 2027. Any legal or oversight actions involving the executive branch may also be affected by a December 11 deadline for President Trump to sit for a deposition in an unrelated defamation lawsuit.