House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is moving ahead with plans to shape a 2027 affordability agenda, tapping some of the party’s most high-profile figures to lead the charge. According to multiple reports, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) will spearhead healthcare policy, while Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE) has been assigned to oversee caregiving issues as Democrats assemble a slate of working groups focused on rising costs.

Assignments and Responsibilities

A photo circulated on X by CNN Capitol Hill reporter Sarah Ferris reveals the broader structure of the effort, dividing lawmakers into teams tackling core economic pressure points: housing, gas and utilities, groceries and goods, caregiving, and healthcare. The housing group will be led by Reps. Laura Friedman (D-CA) and Emilia Sykes (D-OH), while energy-related costs fall to Reps. Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) and Mike Levin (D-CA). Meanwhile, Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), Hillary Scholten (D-MI), and Jill Tokuda (D-HI) are tasked with addressing the soaring price of everyday goods and groceries.

Caregiving responsibilities will be handled by McBride alongside Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-KY), while Ocasio-Cortez teams up with Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) to lead the healthcare push. The rollout comes as Jeffries intensifies his economic messaging, declaring that “America is too expensive” and pointing to widespread financial strain among working Americans.

Economic Messaging

Jeffries also took direct aim at President Donald Trump and Republican leadership, accusing them of failing to deliver on promises to lower costs. He blamed rising prices on “failed Republican policies,” including tariffs, healthcare rollbacks, and what he described as a “reckless war of choice in Iran.” He added that “MAGA extremists” have shown little concern for the financial realities facing everyday Americans.

Original reporting: KTSA News/Talk (San Antonio) — read the source article.