Unity is elusive for House Republicans on key election-year affordability bill

try{ var _=i o; . if(!_||_&&typeof _==="object"&&_.expiry Bank of America 2026 oil outlook: New price target issued Spot gold prices dip as markets parse mixed signals on Iran and assess U.S. CPI U.S. consumer prices rise by 2.4% year-on-year in February, matching expectations UBS presents 3 oil and gas price scenarios amid Iran conflict 🎯 (South Africa Philippines Nigeria) 🎯 Unity is elusive for House Republicans on key election-year affordability bill By Politics Published 03/11/2026, 02:23 PM Updated 03/11/2026, 02:24 PM Unity is elusive for House Republicans on key election-year affordability bill 0 By David Morgan DORAL, Florida, March 11 - U.S. House Republicans hope to enact one last piece of signature legislation addressing affordability concerns to try to set them apart from Democrats before the November midterm elections, a time when voters traditionally punish the party of the sitting president. But unifying the party, which holds a slim 218-214 majority in the House, is proving challenging even as they agree that bringing down the cost of living for American families is their No. 1 priority. Concerns about cost may only grow in salience as retail gasoline prices, the most visceral signal of price fluctuations to regular Americans, have spiked to near-two-year highs following the joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. Party leaders hope to agree on a legislative package on affordability issues like healthcare and housing that would be able to pass the Senate by a simple majority through a maneuver called "budget reconciliation." This would allow them to circumvent Democrats and that chamber’s 60-vote filibuster, yet the near-unanimity required is proving elusive. Legislation on easing housing prices by cutting regulations, encouraging more factory-built housing and limiting how many units investment groups can buy is making progress in Congress, raising hopes of bipartisan success. But members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus have voiced opposition to ...