Voters Put Costs and Iran Ahead of Trump's Agenda

About eight in 10 registered voters said lowering the cost of living should rank among Congress’ highest priorities. Roughly seven in 10 wanted lawmakers to focus on ending the war in Iran, according to a new AP-NORC poll. Fewer wanted Congress to investigate President Donald Trump or put his agenda first.

Costs Lead the Priorities

About four in 10 voters wanted investigations of the Trump administration to rank as a high priority. Only about two in 10 wanted Congress to prioritize the Republican president’s agenda. Both issues fell behind lowering costs and ending the Iran war.

Justin Campbell, a 31-year-old Democrat from Brookhaven, Mississippi, said his economic position shaped the policies he wanted. “I'm not a millionaire and probably won't ever be. I prefer policy that helps me instead of someone I'll never be.”

Arthur Brown, a 71-year-old Democrat in Magee, Mississippi, also wanted the next Congress to strengthen the economy and lower prices. He felt less urgency about holding Trump accountable because only two years would remain in Trump’s term; turning the economy around mattered more. “They should just focus on, you know, trying to tackle these problems,” Brown said. “Eventually down the road, justice will come.”

About half of voters wanted Congress to reduce the budget deficit and find common ground between the parties. About four in 10 wanted investigations of the Trump administration and new laws regulating artificial intelligence to rank as high priorities. Ending military aid to Israel topped the list for about three in 10.

Party Divisions Over Oversight

Among Democrats, about six in 10 called investigating the Trump administration one of Congress’ highest priorities. Still, more Democrats put lowering costs and ending the Iran conflict ahead of investigations.

About three-quarters of Democratic voters who identified as supporters of democratic socialism said investigating the Trump administration should be a top priority. Slightly less than half of Democrats who didn’t identify as democratic socialists agreed. Democratic socialists also more often wanted Congress to end military aid to Israel, and less often prioritized finding common ground.

Campbell identified as a democratic socialist. “It feels a little cliche to just say roll back the past two years, but honestly, mostly just roll back the stuff he's done the past two years,” he said.

House Democrats had started planning a 100-day agenda in case they win control of Congress in November. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Democrats planned to make life more affordable and conduct extensive oversight of the Trump administration. The poll found moderates in both parties more likely than voters on their parties’ left and right wings to want Democrats and Republicans to find common ground.

Republicans Name Costs, War and Deficit

At least half of MAGA and non-MAGA Republicans wanted Congress to lower costs, end the Iran war and reduce the federal budget deficit. About six in 10 MAGA Republicans wanted Congress to prioritize Trump’s agenda, compared with about two in 10 Republicans who didn’t support MAGA.

Richard Longo, a 74-year-old Republican in Lake Forest, California, wanted the president’s agenda pursued and was particularly concerned about balancing the budget. “You're not going to balance the budget in one year, but you have to have a plan,” he said.

Lisa Ostlund, a 46-year-old MAGA supporter from Wayland, Massachusetts, wanted Congress to prioritize Trump’s agenda. She didn’t support everything Trump did, but credited his policies with helping her find housing after several years of struggling with homelessness. “You got to care about your American people,” Ostlund said. “He definitely doesn't say it right, but you do have to put them first.”

The AP-NORC poll surveyed 1,119 adults from Oct. 8-12 using NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to represent the U.S. population. For adults overall, the margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.