Opinion: The window for Congress to get anything done is closing fast. After the 2026 midterms, we have a short period of legislative time before the next presidential election vortex swallows Washington whole. The success of this Congress will come down to whether they can tackle the big, persistent problems. My take? It all hinges on making our economy more resilient with smart infrastructure spending, finally getting a grip on healthcare costs, and securing our strategic energy independence. Everything else is noise.
Key Takeaways
- A multi-billion dollar infrastructure package focused on the power grid and rural broadband needs to be the top priority for Q3 2026.
- Congress has to create a new federal agency by the second quarter of 2026 with the power to negotiate drug prices for all federal programs, just like other developed countries do.
- Pass a real energy bill by the end of 2026. It must include incentives for mining critical minerals here at home and slash the red tape for getting renewable energy projects approved, cutting our dependence on foreign supply chains.
- None of this happens without bipartisan cooperation, which means the posturing has to stop and real talks have to start within six months.
The Imperative of Economic Resilience: Infrastructure Investment Beyond Potholes
Anyone who still thinks infrastructure just means roads and bridges is living in the wrong century. In 2026, real economic resilience comes from our digital connections, our energy grid, and the strength of our supply chains. The grid is especially fragile, constantly threatened by extreme weather and cyberattacks. This isn’t some hypothetical problem. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) put a number on it in their 2025 report: we’re looking at a $2.6 trillion funding gap by 2030, and the scariest shortfalls are in energy and water. These are real-world risks that cause real economic damage, like when a winter storm knocks out power across the Midwest or a burst water main shuts down a city block. The consequences are immediate.
So the post-midterm agenda needs a serious, multi-year federal infrastructure bill. I’m talking about money for projects that make our economy more stable and competitive, not just patch-up jobs. We have to invest in next-gen power lines that can actually handle renewable energy and withstand disruptions. At the same time, we’ve got to finally solve the problem of rural broadband access. It’s an economic justice issue, plain and simple. The FCC’s own data from late 2025 showed that more than 20 million Americans are still cut off from high-speed internet, which holds back entire regions from participating in the modern economy. Getting them connected through new grants or public-private partnerships is one of the fastest ways to generate real economic growth. People will scream about the debt, but what’s the cost of doing nothing? Lost productivity and disaster recovery bills always cost more than the initial investment. Plus, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has shown time and again that smart infrastructure spending creates jobs and delivers long-term economic returns that make the initial price tag well worth it.
Containing Healthcare Costs: A National Imperative for Stability
Every family and business in America knows that healthcare costs are out of control. We can’t keep going like this. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) projects that we’ll be spending $7.7 trillion on healthcare by 2034, with costs growing at an average clip of 5.4% a year. That kind of growth crushes family budgets and strains federal spending to the breaking point. After the midterms, Congress can stop tinkering around the edges and actually achieve some real healthcare cost containment. For me, it comes down to regulatory changes that force more transparency and competition, especially when it comes to prescription drugs.
The most effective move would be to authorize a federal body to negotiate drug prices for every federal program, from Medicare to Medicaid. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 was a start, but the 2026 legislative agenda has to go much bigger. Germany and the United Kingdom have been doing this for years, and their citizens pay far less for the exact same drugs. The predictable counter-argument is that this will kill innovation, but drug companies make plenty of money in those countries (they aren’t charities, after all) and a fair price here would mean more Americans can actually afford the medicine. We also need to get serious about hospital price transparency. The rules exist, but compliance is a joke. Congress needs to put teeth into the enforcement and demand clear, standard-format reporting on what hospitals actually charge. Giving patients and insurers clear pricing information forces hospitals to compete on cost. This enables a real market to function based on available information, which is a basic economic principle that healthcare seems to have forgotten.
Strategic Energy Independence: Fueling Future Growth and Security
Recent geopolitical turmoil makes it painfully obvious that we need strategic energy independence. Relying on unstable international markets for our energy needs is a recipe for economic shocks and a weak foreign policy. Congress has to pass laws that speed up domestic energy production across the board, renewables, traditional sources, and especially the critical minerals that make the new energy economy possible. The Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2025 supply chain report laid it out clearly: our access to rare earth elements is dangerously dependent on a handful of foreign countries. This single point of failure threatens our ability to build everything from electric vehicles to wind turbines.
A proper energy bill would give tax credits for building domestic mineral processing plants and simplify the permits for responsible mining operations. It would also fund new recycling tech. At the same time, we have to clear the roadblocks for renewables. Solar and wind projects are getting bogged down in years of permitting and grid connection queues. Congress can fast-track federal permits for these projects, especially on federal land, without sacrificing environmental reviews. Is there a conflict between boosting domestic fossil fuels and meeting climate goals? Some think so, but the reality is that the energy transition will take decades. Having a stable supply of all our own energy during that time gives us economic security and lets us stop buying from countries with zero environmental standards. The goal is to build a secure and diversified American energy supply chain that can power our economy. We have to build for the energy we have today and the energy we want tomorrow.
After the midterms, Congress has a brief window to stop campaigning and actually govern. Focusing on infrastructure, healthcare costs, and strategic energy independence will build a foundation for a stronger, more stable country. They need to act now, because the next election cycle is already looming.
What specific infrastructure areas should receive federal funding in 2026?
The money has to go to upgrading the national power grid, finally getting rural America hooked up to broadband internet, and modernizing our ancient water and wastewater systems. These are the keys to economic resilience.
How can Congress effectively lower healthcare costs?
There are two big levers: let a federal agency negotiate prescription drug prices for all federal programs, and put some serious enforcement behind hospital price transparency laws so the market can actually work.
What does “strategic energy independence” entail in the 2026 context?
In 2026, it means we stop relying on other countries for our energy. That’s done by boosting domestic production of critical minerals for new tech and cutting the red tape for both renewable and traditional energy projects here in the U.S.
Why is bipartisan cooperation particularly important for the 2026 legislative agenda?
Because infrastructure, healthcare, and energy are long-term problems. You can’t fix them with policies that get reversed every two or four years. You need broad buy-in to create stability and make sure the solutions actually stick.
What are the potential economic benefits of focusing on these legislative priorities?
The benefits are huge: more jobs from building new infrastructure, less financial stress on families and companies from lower healthcare bills, and a more stable economy that isn’t at the mercy of foreign energy supplies.
