Incoming agenda includes Medicaid, Iran and stock-trading rules
Democrats won back Congress, but Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said the harder question is how much the party can change while President Trump remains in the White House. In an NPR Morning Edition interview with A Martínez published Nov. 5, 2026, Gillibrand said Democrats would focus on lowering costs, restoring health care access and ending the war in Iran.
On Medicaid, Gillibrand challenged Trump to reject bipartisan legislation restoring coverage. “I dare him to veto that,” she said.
Her economic message centered on lowering costs. NPR’s separately headlined business coverage cautioned against expecting gasoline and diesel prices to fall soon.
In the interview, Gillibrand also discussed Democrats’ gains in Republican states, Trump’s ballroom and cuts to food assistance and medical research.
Democrats also faced pressure to hold the Trump administration accountable, with new investigative powers and the possibility of a third impeachment. NPR’s companion elections coverage reported that Democrats, back in the majority, have plans for a long list of Trump investigations. Asked about impeachment, Gillibrand did not commit to pursuing it. “We can do both,” she said, proposing a ban on stock trading by members of Congress and senior administration officials.
Gillibrand joined other Democrats in citing the war in Iran as a factor in the party’s election victories. She said Trump had broken his promise to avoid prolonged wars as the conflict drove up costs. “We have to end this war in Iran,” she said.
Trump acknowledged Wednesday that the war had contributed to Republicans’ election losses. The conflict continued, and Iranian officials were warning against renewed U.S. attacks. In separately published Middle East coverage, a source told NPR that the U.S. and Israel are planning for a possible attack on Iran. How Democrats intend to bring the war to an end remains unclear, NPR reported.