Most see lawmakers as out of touch on spending: Poll

Most see lawmakers as out of touch on spending

An overwhelming majority of voters believe current members of Congress are out of touch with their constituents’ monthly spending habits , even as both parties make affordability a central pitch to key voting blocs.

An exclusive NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) poll released Tuesday found that 86 percent of respondents believed their current congressmember or senator couldn’t accurately guess what they spend in a month, with 55 percent saying they thought lawmakers would guess too low while the other 31 percent expected lawmakers to guess too high.

Only 14 percent said they believed their lawmakers understood their monthly spending — underscoring the troubles Republicans face as the party in power as the Trump administration looks to quickly ameliorate inflation and cost of living issues before Election Day.

“When you ask [people] how they’re feeling about the economy, they don’t feel like things are getting better ,” Geoffrey Skelley, DDHQ’s chief elections analyst, told The Hill.

“They feel like things are getting worse, and considering [President] Trump was elected … in large part, to address economic challenges, I think that is also not helping the GOP,” he noted.

The full results of the poll will be discussed Tuesday night on “Decision Desk 2026 Have Your Say: A NewsNation Town Hall” hosted by NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo.

Rahm Emanuel , former White House chief of staff; Stephen A. Smith, broadcaster and commentator; and Steve Bannon, former Trump strategist, will discuss what they see in the numbers during the Cuomo Town Hall.

Welcome to The Hill’s Business & Economy newsletter , I’m Max Rego — covering the intersection of Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

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Key business and economic news with implications this week and beyond:

Schumer: Republicans heading into midterms with ‘enormous’ financial advantage

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned his Democratic colleagues that Senate Republican candidates have an “enormous” financial advantage heading into the final three weeks before Election Day and could drown Democrats’ chances of winning the Senate in a “tsunami” of last-minute spending.

FTC: ‘Pharma bro’ Shkreli violated lifetime industry ban, should be held in contempt

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a coalition of seven states asked a federal court on Tuesday to punish Martin Shkreli for “flagrantly and repeatedly” violating a lifetime ban from being involved in the pharmaceutical industry.

Vance announces plan to use wartime authority to boost fuel production at Texas refinery

The Trump administration will use wartime authority to augment fuel production at a refinery in Texas, Vice President JD Vance announced on Tuesday. The move comes as high energy prices are putting a strain on the economy and are becoming a political liability ahead of the midterms.

OPEC cuts oil demand projections for remainder of 2026

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) lowered its forecast of global oil demand growth for this year, amid persistent risks to shipping from Iran and its proxy groups.

Branch out with more stories from the day:

Cornell announces suspension of all frat parties amid Jane Doe lawsuit

Cornell University announced Tuesday it would be suspending all parties at fraternities through the end of the academic year and adding trained sexual assault investigators to its police staff amid the fallout of the gang rape lawsuit over an alleged incident at the Chi Phi frat in 2024.

Business and economic news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

English football faces financial ruin, new regulator reports ( Bloomberg )

‘I’m strapped every month.’ Seniors struggle as inflation continues to outpace Social Security benefits ( CNN )

Bank of America loses bankers, tells staff of big ambition, continued hiring ( Reuters )

A liberal and conservative Supreme Court justice joined forces on Tuesday to condemn what they said were “serious constitutional problems” in the government’s prosecution of a Mexican national for illegally reentering the country. Read more

President Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia raised eyebrows on Tuesday when she was asked where she passed the bar exam, telling reporters that she did so when she moved to China. Read more

Opinions related to business and economic issues submitted to The Hill:

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