# **Republicans worry they're not doing enough on affordability** WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans are starting to publicly and privately sound the alarm about their party’s disjointed strategy to address Americans’ affordability concerns, with some growing increasingly frustrated with President Donald Trump’s sometimes cavalier attitude toward the subject. While Republicans say the high cost of living is a problem they inherited from President Joe Biden, many GOP lawmakers still think their party needs to sharpen its own message and platform ahead of the midterms — or else it could cost them their tenuous majorities in Congress. https://youtu.be/R8sPqcibxWc https://youtu.be/q6kwD3-93r0 https://youtu.be/qOROmvENlRc https://youtu.be/cX6wR-5uDDc “If we don’t do that, we would be morons, because the economy is very much on people’s minds,” Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, told NBC News. Democrats “failed to really hammer the economy, and it cost them the election,” he added. “If we as Republicans fail to do the same, it wouldn’t surprise me if we had a similar turnout.” Nearly two dozen Republican senators, House members, strategists and congressional aides shared their concerns about their party’s handling of affordability in interviews with NBC News. Another six acknowledged the issue but said the party will settle on the right strategy to address it. Their comments come after Democrats have secured wins in many of this year’s elections, with voters citing economic concerns, and as Trump has dismissed the issue as a Democratic “hoax,” rhetoric that has privately frustrated some Republicans. Even some of the most MAGA Republicans are calling for a pivot. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said it’s not enough to fix the message: He said Republicans can only improve their standing by delivering real results to lower costs and grow wages. “People aren’t dumb,” Hawley said. “They know when they go to the grocery store what it costs and what it doesn’t. They know what their rent costs. They know what their prescription drugs cost. And all of that stuff is too high. And they can’t afford it. And they know that. So we’ve got to deliver.” https://youtu.be/R8sPqcibxWc https://youtu.be/q6kwD3-93r0 https://youtu.be/qOROmvENlRc https://youtu.be/cX6wR-5uDDc Some Republicans have voiced their concerns to GOP leaders in private conversations, phone calls and meetings, according to two Republican lawmakers with direct knowledge of the discussions. One of those lawmakers said they also delivered a similar message to White House aides. And at least one House Republican — Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey — said he directly raised the issue with Trump during a call last week, though they were primarily focused on health care costs, which are set to skyrocket if Congress doesn’t act before the end of this year.