In Tuesday’s midterm elections, Democrats swept into office on a historic blue wave from coast to coast to win control of both houses of Congress.
Newly elected senators, representatives, and governors across the country flipped seats belonging to Republican incumbents, largely on promises to address affordability issues that have roiled the United States economy in recent months.
But can those legislative priorities also make travel more affordable in 2027?
The price of travel, specifically airfares, has skyrocketed much faster than most other goods and services in the U.S. in 2026 due to the cost of fuel amid the war with Iran. In September, for example, airfares jumped nearly 23% year over year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Frustration with the economy, especially with oil and gas prices, was the main driver for many voters. “The latest energy-price shock following the Iran war has added to that frustration: gasoline prices were up +34% y/y in September and fuel oil +74%,” says a report from Allianz.
Experts predict that the cost of fuel is likely to be a key issue the new Congress addresses after they’re sworn in come January 2027.
“They will try to pass legislation to lower costs of key items—including housing, energy, and food as well as health care and drug prices,” Rebecca Patterson, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in an election memo. “They will also push Republican colleagues to join them to end the Iran war and reduce select tariffs in the name of affordability.”
However, the legislative agenda is trickier than it might sound. Congress will have limited ability to end the Iran war themselves without approval from the president, meaning it will be difficult for lawmakers to eliminate the primary reason for high fuel prices and expensive airfares.
But analysts expect the new Congress to make good use of all of the strategies that it does have at its disposal.
“Congress could raise the financial and political costs of further escalation by restricting funding for military operations or replenishing munitions, although binding restrictions would face legislative hurdles and potential presidential vetoes,” says the Allianz report.
If federal lawmakers could reassert some of Congress’s control over the war, they could potentially constrain Trump’s power to continue escalating the war, according to Mark Copelovitch, a senior nonresident fellow of global economy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
“Whether this would lead to a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and ease oil and gas prices remains to be seen,” Copelovitch wrote in his election analysis. “But the potential for the US inflation and fiscal outlook, as well as the broader trajectory of the global economy, to change significantly in the year ahead as a result of the elections is very real.”
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