The Democratic Party wins the “party of workers” title by default, because the Trump administration and the Republican Party, which controls both houses of Congress, have spent the last year and a half chasing erratic and corrupt policies that increase living costs, weaken wages and push financial security out of reach for the next generation of working Americans.

To fully deserve the pro-worker title, Democrats must, when they regain power, put working people first — not the elites. Based on their historical record and some of their current policy positions — like strengthening organizing rights and raising the minimum wage— they may be able to earn the label based on merit.

Working families are struggling, and the Trump administration’s policies are largely to blame. The share of national income going to workers is at its lowest level since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began recording data in 1947, and Americans’ take-home pay has remained largely flat since 2025 as costs continue to rise.

The administration’s chaotic use of tariffs has been so disastrous that the United States has actually lost manufacturing jobs since “Liberation Day,” and research shows the policies are driving consumer prices higher. Meanwhile, Americans are spending 30 percent more on gas — an extra $1 per gallon — than before the war in Iran, and the war has cost $1,200 per household on average. Meanwhile, millions will lose health coverage and food assistance thanks to Medicaid and SNAP cuts included in Trump and congressional Republicans’ signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).

Compounding the problem, the Trump administration is weakening wage protections for many working families by eliminating an overtime eligibility rule intended to cover millions of workers earning below $58,656 annually and taking steps to cut minimum-wage protections for millions of domestic workers.

Even as the administration’s policies make it harder for workers to keep up, Trump continues to enrich himself and his cronies. The OBBBA cut taxes for the richest 1% by $1 trillion, and the second Trump administration inaugurated a new era of “pay-to-play” in the American government, allowing corporations that ally with the president to play by easier rules than their competitors.

In contrast, Democratic policymakers have a historic track record of supporting and implementing pro-worker policies meaningfully. During the New Deal, the Democratic Party enacted — over the vehement opposition of Republican leaders— a host of policies that created an American social contract that built a thriving middle class. From Social Security to minimum wage and overtime to strong unions, the Democratic Party enacted the cornerstones of pro-worker policy.

Even now, support for pro-worker policies is a meaningful point of difference between policymakers from both parties. The recent passage in the House of Representatives of the Faster Labor Contracts Act — which would make it easier for newly unionized workers to secure a union contract — illustrates the difference clearly: While Democrats unanimously supported the measure, only 20 Republicans joined them in voting in favor — and the Republican-controlled Senate is unlikely to even vote on it.

Still, Democrats have not delivered enough for working people when they have had political power over recent years. Though Democrats significantly expanded healthcare access for millions through the Affordable Care Act, they have failed to increase the federal minimum wage since 2009 and haven’t strengthened union rights in many decades. Working-class people want economic policies like these to be enacted, but they are losing confidence that policymakers from either party can deliver.

With the Trump administration’s attacks on workers, Democratic policymakers have been given an opportunity to once again become the party of the working class. Democrats must focus on the affordability crisis over cultural policies and enact a robust pro-worker agenda. At the state level, in virtually every place they have power, Democrats have increased the minimum wage and expanded health coverage. Now, a handful of states are pioneering a new model for unionization and collective bargaining that holds great promise. While skepticism that they will deliver federally is warranted, their history and these recent actions point to a possible future.

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ABOUT THE WRITER

David Madland is a senior fellow and the senior adviser at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Aurelia Glass is a policy analyst at the Center for American Progress Action Fund. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.

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