Elections are over, now get back to work 

Elections are over, now get back to work By Long Island Press … Comments Posted on November 8, 2026 The election results are in and voters have given their leaders a clear mandate: It’s time for lawmakers to get off their soapboxes and get to work addressing the affordability crisis. Now. If you somehow haven’t heard, Long Islanders are increasingly drowning financially as inflation rises faster than wages, making it more and more difficult for working families to make ends meet — the local manifestation of a nationwide trend. The Associated Press reports that roughly half of voters say the cost of living was “crucial” to their vote for Congress — making that and government corruption the top issues, well above concerns about immigration enforcement policies, the war in Iran or AI data centers, according to The AP Voters Poll. The Associated Press reports that about 8 in 10 voters say inflation has caused a “severe” or “moderate” financial hardship on their households while an even higher margin say they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the cost of gas, groceries, utilities and healthcare. We get it. We’re in the same boat. And don’t get us started on home heating oil prices or electric bills. International conflicts disrupting oil and fertilizer supply chains, trade wars and the housing crisis all share the blame for the latest price surges. Untangling any one of those root causes is not going to happen overnight. But those who made this mess need to put politics aside and get to work finding sensible solutions yesterday. Rising inflation is not a partisan issue. It’s impacting everyone everywhere. Politicians on both sides of the aisle promised to address the top concern of affordability that they heard repeatedly from voters on the campaign trail. We know campaign promises are not always easy to keep. But this is the most important one in recent memory. If the reelected lawmakers can’t make serious headway into doing everything in their power to help solve this crisis, they should expect next Election Day to find themselves joining the unemployment line along with the elected officials that voters sent packing this week. And good luck buying groceries then. About the Author All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines . Schneps Media does not endorse the views shared by readers in our comment sections.