With a slim Republican majority in DC, bipartisanship may not be dead yet. These are the most important policy areas to keep an eye on

Surprisingly, there are areas where both sides are aligned – both in identifying critical issues and, to some extent, in proposing solutions.

Despite the polarized political climate, there are opportunities for bipartisanship during Trump’s potential second term. The emphasis here is on “opportunities” – it’s about what could happen, not necessarily what will happen.

Here are some places to check out:

Housing

America is facing a housing crisis rooted in a simple supply and demand problem. A lingering effect of the Great Recession is a housing shortage, largely because the construction workforce has not recovered sufficiently to meet demand.

The problem is exacerbated by high interest rates, inflation that drives up costs and several other factors, especially in urban areas.

Both parties agree that there is a problem and share the importance of addressing it. The goal is to create more affordable housing while boosting employment for the working class.

Possible solutions could include financial incentives, such as subsidies for developers or tax breaks for buyers. Another option is to change zoning laws – an approach favored by both progressive and libertarian-oriented activists.

There is plenty of room for creative solutions and political incentives to take action, making this an area ripe for bipartisan cooperation.

Curbing big technology

Republicans aligned with Trump and progressive Democrats share skepticism about the power of big tech — an umbrella term that includes social media platforms and companies like Google.

These companies have significant wealth and influence, and figures from both sides of the political divide, such as Republican Senator Josh Hawley and Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, have expressed concerns about their impact.

This bipartisan skepticism could create momentum for action on issues ranging from privacy to antitrust reform.

counter China

Containing China emerged as a bipartisan issue during the 2024 election, often emphasized in campaign ads by both sides.

Efforts to counter China – economically, diplomatically and militarily – are expected to remain a top priority.

Given broad political support, China’s approach could lead to some of the most bipartisan votes of the next two years. In particular, look at how leaders will try to curb Chinese involvement in the supply chain of many crucial U.S. goods, limiting the flow of fentanyl ingredients sourced from Chinatariffs and ways to protect Taiwan.

Lowering credit card interest

A rare issue uniting Trump and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is the idea of ​​capping credit card interest rates.

“I look forward to working with the Trump Administration in delivering on its promise to cap credit card interest rates at 10%.” Sanders wrote in a much-discussed post on X.

This comes as Americans are facing record high credit card debt and are looking for relief. However, this effort would face opposition from powerful industry lobbyists and free market advocates.

One final thought

Many Washington insiders expect Trump and Republicans in Congress to focus much of their initial efforts on crafting a massive spending bill similar to Biden’s Build Back Better plan.

Such a package could include a range of initiatives: expanding tax cuts, changing health care laws, funding a border wall or making significant cuts to federal programs.

But just as the Build Back Better plan was halted and then revised again and again to appease critics within the ruling party, Trump may have a huge Freedom Caucus problem getting anything done that has to do with spending or the size of tax cuts.

Republicans could accomplish this through reconciliation, a process that requires only 51 votes in the Senate instead of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster for non-budget items.

While this approach would allow them to bypass Democratic opposition, it would require near-total unity within the Republican Party — no easy feat, especially if some members’ priorities are excluded from the bill.

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James Pindell can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @jamespindell and on Instagram @jameswpindell.