Peace, Production and Lower Costs

America cannot reduce household pressure through slogans or conflict alone. John Robert Badger proposes an economic policy built on honest measurement, negotiated trade, competitive American production and cooperation among workers, businesses and farmers.

This framework begins with an important limit: no president can personally set the price of groceries, gasoline, housing or interest rates. A president can influence costs through trade, tax, energy, competition and budget policy, but Congress, the Federal Reserve, global markets, private businesses, weather, conflict and supply disruptions also matter.

Start with the economic facts

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that consumer prices rose 3.4 percent during the 12 months ending July 2026. Food prices rose 3.0 percent, shelter 3.2 percent, energy 14.7 percent and gasoline 24.6 percent. The Energy Information Administration reported a national regular gasoline average of $4.157 per gallon on September 7, 2026. USDA projected inflation-adjusted farm cash receipts would fall 3.2 percent in 2026 while production expenses would rise.

Those figures measure what families and producers face. They do not prove that one elected official caused every increase. Honest comparisons across administrations must use the same data and account for cumulative inflation, supply chains, monetary and fiscal policy, energy markets, wars, weather, tariffs and private-sector decisions.

Trade peace instead of tariff theater

Badger proposes a product-by-product and country-by-country review of tariffs during the first 100 days. Tariffs that impose avoidable costs on essential food, housing, agricultural or manufacturing inputs without a demonstrated national-security or fair-trade benefit should be suspended or removed through lawful authority. Targeted remedies could remain when evidence shows dumping, unlawful subsidies, strategic dependence or a genuine security risk.

This is not a promise to eliminate every tariff. The U.S. International Trade Commission found that recent Section 232 and Section 301 tariffs were passed through almost completely to prices paid by U.S. importers. The same report also found benefits for some protected domestic industries and higher input costs for downstream manufacturers. Policy must confront both sides of that record.

Lower housing costs while rebuilding supply

Housing depends on land, labor, financing, permitting and materials such as lumber, steel, aluminum, appliances and electrical equipment. The administration would review federal trade barriers affecting essential housing inputs while seeking congressional support for domestic mills, component manufacturing, apprenticeships and modern construction.

Any federal housing initiative would publish costs, completion times and the number of homes delivered. Federal incentives would respect private-property rights and state and local authority while rewarding communities that lawfully reduce unnecessary delays and expand safe housing near jobs and transportation.

Make more in America

The proposal would ask Congress for time-limited, performance-based support for critical domestic production. Public assistance would be tied to measurable job creation, worker training, domestic investment, transparent ownership and lawful recovery of funds when recipients commit fraud or materially fail to perform.

Infrastructure, ports, rail, broadband, energy reliability and career education would be treated as production policy. American-made goods should compete on quality, resilience and skill, not depend forever on protection from competition.

A lawful path toward a $25 federal wage

The federal minimum wage remains $7.25 per hour. A president cannot raise it nationwide by announcement. Badger would ask Congress to phase in a $25 federal wage floor, include scheduled economic reviews, protect stronger state standards, and provide carefully targeted transition support for qualifying small and rural businesses.

Independent analysis would track wages, hours, hiring, business formation and prices at each stage. The objective is to raise pay without pretending that a large wage change carries no tradeoffs or that every community adjusts at the same speed.

Let farmers grow together

Farm policy should welcome young and beginning farmers while respecting producers who have worked the land for decades. The framework proposes congressional action to expand beginning-farmer credit, land-transition assistance, cooperative storage and processing, equipment-sharing, regional markets, crop insurance and fair competition in seed, fertilizer, meatpacking and transportation.

Farmers should remain free to cooperate, form lawful cooperatives, share knowledge and trade with one another. Opening productive land must be voluntary, environmentally responsible and consistent with property rights. The goal is stronger local supply, more market choices and a fair opportunity to earn a living from farming.

Energy affordability without false promises

No president controls the price displayed at every gas pump. A responsible plan would support reliable domestic energy, competitive fuel markets, refinery and grid resilience, transparent pricing, lawful environmental review and a broader mix of energy sources. Emergency reserves should serve genuine supply emergencies, not become a routine political price tool.

Debt reduction requires a complete budget

Trade agreements can reduce some input costs, but they cannot erase the national debt. Removing tariffs can also reduce federal tariff revenue. Every proposed change must therefore be scored as part of a complete budget covering spending, revenue, interest costs and economic effects.

The administration would submit budget proposals to Congress, review programs for results, strengthen lawful tax compliance, pursue fraud and recoverable public losses through due process, and refuse to count speculative savings before they are independently verified. Deficit reduction must be real on paper before it is announced from a podium.

The peace America also needs at home

Economic cooperation cannot thrive in a country trained to distrust its neighbors. The federal government cannot command friendship or force a belief, but it can enforce equal protection, defend civil rights and support voluntary, locally led dialogue among communities.

Americans should be able to discuss race, history and unequal treatment honestly without dehumanizing one another. Loving the country must include respecting the dignity of the people who live beside us. Progress requires disagreement without hatred and competition without division.

Implementation under law

Within 100 days, the administration would direct agencies to identify actions available under existing law, publish the cost and distributional effects of major tariffs, and submit the necessary trade, wage, farm, housing and budget legislation to Congress. Independent data and public reporting would be used to judge results.

The promise is not that one president can set every price. The promise is to bring people to the table, tell the truth about tradeoffs and pursue policies that help America produce, work and grow together.

This publication explains a campaign policy proposal. Economic outcomes are not guaranteed, and implementation would require existing executive authority, congressional legislation and appropriations, or both. Price changes are reported from official data and are not attributed solely to any president.