7 Policies Democrats and Republicans Agree On
We spend so much time yelling about the things we disagree on in this country, you’d think the only thing Americans had in common was a mutual hatred of people who use their speakerphone in public.
But here’s a plot twist: there are policies that both Republicans and Democrats actually agree on. Like, in the same timeline. Right now.
A 2022 study by YouGov found 100 policies — real, tangible, pass-a-law-and-change-some-lives policies — that majorities of both Democrats and Republicans support. These policies range from environment and infrastructure to gun control and reproductive care—all of them are either active or being pursued in the 2025 legislative sessions.
Shifting our focus to the issues most of us already agree on isn’t just smart — it’s how we move things forward, especially in a political system that often feels stuck in gridlock. When we lead with common ground, we create space for real progress now — and build the trust, empathy, and momentum we’ll need to tackle the harder stuff later.
We’ve highlighted seven of these bipartisan policies below.
Let’s get into it.
1. Provide free lunch to low-income students in public schools
83% of Republicans and 90% of Democrats agree
Turns out, feeding hungry kids isn’t all that controversial. Citizens from both parties agree that no child should be forced to sit through Algebra on an empty stomach.
The Food Research & Action Center (FRCA) maintains a list of state legislation aimed at providing free school meals to all students, regardless of household income. To date, eight states have passed what the FRCA calls Healthy School Meals for All legislation, and many more have bills introduced.
2. Making drinking water clean for all Americans by replacing lead pipes
70% of Republicans and 92% of Democrats agree
Both sides generally agree that drinking literal poison is a bad call. We’ve known about this problem for decades—and the science hasn’t changed: lead = bad.
But about 20% of public water systems in the United States are estimated to have some lead pipes in their service lines.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provides $50 billion to upgrade the nation’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The BIL includes $15 billion to identify and replace lead service lines across the United States. The law also gives $11.7 billion in flexible funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to support other drinking water infrastructure projects, including lead pipe replacement.
So far, implementation varies across states, with some facing delays and funding challenges.
3. Legalizing abortion when a woman’s health is endangered by her pregnancy
71% of Republicans and 86% of Democrats agree
All states already permit abortion if a mother’s life is in danger. But when it comes to broader health concerns, like preventing serious complications, including the mother’s ability to have another child, the language in many states gets murky.
States with stricter abortion laws have made recent efforts to clarify when a doctor can perform an abortion. Texas passed SB-31 in March, a bipartisan bill which says that a doctor can perform an abortion if the pregnant woman faces a serious risk of substantial impairment to a major bodily function—not just when her life is in immediate danger.
4. Requiring criminal and mental background checks for all gun sales
71% of Republicans and 84% of Democrats agree
Federal law requires licensed dealers to do background checks, assessing criminal history and mental health records. But what about unlicensed dealers, like those at gun shows and on the internet? Only in some states. And most Americans agree—a gun shouldn’t be as easy to buy as that Nicolas Cage sequin pillow you impulse-bought on Etsy.
The Bipartisan Background Checks Act has been introduced multiple times, aiming to require background checks for all firearm sales, including private transactions. While the bill has passed the House in previous sessions, it has stalled in the Senate due to opposition from some lawmakers and interest groups.
Public support for universal background checks remains high, with polls indicating that a majority of Americans, including gun owners, favor such measures.
5. Funding more counseling programs for people with mental illness as a solution to homelessness
81% of Republicans and 83% of Democrats agree
Both parties recognize that mental health is a major factor in homelessness. Investing in more counseling and support programs is widely supported as part of a larger effort to help people get back on their feet.
Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and Katie Britt (R-AL) introduced the Homeless Children and Youth Act (HCYA) in May 2025, aiming to support the 4.2 million youth and young adults experiencing homelessness each year in the United States. The bipartisan legislation seeks to provide comprehensive support, including mental health services, to help individuals exit homelessness.
6. Training police to de-escalate conflicts and avoid using force
83% of Republicans and 94% of Democrats agree
Nobody wants an untrained dude with a badge and a gun showing up to a mental health crisis like it’s a Call of Duty speedrun. There’s strong bipartisan agreement that officers should be trained in how to de-escalate conflicts without using force when it’s avoidable. While many departments have embraced this training, there’s no national standard, and most Americans think that should change.
The Law Enforcement Scenario-Based Training for Safety and De-Escalation Act was reintroduced in May 2025 by a bipartisan group of lawmakers. The bill mandates the development of immersive, real-life training curricula for law enforcement officers to improve community-police relations and officer safety. The legislation has received endorsements from various organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Police and the NAACP.
7. Increasing fines on spam robocallers
84% of Republicans and 78% of Democrats agree
Spam calls: the one true enemy that unites us all. In recent years, the FCC’s been swinging hammers and dropping hefty fines. But there’s still more that could be done. The caller ID verification tools used to nab those pesky robocallers is not required for all carriers, especially the smaller ones.
In February 2025, Representatives Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) and Eric Sorensen (D-IL) introduced a bipartisan bill to increase penalties for robocallers, especially those using artificial intelligence to impersonate individuals.
Why fewer Republicans may support these policies
You might’ve noticed Republican support on most of these policies is a little lower (but still majority). That’s not always because they disagree on what should happen — it’s more about how it should happen.
Many conservatives are wary of big federal programs. They want more transparency and assurance that taxpayer money isn’t being tossed into a flaming bureaucratic dumpster. Fair.
For example: they support feeding hungry kids — but they want to make sure those meals go to the kids who actually need them, not to families gaming the system or into the pockets of opportunistic politicians.
If the vast majority of us agree on a policy, why hasn’t it become law?
Here’s the deal: even when 80% of Americans agree on something, it doesn’t mean it will always pass.
Not only because creating legislation that affects millions of Americans can be tricky to enact and enforce, but also because we live in a political system where “owning the other side” is more important than doing your damn job. Lawmakers fear backlash from their base or worry about appearing to side with the other party—even when the actual policy is supported by people from all sides.
Add in lobbying, bureaucratic molasses, and a 24/7 media culture that often leans into outrage rather than seeking solutions, and you get a system that often fails to reflect what most Americans actually want.
When we stop treating politics like a team sport and start focusing on the problems we all want solved, things start to move. Real progress doesn’t come from picking sides. It comes from finding common ground and building from there.
The fact that we agree on this much is a big freakin’ deal. It shows that progress CAN be made. We don’t have to wait for an alien invasion to come together. These seven policies are already sitting on the table. The support is there. All we have to do is get out of our own way.
—Alex Buscemi (abuscemi@buildersmovement.org)
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