With 2026 approaching, we need to rebuild trust with one another, neighbor by neighbor, conversation by conversation.

<<<WHICH ISSUE DO YOU THINK IS MOST IMPORTANT FOR OUR LEADERS TO SOLVE?>>> ([link removed] )

John,

As 2025 draws to a close, I have been thinking about how we can make American politics – and our communities – better in 2026.

I keep coming back to a simple idea that has been with us for thousands of years: love thy neighbor.

To do it, you need to start with an assumption that your neighbor is decent and well-intended, no matter their identity or political beliefs. If you cannot at least start there, agreement and cooperation are impossible.

It does not take a social science degree to realize Americans increasingly assume bad intent on the part of their neighbors. According to Pew Research, only 34% of Americans say most people can be trusted. Only about 22% say they trust the federal government to do what is right just about always or most of the time.

Why has trust fallen? Part of it is that we spend less time in the kinds of shared places – like churches, union halls, fraternal groups, and bowling leagues – than in the past. We increasingly live in like-minded communities where the neighbors we do know share our politics.

It should not surprise us then that this same lack of trust and unneighborliness is reflected in Congress. When that happens, you can either throw up your hands or work to change it.

At No Labels, we always pick the second option. That is why we keep bringing members from both parties and both chambers into the same room, and why we organize them into working groups. In these rooms, they can look one another in the eye, listen, and try to understand where the other person is coming from. They may often be talking about policy, but the most important thing they are doing is reestablishing basic human connection. When they remember they are dealing with another person, another American, it creates the possibility for cooperation.

None of this is glamorous, and it rarely makes headlines. It is the slow work of rebuilding trust, conversation by conversation, so that when real deadlines hit, there is a foundation to reach an agreement rather than default to blame. Next year, we hope our allies will lead the way in forging bipartisan agreement on critical issues such as healthcare, permitting, and regulatory reform. The trust they are building now in our meetings increases the odds of success.

Alone, none of us can change what happens in Washington. But we do have the power in our own lives to embrace the timeless wisdom to love thy neighbor. We can support and elevate candidates and elected officials who embrace that same wisdom, too.

That is our closing thought for the year. Now we would like to hear yours.

In 2026, which issue do you think is most important for our leaders to solve: mounting debt and fiscal uncertainty, the economy, peace in the Middle East or rising health care costs?*
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Thank you so much for being part of this community, and for sticking with the hard work of loving one another like neighbors.

We wish all of you a joyous holiday season and a happy New Year.

Best,

Holly Page

Co-Founder

*By completing this survey, you affirm your membership in No Labels.

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