Any person reading the headline of this article knows something big just happened, and that in some manner America will look different next year. I’ll leave it to readers to reach their own conclusions about the affairs of state. I’m focused on one thing: What does all this mean for pet healthcare, pet services, and pets themselves in America?
The 2026 midterm election did not change Americans’ relationship with pets. Pets weren’t the issue or symbol for how Americans voted, which is a good thing. But we must consider how a new political dynamic — or a considerably more liberal approach to economics — will affect our industry. Keep reading for five changes coming after the midterm election that could shape veterinary medicine.
1: More Liberal Policies
Trump has been an activist president in his own imperial manner, so Americans will not be witnessing a change from conservative Republicans who favor small government to Democrats who favor big government. It’s a change to more activist liberal leadership comfortable with legislating change (from a president who rarely did anything “legislatively”). This change potentially means a higher tax burden for industry, and pet interests will feel this pain no differently than other sectors. This could mean companies pull back in the first half of 2027 while corporate and personal income tax brackets are challenged.
2: Private Equity Restrictions
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is the spiritual leader of efforts to restrain, downsize, or just plain punish private equity interests in every sector, including pet healthcare. She’s also the new chair of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. She will have the working majority she needs in the Senate and House of Representatives to pass legislation, but not necessarily the enthusiastic support to make this an enduring cause. And President Trump will be waiting with his veto pen to remind her he’s alive and well. So don’t expect federal changes to be implemented, at least not in the next two years.
You can be sure that the new crop of states with Democratic governors and legislative control will put private equity-restricting legislation on the table in the first quarter of 2027. Some of the likely candidates are Texas, Arizona, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington, Oregon, California, and Minnesota. And don’t be surprised if conservative Republicans in states like Texas cheer from the sidelines as “affordability” became the rallying cry across the country, with private equity interests increasingly singled out by both parties.
The test will be whether activists convince legislators that data supports their political claims, which may have worked for campaign speeches but may not work as actual legislation. Legislative efforts have failed to date because blunt prohibitions of a particular form of financing or corporate structures haven’t passed a reality test. Put differently, there’s only so much political capital circulating in a state legislative session — will anti-private-equity theories capture sustained attention?
3: Increased Attention to Access-to-Care Issues
It’s hard to see the liberal trends not furthering interests to improve access to pet healthcare alongside access to human healthcare. Here’s where the “affordability” chorus plays loudest with broad support. Voters want greater access to affordable healthcare, and anti-competitive efforts to ignore these demands took a big hit on election night. Veterinary telemedicine and expansion of privileges for credentialed veterinary technicians should be the winners.
4: Elevated Animal Rights Issues
Animal welfare priorities will be welcomed in more state legislatures. While no new issues have surfaced yet, the New York City Council has a price transparency bill under consideration, similar to the recent price transparency adoption in the U.K. Stay tuned. Be assured that Democratic legislatures will listen to the needs of animal welfare groups like shelters. California’s regulatory consideration of a potential policy to restrict access for low-income pet owners to flea/tick treatments will be an important test in the first half of 2027.
5: More Pet-Friendly Housing
Finally, politicians do one thing very well: They know how to count, and 65% to 70% of all voters have — or want — pets. They also know that Gen Zers and millennials cannot afford to buy a home, which means they can only enjoy pets, particularly dogs, if apartments are pet-friendly and pet-inclusive. The Democratic surge on November 3 surely signals an increase in elected officials open to breaking down barriers that prevent or unfairly restrict pet ownership in rental housing. The next two years should be very good for the growing interest in expanding pet ownership, led by the Pets & Families Housing Coalition and its founders, the American Pet Products Association and Doubtless. The 2026 elections clearly did not foreshadow an America that treats dogs and cats as luxuries.