Democrats have won control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, giving them the power to reshape congressional oversight during the next two years of Donald Trump’s presidency. The result blocks Republicans from passing legislation through the House on their own and gives Democrats new leverage over investigations and appointments.
In the House, the new majority can launch inquiries into the administration, demand documents and testimony, and subject senior officials to sustained scrutiny. Hakeem Jeffries is set to become majority leader after Democrats crossed the 218-seat threshold for control.
The Senate’s role in confirming Cabinet members, ambassadors and federal judges, including Supreme Court nominees, gives Democrats the ability to delay or block many of Trump’s appointments and press the White House to negotiate on legislation.
Potential investigations include the Trump family’s business interests. Robert Garcia, a leading Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, has identified alleged corruption involving the family as a priority. Jamie Raskin has sought information about the business dealings of Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Democrats may also pursue further scrutiny of the Justice Department’s release of records related to Jeffrey Epstein. The department made public about 3.5 million pages out of six million in its possession, saying the remainder were duplicates, after missing the legal deadline for disclosure. Members of both parties have raised concerns about extensive redactions and the apparent exposure of victims’ names. The department also faces a lawsuit from journalist Katie Phang over aspects of the release.
There has already been some bipartisan cooperation on the Epstein records in the House Oversight Committee, including efforts to subpoena witnesses and hold uncooperative witnesses in contempt. The account says that cooperation could continue under Democratic control.
Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat who serves on the Armed Services and Intelligence committees, says he will begin with the Pentagon. He points to reports of defense funds being diverted to companies linked to Trump’s family.
Democrats have not ruled out a third impeachment proceeding, Jeffries has said. But removing Trump would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate. Trump was impeached by the House in 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine and again in 2021 over the January 6 Capitol attack; the Republican-controlled Senate acquitted him in both cases.
The shift also recalls the 2018 midterm elections, when Democrats won the House and launched investigations into Trump’s businesses, his handling of the Russia investigations and possible conflicts of interest. The House voted to impeach him a little over a year later, but the Senate acquitted him.
Sources: elDiario.es.