Democratic congressional leaders are promising to use their victories in the midterm elections on Tuesday to seek new restraints against President Donald Trump, while leaving an opening for legislative deals that would lower consumer prices for energy and other goods.
Democrats on Capitol Hill have felt largely powerless for nearly two years as Trump and his administration unilaterally cut staffing at federal agencies, launched military strikes and stymied the development of clean energy projects. Democratic leaders say those dynamics will change with their midterm wins, as they try to bring the kind of accountability they say has been nearly nonexistent under the Republican-led Congress.
"Whenever Trump defies the will of the American people or the law, we will launch investigations, take him to court, and entangle him in legislative razor wire," Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said on Wednesday.
Democrats are on track to hold at least a four-seat majority in the Senate and a 39-seat majority in the House, although their final tallies may be even larger as more races are called. The party was able to leverage voter anger over the Iran war and inflation to achieve wins in Republican-led states such as Texas, Iowa, South Carolina, Kansas and Ohio. Democrats say although they will look into concerns about corruption and executive overreach, they intend to use their new powers to focus on affordability.
"The American people don't want us to get even," said House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), who almost certainly will become the next House speaker. "They want us to get things done on their behalf because life is way too expensive."
Newly elected Democrats say they want to look at areas of compromise that could give relief to consumers struggling with high fuel prices. US senator-elect James Talarico (D-Texas) said he supported Trump's proposal to suspend federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel.
"If we suspend the federal gas tax, we could drop the price of gas by 18¢/USG immediately," Talarico told Fox News on Wednesday.
The most immediate outcome from the midterms could be felt when the Senate reconvenes next week to vote on whether to advance the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA), a bill that aims to speed permitting for oil and gas, renewables and electric transmission. The Democratic outperformance is likely to "embolden" those who believe the bill gives too many concessions to oil and gas, investment bank TD Cowen said in a note to clients that cut the odds of the bill passing to 25pc, down from 40pc. Political analysts shared that sentiment.
"It's an uphill road at this point, given the fact that there's the possibility of just getting a better deal in January," law firm Bracewell attorney Joseph Brazauskas said on Wednesday.
Even if BAAJA clears the Senate, it still must pass the House, where Republicans have a narrow majority. Far-right Republicans want to use the lame duck session to "lock in" conservative wins and stop "the Green New Scam", House Freedom Caucus chairman Andy Harris (R-Maryland) said. Meanwhile, US representative Jared Huffman (D-California), who is likely to lead the House Natural Resources Committee next year, said there should be a hearing before "jamming through a deeply flawed" permitting bill.
Democrats will only have so much power to constrain Trump, whose aggressive claims of executive power have found a receptive audience in the US Supreme Court, where conservatives hold a 6-3 majority. Even though Democrats could rein in the administration using spending bills, they still need Republican support on those bills to prevent a filibuster in the Senate. Trump could also block any bills that he believes are too restrictive, which would create the risk of a government shutdown.
"l'll get along probably with the Democrats, unless they want to be destructive, but I have the power of the veto if we don't like what they're doing," Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
Democrats next year will gain broad powers to launch investigations into the administration, including the ability to subpoena federal agencies and require administration officials to testify. Democrats are likely to push for details on foreign investment deals that Trump has negotiated, along with agreements related to the sale of Venezuelan crude and leasing rights. Senators have sought answers on hundreds of millions of dollars in tax savings the administration has given to LNG companies.
"Subpoenas," Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) said in a social media post on Tuesday as the Democratic victory became clear.
Republicans are blaming the crushing midterm losses partly on the war in Iran, which angered voters who trusted Trump's anti-war campaign promises and ended up paying more for gasoline, diesel and fertilizer. US vice president JD Vance, who is considering a presidential run in 2028, said Republicans lost because of the war.
"If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, then do so," Vance wrote on social media.
Trump said that explanation for Republican losses was "largely true" because the war drove up gasoline prices, but he defended the decision to go to war.
"If I had it to do again, I'd have to do it again because long-term it's the only answer," Trump said. "You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon."
