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The blue tsunami many polls predicted came to pass Tuesday as Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress. Now, Democratic politicians are debating how to handle the upcoming GOP minority. Some want to work together with Republicans, while others say investigating the GOP and stonewalling President Donald Trump should be top of mind.
‘Lawyer up’
Many Democrats seem eager to “fight on nearly every front the president has opened,” said Nik Popli and Julia Terruso at Time. The incoming Democratic leadership is seemingly “preparing a legislative offensive aimed at reversing some of the administration’s most unpopular policies.”
Republicans should “lawyer up,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement. Democrats may “use their new subpoena power and agenda-setting authority” to investigate alleged corruption among Trump’s family, alongside setting up probes into “Elon Musk’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency” and the “Department of Homeland Security’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics,” said Chris Marquette at Politico.
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The party is most likely to “achieve lasting gains through sustained oversight investigations directed toward two goals,” Claire Finkelstein said at The Guardian: “providing accountability in the executive branch and strengthening the institution of Congress itself.”
Not after ‘political retribution’
Other Democrats, including some who will be taking up new jobs soon, feel that focusing on Trump is the wrong approach. “They didn’t send us to Washington for political retribution,” Sen.-elect James Talarico (D-Texas) told CNN after his victory. “They sent us to Washington to lower costs, to root out corruption, to get this economy back on track.” While there will be investigations, Democrats are “focused on delivering on the affordability agenda,” Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) told NPR.
More moderate Democrats, including the likely next House speaker, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), are also “expected to be scared of a handful of new members aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America,” said The Washington Post editorial board. While the threat of democratic socialists “might discourage” centrists like Jeffries or Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer from “negotiating in good faith,” there is also a “strong case for unexpected levels of cooperation, or at least compromise, over the next two years.” Americans voted for divided government, but that “doesn’t mean they chose paralysis in the face of an impending fiscal emergency.”
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Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
