Midterms coverage: Live results | Takeaways | Stories around the countryStay connected: NPR Politics Podcast | NPR Politics newsletter | NPR app Democrats won big in the midterm elections, but with President Trump still in the White House, the next Congress is unlikely to see much major legislation signed into law. Instead, expect to see a lot more oversight. With public corruption and failing leadership as two of the top issues concerning voters, congressional Democrats have an ambitious agenda of investigations planned for their return to power in the House and Senate.
Their new majorities mean that they will have at their disposal the full investigatory powers of the Congress, which include the ability to subpoena records for review and compel individuals to testify before lawmakers. Robert Garcia, the California Democrat who is expected to become chair of the House Oversight committee, put it bluntly in a statement: "LAWYER UP." The Democratic Party has a long list of investigative targets. According to conversations with Democratic House and Senate committee staffers, here are some areas the party is likely to prioritize in its oversight work.
Among Democrats' primary targets: the administration's handling of — and connections to — the scandals of late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Bipartisan congressional action forced the Trump administration to release extensive documents tied to federal investigations of Epstein's crimes and other alleged offenses, though Democrats maintain that many of the records were improperly redacted or withheld from the public. They also say that the Justice Department has worked to shield Trump from damaging allegations — claims that the department's leadership has denied.
In the new Congress, lawmakers are expected to probe ties between Epstein and other powerful figures, including the president himself, which they say is part of an effort to secure accountability for victims of Epstein's crimes. In connection with an October report, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said, "Donald Trump says he knew Jeffrey Epstein 'just like everybody in Palm Beach knew him.' Not exactly." "Evidence involving 11 women tells a completely different and far more damning story about their relationship and the abuse of young women and girls that took place in their network," Raskin said.
The president, for his part, has long denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and has maintained that their relationship ended before the disgraced financier was indicted for soliciting prostitution in 2016. Democrats also plan to continue their own investigations into what they describe as efforts by administration officials to advance the financial interests of the president, his family, themselves and close allies. In particular, Democrats highlight the president's continued business interests, including Truth Social, a number of cryptocurrency projects and overseas projects involving his sons and powerful foreign investors.
Garcia on the House Oversight Committee, has gone further, linking the high cost of living to politicians on both sides of the aisle acting in their own self-interest rather than the interest of the American public. "Millions of dollars in dark money are flowing throughout our political system. Some members of Congress may be trading stocks based on information the public doesn't have.
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