Democrats Take Control, But What's Next?

The Unfiltered Observation: The Midterm Landslide and the Road Ahead

The November 8th midterm elections left a familiar landscape in its wake – a sea of uncertainty, punctuated by the occasional flash of clarity. As the dust settles, one thing is clear: the Democrats have taken control of Congress, and with it, the potent leverage to shape the country's trajectory for years to come. The question now is: what will they do with it?

Greg Casar, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, paints a picture of a party eager to make its mark. "We are going to make sure that those candidates running for president of the United States aren't getting asked about plastic-straw bans," he said. "Instead, we should be talking about all of the legislation that we pass out of the House, pass out of the Senate, and force to Donald Trump's desk." Casar envisions bold legislation, passed every week, tackling issues like price gouging, Super Pacs, and stock trading by lawmakers. If Trump vetoes it, the platform will be there for 2028, and then, the law will be signed into effect in 2029.

The election may have been a surprise, but the power Democrats have gained is not limitless. Trump is still set to occupy the White House until January 2029, and can veto bills that don't pass with overwhelming support. The Senate filibuster remains in place, allowing Republicans to block any incoming Democratic legislation that doesn't have 60 votes in a chamber. Ballot counting is still ongoing, but if the two outstanding Senate races are won by their candidates, Democrats will have 56 seats.

Congress's incoming leaders have made clear those obstacles won't stop them from enacting legislative solutions to the problems they campaigned on fixing. Hakeem Jeffries, set to become speaker of the House of Representatives, named priorities like reimplementing premium tax credits for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plans, undoing the cuts to the Medicaid insurance program, and making Trump undo his tariffs. Jeffries also promised legislative action to end the conflict with Iran.

Chuck Schumer, expected to be the next Senate majority leader, echoed the sentiments. "We are going to make sure that those candidates running for president of the United States aren't getting asked about plastic-straw bans," he said. "Instead, we should be talking about all of the legislation that we pass out of the House, pass out of the Senate, and force to Donald Trump's desk." Schumer envisioned "passing bold legislation that people called for, every single week, off of the floor of the House and the Senate."

One thing that doesn't seem to be on the table: impeaching Trump, for a third time. During his first term, Senate Republicans rescued the president after two impeachments, first on charges of leveraging aid to undermine his political rivals, and then again after his supporters attacked the Capitol on January 6. While Democrats have accused Trump of violating the law and the constitution regularly during his second term, they appear clear-eyed about Republicans' willingness to force the president from office.

"I haven't had a single member of the House Democratic Caucus talk to me about impeachment," Jeffries said. "We've been relentlessly focused on affordability and on accountability."

When it comes to accountability, Democrats have no shortage of ideas. After publicly issuing a warning to potential targets to "lawyer up," Robert Garcia, who will lead the investigative House oversight panel, told reporters this week to expect inquiries related to allegations of corruption in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contracting, stock trading by lawmakers, corporate profiteering, and the government's release of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Noting he'd sent more than 200 demands for information to the Trump administration and others, Jamie Raskin, who is expected to lead the House judiciary committee, said "go back and read my letters" when discussing who he would investigate next year. His letters carried no legal force, because he was in the congressional minority, but that will soon change – once the Democrats take committee gavels next year, they can issue subpoenas.

The party also doesn't lack for ideas when it comes to addressing concerns about affordability, a major issue for voters in the elections. It was Democrats' demands to extend the ACA subsidies that led to the record-long government shutdown last year, and their candidates made warnings about the impending Medicaid cuts prominent in their campaigns.

The outgoing Republican congressional majorities have so far rejected attempts to address either issue, but Democrats did have some luck coaxing the majority to vote for war powers resolutions intended to end the conflict with Iran – one measure did pass, but the president has thus far ignored it.

Trump has the ability to block our efforts to lower costs for American families, root out corruption in Washington, end the chaos in our streets and overseas," Schumer acknowledged. "But if he does that, I have no doubt the American people will rebuke him and his party just like they did in the election."

So far, Trump, who cannot run again in 2028, has oscillated between saying he'd be willing to work with Democrats, and defiantly posting on social media an image of a red cap with the word "Veto" written on it.

The Democratic victories in the midterms came only after at-times anguished primaries that underscored the divides between the left and centers in the party, and over contentious issues like aid to Israel. In the wake of their wins, leaders of the party's ideological factions have taken tones of unity and cooperation – which could be aided by the fact that the Democratic majorities in both the Senate and House are expected to be so large that intraparty fights could be less impactful.

Kristen McDonald Rivet, who leads freshman lawmakers on the centrist New Democrat Coalition, acknowledged that when it comes to healthcare – a marquee issue for everyone in the party – "people want big change." "Some people's approach to that is Medicare for all. Others are talking about Medicare for all who want it," McDonald Rivet told reporters. "There's all kinds of ways to solve the solution, but I actually do not see that as a place of combat with other members of the caucus. It's actually an incredibly hopeful thing that we are going to debate what big thing we can do around healthcare."