Democratic control of the House would create a formidable new set of problems for Donald Trump.
During the final two years of his second term, the president could face corruption inquiries involving himself and his family, legislative deadlock, bitter disputes over government spending and the threat of shutdowns. A third impeachment battle may also emerge—an extraordinarily difficult way for Trump to conclude his time in office.
When the new Congress convenes in January, Democrats are expected to take over the chairmanships of key House committees. With those positions comes the power to issue subpoenas, demand records and secure funding for congressional investigations.
California Democratic Representative Robert Garcia, who is in line to lead the House Oversight Committee, issued a warning to Republicans on Tuesday night, telling them to “lawyer up.”
Garcia and other senior Democrats have promised an expansive series of inquiries into Trump, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Potential areas of scrutiny include the family’s cryptocurrency ventures, financing for projects such as the White House ballroom and Trump’s decision to accept a Qatari aircraft for use as Air Force One.
Democrats could even seek testimony from Melania Trump and Barron Trump, while the president’s legal advisers are reportedly preparing behind the scenes for an aggressive defense of the family.
A Democratic congressional official told the Daily Mail that “anything that has to do with the Trump family” would be examined from the first day of the new majority. The official added that alleged coordination with the Trump administration and possible corporate corruption would also rank among the committee’s early priorities.
“We are also going to be looking at DHS and ICE abuse, and then finally, obviously, the continuation of the Epstein investigation,” the official said.
Democratic control of the House could bring major political headaches for Donald Trump during his final two years in office
Elon Musk could also come under congressional scrutiny as Democrats examine his companies and his involvement with DOGE.
Trump has responded by saying he would issue preemptive pardons to “protect” Musk, as well as any of his own aides who might become targets of Democratic investigations.
Democrats promise “gargantuan” investigations into Trump and his family
Representative Jamie Raskin, the Democrat expected to chair the influential House Judiciary Committee, has described the planned effort to investigate the Trump family as “gargantuan.”
Raskin has shown particular interest in a cryptocurrency arrangement that generated $1.4 billion and in Donald Trump Jr.’s venture capital company. The firm has accused Raskin of engaging in “political gamesmanship” and displaying a “troubling lack of financial literacy.”
Garcia, meanwhile, is expected to pursue inquiries into Trump family business activities, ICE operations and alleged corporate corruption. He also wants public hearings examining the administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
Alongside Trump’s relatives, Garcia is expected to seek testimony from current and former officials, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The House Natural Resources Committee, previously a relatively low-profile panel overseeing federal land in Washington, could also attract national attention. Democrats are expected to examine financing for the White House ballroom, Trump’s proposed triumphal arch and plans to restore the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Construction of the White House ballroom could become the focus of a Democrat-led congressional inquiry
Anyone who refuses to comply with a congressional subpoena can be referred to the Justice Department for criminal contempt of Congress, an offense that can carry a prison sentence.
However, federal criminal charges can only be brought by the Justice Department, which is expected to remain under Trump Attorney General Todd Blanche. That makes prosecution appear unlikely.
As a result, Democrats may struggle to force Trump’s children or other family members to appear before Congress, despite their efforts to do so.
Even if the hearings produce few concrete results, they could generate damaging headlines for Trump, burden his administration and relatives with costly legal battles, and keep the investigations at the center of national debate throughout the final two years of his term.
Democrats are preparing to examine Trump family cryptocurrency ventures
Could Trump face another impeachment?
When Democrats won the House in the 2018 midterm elections, during Trump’s first term, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s party impeached him twice. The Senate acquitted him on both occasions, as conviction requires a two-thirds majority. Although Democrats have exceeded the 51 seats needed for a simple Senate majority, they would still need Republican support to remove Trump from office.
A strong showing by progressive Democratic candidates in the House could pressure incoming Speaker Hakeem Jeffries to act. Even so, there appears to be less enthusiasm for impeaching Trump again.
Jeffries has repeatedly said that no option has been taken off the table. But Ohio’s newly elected Senator Sherrod Brown said before the vote: “I can’t speak for everybody else, but I would not support an impeachment of Trump. There’s simply no reason for that, no matter what happens in the midterms.”
Democrats could instead focus on impeaching members of the Cabinet. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, particularly over the war with Iran, has been described by some on the left as a potential “low-hanging fruit.”
The White House has dismissed the planned investigations into Trump and his family as an effort to “obstruct and baselessly target” the president.
Democratic strategist Mike Nellis, a former senior adviser to Kamala Harris’s campaign, told the Daily Mail that Democrats should launch serious investigations and clearly connect them to the effects on ordinary Americans.
“I would move forward on impeaching Hegseth over the war, in particular, but always, always, always tying it back to the material impact it is having on people’s lives,” Nellis said. “We are removing Pete Hegseth in order to end the war, in order to lower your gas prices.”
He added: “Don’t launch investigations out of spite. Don’t impeach out of spite. Do it to show the American people how they’re getting royally f***ed. The corruption in Washington is unprecedented.”
Trump prepares to become “Mr. Veto”
With control of the House, Democrats will be able to block parts of Trump’s agenda and advance legislation of their own, including measures focused on healthcare and restrictions on artificial intelligence data centers.
Trump, however, retains the authority to veto any bill passed by Congress.
Before the midterms, Trump said he would become “Mr. Veto,” arguing that Democrats would eventually have to negotiate with him after seeing their proposals rejected by the White House.
But after it became clear that Democrats were on course to control Congress, the president appeared to soften that position in a conversation with Politico.
“I have a right to veto everything, but I don’t want to just sit there and veto everything for two years,” he said. “We’re going to work with the Democrats. They’ve already called.”
Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin has pledged investigations into Trump on a “gargantuan” scale
How Trump could try to bypass Congress
Trump will still need to negotiate with Congress because the Constitution gives lawmakers the “power of the purse”—the authority to approve federal spending.
As head of the executive branch, however, Trump retains broad unilateral authority in areas such as tariffs, immigration and foreign policy.
For months, White House officials including Stephen Miller and Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, have reportedly been developing executive actions that could help advance Trump’s agenda if Republicans lost the House.
Federal agencies have submitted proposals for policies that could be enacted through executive authority. They include restrictions on temporary foreign workers and international student visas, new tariffs on critical minerals and wind turbines, and initiatives intended to reduce construction costs.
Some of those policies could be financed using funds that Congress had already allocated to federal agencies before the change in power.
Efforts to stretch the boundaries of presidential authority are likely to trigger lawsuits, and federal judges could block some of Trump’s executive orders.
Trump has already signed nearly 300 executive orders during this term—far more than he issued throughout his first presidency and almost twice as many as Joe Biden signed during four years in office.
A House controlled by Democrats will also be able to pressure Trump through spending legislation, raising the prospect of government shutdowns. One of the earliest major clashes could come next year over an increase in the debt ceiling.
A Democratic Senate would add another obstacle. If Republicans had retained control, Trump would have been able to move more easily on judicial and executive appointments.
Democrats are now expected to challenge his nominees for Cabinet posts and other senior positions across the executive branch, while also seeking to block his choices for the federal judiciary.
If a vacancy opens on the Supreme Court, Democrats could attempt to delay confirmation until after the 2028 election, hoping that a Democratic president would then select the next justice.
