Democrats control both chambers of Congress: how much pressure will Trump face in his final two years?
Photo: Collected
Democrats have taken control of both the US House of Representatives and the Senate; this is how a major political shift has come about in the 2026 midterm elections. With the country’s voters rejecting President Donald Trump’s policies so clearly, the influence of the Republican Party and the Trump administration on Capitol Hill will be much reduced. With Democrats in the majority in both the House and the Senate, one thing is certain — the last two years of Trump’s term will be completely different from the first two. The question is just how forceful a role the Democrats will be able to play with this regained power in Congress.
Winning a majority in the House of Representatives opens new doors for Democrats to oversee and investigate the government’s work. Winning one Republican stronghold after another across the country, the party has crossed the required threshold of 218 seats, and Hakeem Jeffries is set to become the next majority leader. As a result, Republicans will no longer be able to pass any law without Democratic support. Democrat-controlled House committees will be able to launch investigations into various decisions and actions of the Trump administration, demand relevant documents and testimony, and bring senior administration officials under continuous congressional scrutiny. Strong pressure could also build from the party’s own political base to impeach Trump for a third time.
Retaining a majority in the Senate puts some more important powers in Democratic hands. The appointment of US cabinet officials, ambassadors and federal judges at all levels, including the Supreme Court, requires Senate approval. With control of the Senate, it will be easier to block or delay these key Trump appointments. As a result, the White House will have to take the path of compromise and bargaining to pass any new law.
There are also clear indications of which issues Democratic investigations will turn to now that they hold both chambers. At the very top of the priority list of Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, are the Trump family’s business dealings and possible corruption. Representative Jamil Raskin has already sent requests seeking detailed information on the businesses of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and son Donald Trump Jr.
Another major area of investigation will be the release of information related to Jeffrey Epstein. Last year, the joint efforts of Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie forced the Justice Department to release millions of Epstein-related files. But after the deadline set by law passed, the department released only 3.5 million of the 6 million pages it held, calling the rest duplicates. Excessive blacking out (redaction) in the files and, in some places, the accidental exposure of victims’ names sparked anger in both parties. Journalist Katie Fang has also sued the Justice Department over the decision. Even in the Republican-controlled Congress, the Oversight Committee led by Chairman Jim Comer worked with bipartisan consensus in many cases; it issued subpoenas to bring in witnesses and also passed contempt motions. This trend is expected to continue in the new Democratic Congress.
The Defense Department and the military budget will also be under Democratic scrutiny. Jason Crow, a member of the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees, said his investigation would begin with the Pentagon, as there are clear allegations that the Pentagon’s military allocations or defence funds have been used for companies linked to the Trump family. On the question of impeachment, Hakeem Jeffries has made it clear that Democrats are by no means ruling out that possibility. Republican House leader Steve Scalise fears that the impeachment process could begin from the very first day of taking power.
Democrats also took the House of Representatives in 2018, during Trump’s first term, riding a huge ‘blue wave’. At that time too, House committees carried out numerous investigations into his businesses, his role in the Russia-related investigation and possible conflicts of interest. That time, a little over a year after the midterm elections, following lengthy deliberations, the Democrat-controlled House passed articles of impeachment against Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress; he was later acquitted in the Republican-controlled Senate. In 2021 he was impeached a second time over the 6 January attack on Capitol Hill, and that time too the Senate acquitted him.
Source: The Guardian
Background
According to an Al Jazeera report of 4 November, after the 2024 election Republicans held 220 seats in the House of Representatives and Democrats 215; in the Senate there were 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats.
By the numbers
According to the Associated Press (AP) count as of 4 November, Democrats have won 228 seats in the House of Representatives and are leading in 34 more; in the Senate, Democrats have won 54 seats and Republicans 44. A majority in the Senate requires 51 seats — Al Jazeera reported this.
At a glance
According to a 4 November report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the newly elected Congress will be sworn in on 3 January.
Sources
Background sources: Al Jazeera, 4 November 2026; ABC News (Australia), 4 November 2026
