Democrats are preparing a broad oversight agenda if the party sweeps control of one or both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, signaling investigations of President Donald Trump, his family, his aides and top Republican donors amid a string of reports of corruption in Washington.
But Democratic operatives are warning lawmakers not to lose sight of what polls show the November election is really about: inflation and the high costs of consumer goods, fuel and health care. Americans are deeply dissatisfied with Trump’s economy — nearly 70% of likely voters disapprove of the president’s handling of the cost of living, according to a New York Times/Siena poll released on Wednesday. This economic discontent has positioned Democrats to flip seats, even in traditionally red areas, in November.
While voters also rank corruption near the top of their list of concerns, it is the bread and butter issues that should be the Democrats’ driving force as they plot an agenda for the next Congress, these operatives told The Washington Sun.
“Costs are number one, two, three, four and five,” said Lanae Erickson, senior vice president at the center-left think tank Third Way. “I would hope that House Democrats keep their eye on that ball.”
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“If you’re just going to try to impeach Trump again, or make a big to-do about the fact that Don [Trump] Jr. is making a bunch of money off of defense contracts, which he is, how does that connect back to people’s real lives?” Erickson asked. “Corruption alone is not going to do it for voters.”
Democratic strategists noted that voters harbor doubts that their party will actually follow through on their promises to lower costs instead of spending their time on other priorities, like impeaching Trump. The party previously sought to use the partisan and time consuming impeachment process to oust Trump from power in 2019 and 2021, but fell short both times due to Republican opposition in the Senate.
Democratic lawmakers argue this time should be different.
“It might be emotionally satisfying for 10 seconds to impeach the president a third time and then have him be not convicted in the Senate, but I’m not sure what that would get us,” Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz recently told The Sun.
“Voters want accountability on Trump, but they do worry Democrats will be so focused on Trump that they won’t get anything done that matters in their lives,” added a Democratic strategist who requested anonymity to speak freely. “You can still focus on corruption, but every corruption story has to end with a number on a bill.”
On the campaign trail over the last two weeks, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has talked up addressing both high costs and corruption, telling voters in Pennsylvania that “we recognize that in addition to fighting for an affordable America, we’ve got to bring accountability to this out of control Trump cartel.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell signaled some things on the Democratic wishlist may take time to accomplish, but they aim to address both priorities. The Michigan Democrat said the party is planning “a 100-hour agenda,” as well as “a 100-day agenda.”
“I think part of the first 100-hour agenda is we’ll need to reverse some of the cuts that have cost people their health care, reverse how we now have hungry children and seniors because of the cuts to Medicaid,” Dingell told The Sun this week. “But at the same time, we’re going to hold corrupt officials accountable, because what they’ve been doing is significantly contributing to increased costs.”
Leaders in both chambers have sketched out in broad strokes their policy agenda next year if voters return them to power. They want to end the war in Iran, roll back Republican cuts to Medicaid and federal food assistance, repeal the president’s global tariffs and extend Obamacare health insurance subsidies that lapsed in 2025.
Whether they can accomplish all that will depend on the size of the Democratic majorities and if they flip control of both the House and Senate. And actually putting these policies into place will be difficult, given that Trump and his veto pen will occupy the White House for the next two years.
The Democratic desire for an ambitious, go-fast agenda might also conflict with Jeffries’ support for returning the House to regular order, a legislative process that gives more influence to congressional committees. But those committees would need to be constituted with new members for that process to begin. And priorities like repealing Republican cuts to Medicaid may require more extended negotiations if Democrats plan to find a way to pay for reversing those cuts.
House Democrats have more than one plan to satiate the party’s base’s desires to confront what they argue is the historic corruption of the Trump administration. Rep. Robert Garcia, the California Democrat set to lead the investigative House Oversight Committee if his party wins a majority, has outlined sprawling plans to probe the president, his family and close circle of allies. That includes an expanded panel investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his network of connections, including the president.
Other Democratic targets will likely include the donors funding Trump’s ballroom construction at the White House, the Trump family’s vast crypto holdings and foreign business deals, alleged self-dealing by top Trump officials, high-value foreign gifts given to the president, and Elon Musk’s reported slowdown of Starshield’s satellite network in Ukraine.
“Trump’s foreign policy is focused on turning our government infrastructure into a shakedown operation for the Trump family and his cronies. So we will be relentless in going after that corruption and getting that money back,” Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado told reporters on Wednesday.
Americans’ perceptions of corruption are at their highest level in 20 years, with 89% of U.S. adults saying it is widespread in the government, according to a Gallup survey released last month. Meanwhile, nearly 70% of Americans believe Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself, including one-third of Republican and Republican-leaning independents, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.
Corruption has been a big theme on the campaign trail this election cycle, with both Democratic and Republican candidates running on transparency, ethics reform and anti-corruption measures. A push to ban lawmakers and their families from trading individual stocks stalled in the Senate this year, but Democrats are likely to try again next year.
“Corruption is an issue that has flipped plenty of seats in the past with unlikely candidates winning,” Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said this week in an interview with MS NOW. “You’ve got a Republican Party that doesn’t seem to know what to say. Trump is offering them no cover. … That’s a real toxic message for Republicans that’s likely going to result in the Senate flipping to Democratic control.”
Erickson cautioned Democrats to avoid votes on a laundry-list of items designed to appease their various constituency groups, such as on abortion, campaign spending and LGBTQ issues, and keep their focus squarely on lowering costs.
“Trump created this opportunity for us, but we absolutely have not yet made the case to voters that we are a credible alternative on a lot of these issues,” Erickson said. “If Democrats win this election based on costs and corruption related to driving up costs, and then start with a quick list of interest group priorities, that is not going to be particularly satisfying.”
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