Dem
51
Ties
1
GOP
48
Democrats are already drawing up plans to investigate Donald Trump and his cronies if they get control of either chamber of Congress in January. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), who will probably become chairman of the House Oversight Committee if Democrats capture the House, is already holding meetings with members of the Committee to plan strategy. White House attorneys are also preparing the defense, in particular instructing cabinet officers and top WH aides what to do if presented with congressional subpoenas. It will be brutal. We expect Stonewall Jackson to pale in comparison with Stonewall Trump.
Garcia has to decide what to pursue first and what to do later, or not at all. He needs to think ahead and plan for each expected reaction to what he does. Among other items on the agenda are:
However, some Democrats want to use their power to look forward to prep for 2028. In particular, they want to hold hearings about how and why Trump has done nothing to lower the cost of living and other issues the voters care about and which the Democrats want to campaign on in 2028. This faction believes that most voters don't care about all of Trump's crimes and abuses, but are upset that he didn't bring down the cost of living, as he promised, on Day 1 (or even today, Day 581). However, the problem with this approach is that while independents (and even some normie Republicans) might like it, the young activists in the Democratic Party who bemoan the lack of "fight" the leadership has shown, will see letting bygones be bygones and talking about the price of eggs as a weak cop-out. They want accountability and heads on pikes.
The Democrats have a lot of trouble doing two things at the same time. The best case is if they capture both chambers of Congress, in which case the House could investigate administration crimes (ostensibly to decide who should be impeached) while the Senate could focus on affordability. Of course, all this requires the Democrats to gain control of at least one chamber. (V)