House Democrats are beginning to map out a governing agenda in anticipation of a potential return to power next year, placing affordability at the center of their pitch to voters.
Economic concerns are dominating the political landscape, and Americans are still grappling with the high cost of housing, groceries and other essentials. The military conflict with Iran has only heightened those anxieties, rattling energy markets while driving up gas prices and inflation at home.“We’ve got to get Congress working for the American people, and the issue people are talking about at the dinner table, among their friends every moment of every day is what you call affordability, cost of living, just making the economy work for the American people, making life easier, clearing obstacles, and opening up opportunities,” Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) said.
But Democrats also said they plan to wield the chamber’s investigative powers to scrutinize members of the Trump administration and the Trump family, arguing that aggressive oversight is needed to increase transparency and root out any potential corruption.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said part of that anti-corruption agenda includes the panel’s ongoing investigation into files related to deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Garcia had recently called for Trump officials, including Vice President Vance, to testify before the committee after an explosive report from The New York Times revealed Vance reportedly told officials huddled in the Situation Room in July that the Epstein controversy was a “huge problem” and privately lobbied for the Justice Department to release everything in its possession related to the investigation.
Asked whether he sees the issue as relevant to voters, Garcia called the Epstein files investigation “the single most bipartisan issue in the country.”
“And so, we’re going to talk about it a lot,” he said.
Notably, Democrats haven’t ruled out impeaching President Trump.
When asked by NBC’s Kristen Welker whether Democrats would impeach Trump if they took back control of the House, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N. Y.) said, “We haven’t ruled anything in or ruled anything out in terms of accountability.”
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, argued that “the president seems to commit impeachable offenses regularly around here.”
“But I do think that the American people want to see us do things differently … we can’t have every week around here just be about impeachment. I think it should be about lowering people’s costs and tackling corruption systemically. So, we’ll continue to have those conversations, but we have to manage the fact that Trump commits impeachable offenses … he’s already gone through the impeachment process a couple times, more than any other president. I do think voters want to see us not be just an anti-Trump party, but also a pro-worker party,” Casar added.
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N. M.), chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, said some of her top priorities include bringing down the cost of childcare and eldercare, closing the gender pay gap and expanding access to reproductive care.
But even if Democrats succeed in winning back the House, their ability to enact major pieces of legislation would remain limited under a Republican-controlled White House. Trump would almost certainly veto most Democratic priorities, forcing the party to rely on bipartisan dealmaking for any legislation with a realistic chance of becoming law.
Still, Democrats could find opportunities to work across the aisle on narrower issues that have attracted interest from both parties.
One such issue is implementing a ban preventing members of Congress from buying or trading stock. While bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Seth Magaziner (D-R. I.) to ban stock trading ultimately stalled — as Jeffries had argued that any such ban should extend to the executive branch — lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have shown an interest in the issue.
Asked whether he thinks there are any issues that Democrats could work with Republicans on, Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) said, “I think we’ll have to see.”
“I think a lot of them are going to try and stay with the MAGA line, but you know, you’re seeing people peel over,” Ivey said, pointing to the handful of Republicans who have joined Democrats in signing discharge petitions to force votes on legislation over the objections of party leadership.
“I think those numbers are going to grow, and that’s why we’re able to get all these discharge petitions out and to the floor and actually pass them, probably more in just this quarter than maybe in like decades. I think that reflects in part how poorly the Republicans have managed the floor and moved bills forward that the American people want. I think it also reflects badly on Trump’s judgment and the negative things he’s done, but I think it also reflects Democratic Party unity and a vision for moving forward that helps the American people,” Ivey added.
Sophie Brams contributed to this report.
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