Democratic members of the U.S. House are preparing to use their investigative and oversight powers if their party regains the majority in the upcoming midterm elections. Their plan would cover President Donald Trump’s wealth, his family members’ businesses, his administration’s policies and use of government institutions, as well as foreign policy issues and the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Trump and His Family’s Wealth Under Scrutiny
Rep. Robert Garcia, a candidate to chair the Oversight Committee, said what he described as corruption and illicit gains warranted investigations involving House committees. Other Democrats, however, called for setting achievable goals and avoiding inflated expectations about the results of congressional accountability efforts. The sources of Trump and his family’s growing wealth top the proposed list of issues, including cryptocurrency profits and overseas deals.
Rep. Jamie Raskin plans to examine investments by companies linked to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, particularly when the companies receiving the investments obtain government contracts or benefit from administration policies.
Investigations to Expand to Taxes, Energy and Immigration
The agenda would also include a tax settlement with the Internal Revenue Service, the Truth Social platform and Jared Kushner’s businesses, as well as energy and mining deals and the use of government settlement funds. Democrats also plan to review presidential pardons granted to people convicted of fraud or individuals linked to Trump’s political circle, along with projects carried out by the White House in Washington.
On immigration, lawmakers plan to examine allegations of misconduct by law enforcement personnel, the unlawful detention of citizens and residents, deaths in detention centers, and the deployment of the National Guard in liberal-leaning cities. The proposed review would also cover Department of Homeland Security contracts and spending, the restructuring of government institutions, employee layoffs and the withholding of funds approved by Congress.
The plan includes examining prosecutions that Democrats believe were politically motivated, as well as pressure they say the administration exerted on law firms, universities and companies to change their policies or positions. Lawmakers also want to scrutinize the administration’s role in deals involving media organizations and technology companies.
Reviewing the Administration’s Role in Foreign Policy
On foreign policy, Democrats plan to review the roles of envoy Steve Witkoff and Kushner in negotiations involving Iran, Israel, Russia and Ukraine, amid questions they have raised about conflicts of interest and the State Department’s role in decision-making.
The White House, meanwhile, is preparing to confront the oversight effort by expanding its use of executive privilege and seeking to shield outside advisers from questioning, while the administration says Democrats lack an agenda to improve Americans’ lives.
The investigations could encounter legal and political obstacles, including refusals to turn over documents or allow officials to be questioned before Congress. Democratic lawmakers acknowledge that congressional investigations alone cannot guarantee the president’s removal or conviction, but they say oversight does not prevent them from continuing legislative work.
