What To Expect if Congress Goes Blue

by Will Emmons

Will Emmons for The Morningside Post

On November 3, the Democratic Party has the chance to retake the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate in the midterm elections. This would create a crucial check against the White House, but it would also be an incredibly fraught moment. I know this because I was a staffer in the House the last time it happened. 

In the 2018 midterms, Democrats won back the House but not the Senate. As House committees staffed up to prepare for the new Congress in early 2019, I started a job as a Democratic aide on the House Judiciary Committee. This is the House committee with oversight jurisdiction over the White House, law enforcement agencies, and constitutional issues such as impeachment of the president—a power we would eventually have to use twice.

In the ensuing years, my colleagues and I worked on several investigations aimed at holding President Trump accountable for corruption, obstruction of justice, and incitement of the January 6 insurrection. The experience taught us key lessons that could be used if Democrats ever again won control of Congress under a second Trump administration.

If a new cohort of Democratic members and young staffers takes up the House gavel in 2027, here’s what they could do with it and how they can expect the White House to react.

What Changes Immediately

Some dynamics would change right away if just the House goes blue. Since most legislation requires a House vote, the Trump legislative agenda would effectively halt, and Democrats would hold the House’s government funding and investigative powers—no small thing in American politics. 

The Democrats taking both the House and Senate would have larger implications, constraining Trump’s war-making powers and his appointment of Supreme Court justices. But despite these concrete changes, congressional Democrats’ real power would depend on the manner in which they wield it when conducting oversight.

What Investigations Can Do

Congress’ oversight committees are one of its most powerful instruments. Congressional investigations become persuasive tools by collecting evidence, drawing attention to government abuses, and giving a national voice to the Americans suffering from Trump’s policies. If Democrats win one or both chambers in the midterms, this power would be theirs—but only if they can win the attention of a fatigued public.

To do so, House committees should confront Trump’s worst abuses while also contrasting them with what Democrats stand for. Using hearings and investigations to highlight the party’s new faces and problem-solving mentality would be a powerful message to the country that this is a party worth voting for.

After a hearing on ICE, for example, Democrats should hold another hearing that shows a new vision for a humane and responsible immigration policy. After a hearing on Trump’s personal enrichment in the Oval Office, Democrats should follow it up with a hearing on the cost of living and what they’re going to do about it. They can also make use of “field hearings” by traveling to the places around the country affected by the administration’s policies.

This is a rich opportunity for the party to paint a detailed picture of the future and answer the question of the moment: What would everyday life under a Democratic administration be like?

Trump’s Last Stand

Trump’s response to all of this is predictable. After spending six years enriching himself, punishing his perceived enemies, and clamoring for attention, he will spend the remaining two years doing the same.

Regarding a Democratic Congress, Trump would certainly dust off some of his old hits, like claiming “absolute immunity” from investigation and stonewalling subpoenas in lengthy court proceedings. But he would likely go further this time, ordering more investigations into Democrats in Congress and urging his loyalists in and out of government to digitally and physically harass them.

Trump would also respond to this new congressional constraint by flexing his executive power even more in foreign affairs and vanity projects. Especially if, as rumored, he replaces his current chief of staff after the midterms with a zealot like Stephen Miller, the White House would veer even deeper into a draconian mindset as its time runs out.

Despite all this, we must remember that the American people decided twice that the Democrats were even worse than Trump. A blue Congress—with new members supported by mobilized voters and grassroots organizers—would have a historic opportunity to change this perception. It can use its investigative powers to demonstrate a new Democratic Party that’s laser-focused on American communities and ready to rebuild the country with bold ideas and decisive action.