WASHINGTON, D.C. — In Washington, Democrats are poised for a big advantage in the new year.
The blue wave in last Tuesday’s midterms will give the party a chance to pass legislative priorities, oversee congressional committees and launch investigations into the Trump administration, which is something Democratic leaders have signaled strong support for.
Strong majorities in Congress will allow Democrats to pursue their legislative agenda with few obstacles, except when it comes to needing the president’s signature once a bill is sent to his desk.
Democrats still have to choose who will serve as leader in both the House and Senate, but it appears they have chosen what issues should be prioritized in January.
“Lowering costs. That starts with ending President Trump’s war with Iran,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
Ending not only the war, but also the president’s tariffs- and compensating Americans for them- are top cost-cutting priorities for Sen. Gillibrand.
“With a Democratic Senate majority, we can pass legislation to end the Trump tariff tax and refund Americans for duties they have already paid,” Gillibrand said.
This week, House lawmakers provided similar emphasis on affordability, as well as health care.
“We have to reverse the Medicaid cuts,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “And we certainly need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits because the Republicans’ failure and unwillingness to do so has resulted in tens of millions of Americans experiencing dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles.”
Congressman Josh Riley, D-N.Y., said he’s ready to address issues with Washington that have received a lot of talk, but little action.
“Number one, drain the swamp. Ban corporate PACs, impose term limits, stop the insider trading,” said Riley.
Rep. Riley also believes lowering costs needs to be paramount for his caucus in the new Congress.
“I have a package of bills to lower utility costs for folks,” Riley said. “I’m putting together a package of legislation to help our to help our dairy farmers, fix the milk prices, help them address the high costs of fertilizer and diesel,” Riley added.
As for Republicans, their greatest tool in 2027 will likely be President Trump’s veto pen. It will ultimately be up to Democratic leaders and President Trump to negotiate and compromise on legislation if they want to pass anything into law. Otherwise, it could be an unproductive two years, aside from congressional probes and investigations.
