Two days after Democrats seized unified control of Congress for the first time since 2021, Capitol Hill moved briskly past the celebration and into preparation on Wednesday. Incoming committee chairs began sketching the investigations they intend to launch into the Trump administration, even as the president himself signaled he had no intention of contesting Tuesday's results.
Democrats flipped at least seven Senate seats, including longtime Republican strongholds in Kansas and Texas, and picked up more than two dozen House districts, several of which backed President Trump by wide margins two years ago. Two races remained too close to call Wednesday: in Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom led Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by just 65 votes with roughly 96% of ballots counted, with the state facing a Nov. 10 deadline to resolve outstanding provisional ballots. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Dan Sullivan by about 600 votes with roughly a quarter of ballots still outstanding, a margin tight enough that the race could proceed to ranked-choice tabulation on Nov. 18.
President Trump's own response to the rout was notably restrained by his standards. Appearing before reporters for a tour of his under-construction White House ballroom and a newly built helicopter landing pad, he acknowledged that "we gave this a very strong shot" and suggested he could "get along, probably" with the incoming Democratic majorities — while reminding reporters that he still holds veto power over anything they pass.
Vance Breaks With Trump Over the War
The most striking reaction came from Vice President JD Vance, who used a lengthy statement on X to pin the defeat squarely on the war with Iran. "The reason we lost is the war," Vance wrote. "The president himself said so last night."
If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest.
Vice President JD Vance
Trump, who rarely tolerates public dissent from his own advisers, largely agreed. He told reporters Vance's assessment was "largely true" and that he would "do it again" given the same choice, adding that the strikes had ensured Iran "will never have a nuclear weapon." Texas Republican strategist Bill Miller, reflecting on his own party's losses, was blunter: Trump's foreign interventions and personal pet projects, he said, "proved to be the undoing for Republicans," calling the president's claim that he'd have won had his own name been on the ballot the words of "someone who's out of touch with reality."
Investigation Targets Take Shape
With subpoena power set to pass to Democrats when the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, committee staff have already begun assembling lists of possible witnesses and targets. California Rep. Robert Garcia, in line to chair the House Oversight Committee, told reporters Wednesday he would pursue four "major" investigations: the Trump family's business dealings, alleged abuses by immigration enforcement, corporate ties to the administration, and what he called a White House cover-up of the Epstein files.
Virginia Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a sitting Oversight Committee member, said scrutiny would extend to the $400 million jet gifted to the administration by Qatar, cryptocurrency firms with ties to the Trump family, and the international business dealings of Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law. "We want to make sure that taxpayer dollars are being used wisely and not being stolen or pocketed because of corruption," Subramanyam said. The White House rejected the premise outright. "Democrats have no agenda to improve the lives of the American people, just plans to obstruct and baselessly target President Trump's commonsense agenda," spokesperson Olivia Wales said, adding that the administration is "always prepared" to respond to oversight requests.
A separate line of inquiry is expected to target Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's handling of the Iran war, including civilian casualty counts, munitions shortfalls and claims that troops were sent into the conflict under-prepared.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said their immediate priorities will be the cost of living and administration accountability, and signaled they intend to move to unwind Trump's tariffs once they hold the gavels. Those plans will have to wait until the new Congress convenes in January — but for an administration bracing for subpoenas, the clock is already running.
