- The goal, According to senior Democrats, it’s about building a sustained narrative around the “cost, chaos and corruption” of the administration – while showing voters they have legislative solutions to the problems they uncover.
- “We are trying to get to answers that point to solutions,” a senior Democratic aide said.
Zoom: Senate Democrats are actively coordinating investigations within committees and with their House counterparts, seeking to turn the Trump administration’s first-day oversight into a lasting argument for their own legislative agenda.
- Think more on January 6 committee investigation, with polished videos and compelling testimony, that impeachment 1.0.
- coordination, underway for months, is increasingly happening at the senatorial level as lawmakers work to divide investigative responsibilities and avoid duplicating efforts.
- “We want to disconcert those with some of the other committees, right? We don’t want to duplicate other committees,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen told Axios.
The other side: Rep. Robert Garcia, likely chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has a four-pronged plan to investigate the Trump administration.
Between the lines: Nearly every House committee has the power to subpoena without obtaining approval from the minority party.
- In the Senate, only the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and its Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) can issue subpoenas unilaterally.
Trump’s war in Iran will likely be the Senate’s first priority, with the Senate Armed Services Committee preparing for hearings — and planning to call Hegseth to testify — in January.
- There will also be an immediate vote on a war powers resolution.
- “I was very clear that we must use every tool at our disposal to end the illegal (incitement) war in Iran, and that starts from day one,” Van Hollen said.
What’s next: As the scale of their victory becomes clearer, Democrats on all committees are eager to get to work.
- “I’m looking at you – Big Tech CEOs, Wall Street executives and corporate giants. If you break the law, there will be consequences,” Senator Elizabeth Warren thundered on X.
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