WASHINGTON — Democrats secured control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterm elections, giving them an important slice of power in Washington after two years of Republican control, and a new ability to hem in President Donald Trump's foreign policy.
During the campaign, Democrats argued that Republicans had ceded Congress's constitutional war-making and spending powers to the Trump administration. They are now expected to try to curb those powers, including by cutting defense spending or holding up nominations to pressure Trump to obtain permission from Congress to continue the war with Iran.
Trump did not secure approval from Congress before he launched the war with Iran alongside Israel on February 28, and Democrats have voted repeatedly to end the fighting unless he seeks congressional authorization. With their new influence, Democrats could use spending and nomination fights to press that case.
On Ukraine, Trump has largely halted direct financial and military aid to Kyiv, despite broad support for U.S. assistance from Democratic and Republican lawmakers. He has also angered members of Congress, including many Republicans, by lifting sanctions on Russian diesel and waiving sanctions on Russian energy, weeks after signing them into law. With control of both chambers starting in January, Democrats will be able to decide what gets voted on and when, and aides have said assisting Kyiv is a priority.
Democrats could also limit or end military aid to Israel, which includes a base $3.8 billion per year, plus billions of dollars more since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. They are far more likely than Trump's Republicans to limit military spending — Trump asked for an unprecedented 67 percent increase in the military budget this year, to $1.5 trillion, but Democrats blocked it in the Senate — and to restore foreign aid that Trump has withheld or canceled.
The new Congress is also expected to bring more scrutiny of Latin America policy. The president retains the power to veto legislation, and overriding a veto generally requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers, so Democrats may not be able to force major policy changes outright — but they can set the agenda, hold hearings and challenge nominees.
