Democratic Victory Could Make Congress Branch of Government
Democrats are nearing the House majority required to begin the dangerous experiment of having Congress occasionally check the president. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said his party is within reach of reclaiming the chamber after campaigning in more than 50 cities, promoting a 100-day agenda focused on lowering living costs and overseeing the Trump administration. Both proposals revive the abandoned theory that lawmakers should govern between elections rather than appear on television to explain why governing would be divisive.
The Cook Political Report has shifted 18 races toward Democrats and projected a gain of nine to 19 seats, potentially giving the party between 224 and 234 members. Democrats need only a modest share of the remaining toss-ups to take control, jeopardizing Speaker Mike Johnson’s orderly system of operating the House as a ceremonial White House gift shop. Under that arrangement, legislation advances when President Donald Trump requests it, hints at it or recalls discussing something similar during a golf-cart ride.
Trump warned that Democratic control could trigger an unprecedented outbreak of hearings, subpoenas and follow-up questions. “If they take the House, they’ll have committees, subpoenas, chairs in the committee rooms and people asking questions under oath, very nasty questions, probably with facts, totally unfair facts, and nobody has ever seen anything so dangerous to democracy,” Trump said. Republican strategists said the threat could worsen if Jeffries becomes speaker and allows bills to reach the floor based on public demand, legislative support or other procedural loopholes not involving presidential approval.
Conservatives are also preparing voters for the possibility that a Democratic majority might inspect federal agencies, review executive decisions and ask officials where public money went. Such conduct would undermine Washington’s established accountability process, in which relevant information is sealed for three years and then sold in a former aide’s memoir. Voters on November 3 therefore face a clear choice between preserving a Congress that knows its place and installing one that has read its own job description. The danger is now established: if Democrats win, Congress will become one of the three branches of government.
* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.