Change is on the horizon in Washington.
Democrats swept both the House and Senate in Tuesday's elections, positioning the party to take control of Congress in January for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term.
“The days of the House of Representatives functioning as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration are over,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Wednesday. The New York Democrat is widely expected to succeed Republican Mike Johnson as House speaker in January.
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Jeffries spoke exclusively with Scripps News Chief Washington Correspondent Joe St. George, indicating he would consider cutting deals with President Donald Trump when they can find common ground.
“In this Congress, Democrats came together with our Republican colleagues in the House and in the Senate to pass a housing affordability bill, because we know we have to build more housing that the American people can afford," he said. "That may hopefully provide a foundation for the type of work that can be done together with our Republican colleagues in order to bring about the type of meaningful change the American people demanded.”
Democrats have also vowed to address what voters across the country cited as top concerns: high costs, the ongoing war in Iran and cracking down on corruption.
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In a post on X, congressional Democrats on the Oversight Committee listed some of their top targets. Among them: corporations ripping off Americans, administration officials accused of profiting off the presidency, and associates of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
With control of the Senate, Democrats will have the power to confirm or reject President Donald Trump's nominees for Cabinet positions and other high-level administration posts. They will also control the confirmation process for federal judges, including any future nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Asked how Democrats would handle Trump's nominees, Sen. Chuck Schumer, who is expected to become Senate majority leader in January, signaled that his party would closely scrutinize the president's picks.
“We want judicial nominees, like we showed in ‘23 and ‘24, who obey the law, who have fidelity to the rule of law," he said. "Too many of Trump’s nominees did not have that at all."
