Democrats get subpoena power when the new Congress is seated in January. Until then, Republicans still run both chambers, and a Republican congressman says he will force a vote on impeaching the defense secretary when the House returns.
By Joseph Jackson | TAMPA BAY (Nov. 4, 2026)
A day after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, the lawmakers expected to lead the House's investigative committees laid out who they plan to investigate.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, expected to chair the House Oversight Committee, posted a two-word message on X Tuesday night: "Lawyer up." MS NOW and NPR both reported the post. In a statement through Oversight Democrats, Garcia listed his priorities as what he called the "Trump Crime Family," corporate corruption, abuses at the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, and what he called the "cover-up" of the Epstein files.
Independent commentator Aaron Parnas called the plans the "largest investigation effort in history" in his Substack newsletter, The Parnas Perspective. That is Parnas's description. FMNN did not find any major news outlet that has used it.
What changes, and when
Committee control changes hands when the new Congress is seated in January, ABC News reported. At that point Democrats will hold the committee gavels, along with the power to call hearings, take depositions and subpoena witnesses and documents, according to MS NOW. A source familiar with House Democrats' plans told MS NOW to expect a "flurry" of letters in the coming weeks, some going to private individuals and companies.
NPR reported that because Trump can still veto bills, the next Congress is unlikely to pass much major legislation, and oversight is likely to fill that space.
Republicans control both chambers until January. Anything that happens in the lame-duck session, including a possible impeachment vote on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, happens under the current Republican majorities.
The targets
Epstein files. Democratic committee staffers told NPR that one priority is how the administration handled the Epstein files and Epstein's ties to powerful people, including Trump. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, expected to chair the House Judiciary Committee, said an October staff report includes "evidence involving 11 women," NPR reported. Trump has denied wrongdoing.
MS NOW reported that Oversight Democrats have called for Attorney General Todd Blanche to testify and will be able to subpoena him once they hold the majority. Democrats are also reviewing the decision to move Ghislaine Maxwell to a lower-security prison after she met with Blanche. Before the election, Garcia told The Hill that Blanche and other officials would likely face subpoenas "on day one." In 2025, as deputy attorney general, Blanche interviewed Maxwell in Tallahassee. She was then transferred to a minimum-security camp in Bryan, Texas, according to Oversight Democrats' September 2025 letter to the Justice Department's inspector general. The Justice Department has disputed House Democrats' characterization of that interview, HuffPost reported.
Trump family business. The Hill reported that Trump's financial disclosure to the Office of Government Ethics showed more than $2 billion in income last year, including about $527 million in token sales from World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture he started with his sons. CNBC counts it differently and puts the World Liberty–linked total at nearly $800 million. ABC News, citing The Wall Street Journal, reported that an investment vehicle tied to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's national security adviser, bought a 49% stake in the company for $500 million before Trump's 2025 inauguration. World Liberty and the White House deny any conflict of interest.
Kushner and Guilfoyle. MS NOW reported that House Judiciary Democrats are examining Jared Kushner's roles as a White House envoy and as a private-equity executive, including a planned resort in Albania. Kushner denies wrongdoing. Oversight Democrats are pursuing allegations, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, that Kimberly Guilfoyle sought money from a donor in exchange for access to the administration. Guilfoyle resigned as ambassador to Greece in October and denies the allegations.
DHS and ICE. Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire reposted a message from former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem with the reply, "Want to say that under oath?" CNN reported. Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois posted that Noem, current Secretary Markwayne Mullin, White House aide Stephen Miller, Tom Homan and former Border Patrol official Greg Bovino should "clear your schedule." NPR and ABC News reported that Democrats plan hearings on immigration enforcement, including the killings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by immigration agents in Minneapolis.
DHS General Counsel James Percival responded that the department is "well prepared to deal with this nonsense." On the day before the election, Mullin told reporters in Tulsa that "there's nothing they can do to prevent me from doing my job," the Tulsa World reported.
Hegseth and the Iran war. Multiple sources told CBS News that Trump has been asking advisers whether Hegseth should stay in the job. Other sources said no decision has been made. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump has "full confidence" in Hegseth. Asked about it Wednesday at the White House ballroom site, Trump said Hegseth is doing "a very good job," The National Desk reported.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told Roll Call he will force a vote on his eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth in the first week of the lame-duck session. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told CBS that Hegseth "has a reckoning." About a week before the election, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told MS NOW that Democrats would run Hegseth "out of town" if Trump did not remove him, according to a Yahoo News account of the interview. NPR reported that Democrats also expect more war powers votes on the Iran war, which Congress never authorized.
Everything else. NPR reported that Democrats also plan to look at Trump's Washington building projects (the East Wing ballroom, the Reflecting Pool, a planned arch and the Kennedy Center), Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s public health record, and Elon Musk's federal contracts, DOGE and Starlink outages that affected Ukraine. CNBC calculated that Musk spent at least $474 million on the 2026 elections, and that 93% of his America PAC's spending went to races Republicans lost.
Impeachment and executive privilege
On impeaching Trump, Jeffries told ABC News that Democrats "haven't ruled anything in" and haven't ruled anything out. Raskin told Punchbowl News that impeachment is "a critical tool."
The administration may try to block subpoenas. In August, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion that executive privilege can cover Trump's conversations with private advisers, Axios reported. An administration official told HuffPost the opinion restates the department's longstanding position. Jonathan Shaub, a University of Kentucky law professor and former OLC attorney, told Axios the opinion could be a significant weapon for the White House but that he doubts courts will accept its theory.
What Republicans are saying
The comments below are each speaker's own view, as reported:
Vice President JD Vance wrote on X that "the reason we lost is the war," CBS News reported.
President Trump said it was "largely true" that the Iran war hurt Republicans because it pushed gas prices up, CNN reported. He told The Wall Street Journal that "Iran was a piece of it" and that he does not regret the war, NewsNation reported.
Gov. Ron DeSantis called the results "close to an extinction-level event for Republicans," The Hill reported. He said that once the new officeholders take over, Florida will be the only one of the 10 largest states fully controlled by Republicans.
Retiring Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., wrote on X that "Trump was on the ballot tonight" and listed gas prices, tariffs and "hugging Putin" among the reasons, Daily Kos reported.
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X that Republicans "will have to kick Donald Trump out of the party" if they want to win in the future, according to Daily Kos and The Boston Globe.
Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., told Wisconsin radio station KFIZ that Trump "sometimes talks inappropriately, not very presidential," CNN reported.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., called the night "a Republican reckoning and a Republican reset" on CBS News.
The NBC News polling average puts Trump's job approval at 38%, with 60% disapproving.
The Florida angle
One source told CBS News, and another told NBC News, that DeSantis has been discussed as a possible replacement for Hegseth. CBS's source said he could be confirmed during the lame duck and start after his term as governor ends Jan. 5. Neither DeSantis nor the White House has confirmed this.
Axios, citing AP, reported that Sen. Ashley Moody led Democrat Angie Nixon 51% to 48% with 97% of votes counted, and that Byron Donalds won the governor's race. In Tampa Bay, Bay News 9 reported that Rep. Kathy Castor held the redrawn District 14 against Republican Mike Beltran, 51.2% to 45.9%. The News Service of Florida, via WFSU, reported that Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican on the Oversight Committee, held District 13 by less than a point, 49.5% to 48.7%. Luna will be in the committee minority starting in January. Florida Democrats Maxwell Frost (Oversight) and Jared Moskowitz (Judiciary) sit on the two main investigative committees.
Still uncalled
As of Wednesday afternoon, no major news organization had projected the Senate races in Mississippi or Alaska.
In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom led Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 65 votes with more than 97% of the estimated vote counted, Talking Points Memo reported. NBC's Decision Desk estimated that about 44,000 ballots were still uncounted and that Hyde-Smith would need about 49% of them to win. Colom's campaign said up to 15,000 affidavit ballots were outstanding, Mississippi Today reported. Asked about Hyde-Smith claiming victory on election night, Colom said, "Bless her heart," WLBT reported. Hyde-Smith campaign manager Jake Monssen said the campaign is confident she will be reelected once every legally cast vote is counted. University of Mississippi election-law attorney Ben Griffith told NBC News that state law provides no mechanism for a recount.
In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola led Sen. Dan Sullivan by 626 votes, 102,701 to 102,075, in unofficial returns reported by AP and Alaska Public Media. If no candidate finishes with a majority, the Division of Elections will run ranked-choice tabulations on Nov. 18. Newsweek reported that a Justice Department lawsuit over a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the ballot was dismissed and that the department plans to appeal.
Around the world
Reuters, Al Jazeera and Notes from Poland reported reactions from foreign leaders. Each statement is that leader's own view:
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote on X that American voters had rejected "hatred," "sexism" and "climate denial."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, "Today, democracy won in America."
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he expects Trump to keep governing without consulting Congress.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the results would "introduce a new era in world relations."
Axios reported that Iranian officials presented the results as opposition to the war.
Tip credit: Aaron Parnas, The Parnas Perspective.
Sources
MS NOW, "Lawyer up" — https://www.ms.now/news/lawyer-up-new-democratic-majority-trump-investigations
NPR (via TPR), Democrats' list of Trump investigations — https://www.tpr.org/government-politics/2026-11-04/back-in-the-majority-democrats-have-plans-for-a-long-list-of-trump-investigations
ABC News, Democrats' investigation plans — https://abcnews.com/Politics/democrats-house-heres-plan-investigate-legislative-agenda/story?id=137832144
CBS News, Trump and Hegseth — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-hegseth-midterm-election-losses/
CBS News, Stefanik and Manchin — https://www.cbsnews.com/video/stefanik-and-manchin-give-their-takeaways-from-democrats-major-wins-in-2026-midterms/
CNN live coverage, Nov. 4 — https://edition.cnn.com/2026/11/04/politics/live-news/midterm-election-congress
Roll Call, Massie Hegseth vote — https://rollcall.com/2026/10/26/massie-vows-week-one-vote-in-lame-duck-to-impeach-hegseth/
The Hill via Yahoo, Jeffries on Hegseth — https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-cabinet-member-warned-ll-183350325.html
The National Desk, Trump on Hegseth — https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/trump-is-considering-firing-hegseth-after-devastating-gop-midterm-loss-report-ron-desantis-democrats-kentucky-florida
Tulsa World, Mullin — https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/article_23ffbd62-45b0-4da9-afb4-a2c03a086f06.html
Scripps/KOAA, DHS general counsel — https://www.koaa.com/investigations/ice-inc/can-democrats-deliver-on-promise-to-rein-in-ice
Oversight Democrats, Maxwell transfer letter — https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/news/press-releases/ranking-member-robert-garcia-oversight-democrats-demand-independent
HuffPost, Blanche and Maxwell — https://www.huffpost.com/entry/witness-tampering-democrats-accuse-todd-blanche-of-guiding-ghislaine-maxwell-in-interview_n_6ae23467e4b09cd24b6b0b1a
The Hill, Trump financial disclosure — https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5949500-trump-financial-disclosure-crypto/
CNBC, World Liberty and the UAE — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/22/trump-world-liberty-crypto-lawsuit-uae.html
CNBC, Musk election spending — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/04/elon-musk-midterms-ai-data-centers.html
Axios, OLC executive privilege opinion — https://www.axios.com/2026/08/11/trump-doj-executive-privilege-democratic-probes
The Hill, DeSantis — https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/6198288-desantis-gop-extinction-event-midterms-2026/
Daily Kos, Bacon and Greene — https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/11/4/800122644/news/gop-blame-game-midterms-getting-ugly/
The Boston Globe, GOP reaction — https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/11/04/metro/gop-midterms-wipeout-blame-war/
NewsNation, Trump on Iran — https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/2026-midterm-elections/republicans-blame-trump-for-midterm-losses-while-trump-points-elsewhere/
NBC News, approval average — https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/presidential-approval-polls
WFSU, Florida House races — https://news.wfsu.org/state-news/2026-11-04/florida-democrats-held-their-ground-in-redrawn-u-s-house-seats
Talking Points Memo, Mississippi — https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/everything-we-know-about-whats-next-in-mississippi
WLBT, Colom — https://www.wlbt.com/2026/11/04/scott-colom-projects-victory-razor-thin-mississippi-senate-race-uncounted-ballots-linger/
Mississippi Today — https://mississippitoday.org/2026/11/04/who-won-mississippis-midterm-senate-race-we-may-not-know-for-a-while/
Alaska Public Media — https://alaskapublic.org/news/politics/elections/2026-11-03/peltola-takes-early-lead-in-alaskas-u-s-senate-race
Newsweek, Alaska — https://newsweek.com/democrats-congress-alaska-senate-race-12660748
Reuters via US News, world reactions — https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-11-04/international-politicians-react-to-democrats-winning-us-midterms
Al Jazeera, world reactions — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/4/seismic-shift-world-reacts-to-us-midterm-election-results
Notes from Poland, Tusk — https://notesfrompoland.com/2026/11/04/democracy-won-in-america-polish-leaders-react-to-us-midterm-election-results/
Axios, world leaders react — https://www.axios.com/2026/11/04/2026-midterm-election-results-world-leaders-react