By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON, Nov 4 (Reuters) – Democrats secured control of the US 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.
During the campaign, Democrats had argued that Republicans ceded Congress’s constitutional war-making and spending powers to the administration of President Donald Trump. They are now expected to curb those powers.
Here are some ways a Democratic Congress could hem in Trump’s foreign policy.
CURB THE IRAN WAR
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. One of these resolutions passed both the House and Senate with support from a handful of Republicans, but Trump’s administration ignored it.
With their new influence, Democrats could cut defense spending or hold up nominations to pressure Trump to obtain permission from Congress to continue the war. They could also require administration officials to keep lawmakers and the public informed, including at public hearings, about their plans.
FRESH SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE
Trump has largely halted direct financial and military aid to Ukraine, which is fighting a Russian invasion, despite broad support for the US assistance from Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
Most recently, he has 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. That could allow them to approve new aid to Ukraine, which likely would pass with the two-thirds majorities needed to overcome a Trump veto. Democratic aides have said assisting Kyiv is a priority.
They could also target other Trump activities. For example, Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, who is likely to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has introduced bipartisan legislation to block Trump’s plan to bring Russian diesel back into the global market.
While the final size of the Democratic majorities has not been determined, backing for Ukraine has been so strong in the past from both that party and many of Trump’s Republicans that Congress may be able to muster majorities large enough to override a Trump veto.
END MILITARY AID TO ISRAEL
Support for Israel has plummeted among Democrats over its conduct in the Gaza war, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians. The ongoing violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s close alliance with Republicans have also been factors.
Democrats could 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 that led to the devastating Israeli campaign in Gaza.
Nearly half of House Democrats voted this summer to cut off aid to Israel. Some of those who voted against that effort, such as Meeks, have backed limits on providing weapons like heavy bombs to Israel.
LIMIT MILITARY SPENDING AND RESTORE FOREIGN AID
Democrats are far more likely than Trump’s Republicans to limit military spending. Trump asked for an unprecedented 67% increase in the military budget this year, to $1.5 trillion, but Democrats blocked it in the Senate, citing his refusal to consult Congress about the Iran war and his steep cuts to social programs.
Trump has also withheld or canceled billions of dollars in foreign aid approved by Congress. Many Democrats have been angered by the cuts and say they will try to restore funding. In the past, including during Trump’s first term as president, both Democrats and Republicans strongly supported foreign aid.
MORE SCRUTINY OF LATIN AMERICA POLICY
Trump has been far more aggressive in the western hemisphere than recent presidents, including the US military’s ousting of Venezuela’s president and more than a year of deadly strikes on boats off the country’s coast.
He also has imposed sanctions seeking to hurt Cuba’s communist government, with threats of military action to force a change in government. The US administration has also sought to influence elections in Honduras, Argentina, Colombia and Brazil.
Some Democrats have called for investigations and hearings on Trump’s actions in Venezuela. Others have denounced what they term cruel sanctions punishing civilians in Cuba and called for an end to involvement in foreign elections.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle in Washington; Additional reporting by Richard Cowan in Washington; Editing by Don Durfee and Jonathan Spicer)
