House Democrats are wasting no time signaling that the Trump administration is about to face a wave of investigations once they take the gavel in January.
Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., who is set to chair the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, issued a blunt two-word statement aimed at administration officials: “Lawyer up.”
Garcia’s side of the committee has already sent a string of inquiries to Trump officials while in the minority. Democrats admit that many of those requests have gone unanswered, but that dynamic is set to change once they hold subpoena power.
Other committees are gearing up as well. House Judiciary Committee Democrats posted a job listing Wednesday for new oversight, investigative and legislative counsel. In a post on X, the committee said it is ready to end what it called rampant corruption in the “Trump swamp.”
Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee sent their own message to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, telling him to “clear your calendar.”
Garcia has laid out four main areas his committee plans to pursue: the Trump family’s business dealings, the Department of Homeland Security and its immigration enforcement, corporate donations to the White House ballroom and other Washington monuments, and the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. He has also singled out the president’s cryptocurrency ventures, which have reportedly earned him more than $1 billion.
Garcia insisted the probes won’t distract Democrats from their pledge to lower costs for American families.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the expected incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has said potential targets include presidential pardons, possible corruption in government contracting and the Trump family’s crypto deals. The Washington Post has also reported that Democrats plan to look into defense technology, manufacturing and mining companies with ties to the administration.
Immigration enforcement is already under scrutiny, with three committees in the House and two in the Senate sharing jurisdiction over the issue.
On the legislative side, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has said his caucus will focus on reversing Medicaid cuts, extending Affordable Care Act credits, restoring congressional authority over tariffs and ending the war with Iran.
But with President Trump still in the White House, Democrats are unlikely to get much major legislation signed into law. Trump has previously threatened to veto everything if Democrats took control of Congress.
The coming clash echoes Trump’s first term. After Democrats won the House in 2018, the administration refused to send officials to testify, declined to turn over documents and ignored subpoenas, setting up repeated standoffs with congressional investigators.
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