1:24
- ABC News
- November 8, 2018
7 ways Dems might go after Trump's agenda
From health care to Trump's tax returns, House Dems prepare for a fight.
1:24
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Other questions include whether Russian oligarchs used Trump properties to launder money - an allegation Trump aides strongly deny. Democrats say they intend to seek testimony from more than 30 witnesses –- including Trump family members and confidants.
Trump has denied any collusion with Russia and has called the Mueller investigation a political \"witch hunt.\"
4. Climate change and the environment
Environmental science can make a voter's head spin. But House Democrats focused on the issue could also spent the next two years using their subpoena power and committee gavels to dig into the matter, namely: Is the federal government doing enough to protect the air Americans breathe or the water they drink?
Another possible line of inquiry is the overall handling of the Interior Department, which oversees the nation's federal land. Rep. Paul Grijalva, the top Democrat on the House committee with oversight of Interior, has already called for multiple investigations into allegations that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke violated ethics policies and has said he wants Zinke to testify. An internal watchdog has referred an unspecified investigation involving Zinke to the Justice Department.
Zinke has denied any wrongdoing.
5. Health care
Health care is a big one for Democrats because it consistently ranks high among voters' concerns and some Democratic-led initiatives have proven popular with time. On Election Day, for example, three heavily Republican states - Idaho, Nebraska and Utah - each voted in favor of expanding Medicaid under the Obama-era health care law.
Trump, who campaigned against \"Obamacare,\" now says he backs many of the more popular provisions, including efforts to protect people with pre-existing conditions. He also has made lowering the cost of prescription drugs and addressing the opioid crisis a priority.
But Democrats point to court filings by the Trump administration asking a judge to invalidate the health care law's protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The Trump administration also has relaxed regulations that could open the door to insurance plans that don't cover pre-existing conditions or recovery treatment for drug addiction. It’s likely that House Democrats will use their newfound power to investigate climbing drug prices and whether executive actions are undermining protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
6. Immigration
Trump has made border security a major push in his administration, and his inflammatory rhetoric seems to have galvanized his base in the recent election.
But Democrats say the president still needs to find a permanent solution for \"Dreamers,\" teens and young adults who were brought to the United States as children and are in the country illegally. Trump announced the end of an Obama-era program that granted these young immigrants temporary legal status, but that decision is in legal limbo after numerous lawsuits.
It's possible that House Democrats will try again to tie additional border security money to protections for Dreamers.
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7. Trump's Cabinet
It's common for presidents to shake up personnel following an election. But for those Cabinet secretaries who might stick around, it's likely the House will call on several cabinet-level officials to testify on any number of issues.
In addition to Zinke, Democrats are interested in hearing from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in her oversight of for-profit schools, as well as her department's upcoming guidelines for schools to address sexual assault allegations. At the Commerce Department, questions remain about who exactly led an effort to change the U.S. census to include a question about citizenship, which Democrats allege are tied to Trump's anti-immigration agenda.
Trump though is warning against any aggressive tactics. And so is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, citing his own experience in the 1990s with Clinton.
“The whole issue of presidential harassment is interesting,” McConnell told reporters Wednesday. “I remember when we tried it in the late 90s. We impeached President Clinton. His numbers went up and ours went down, and we under-performed in the next election.”
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