Washington: Democrats are preparing to use their newly won majorities in Congress to push for clean energy, tackle rising costs and intensify scrutiny of US President Donald Trump's administration, including through investigations and a proposed impeachment resolution against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
With new majorities in the House and Senate after last week's midterm elections, Democrats can set an agenda promoting clean energy and addressing climate change when they take control of Congress in January. While these have traditionally been core priorities of the party, climate was not a central topic during the election campaign.
Democrats can begin investigations and hold hearings into the administration's climate policy rollbacks and the cancellation of green energy grants, potentially seeking to reverse some changes and restore renewable energy incentives.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, said Trump's attacks on clean energy had driven up costs for taxpayers. He said Democrats would "work every angle to lower consumers' energy costs, and we will demand accountability for the massive corruption wrought by Trump's fossil-fuel donors".
American Clean Power Association CEO Jason Grumet said those seeking to develop clean energy 'feel bolstered'.
However, major legislative changes would require Republican support, as Democrats will not have enough votes to override presidential vetoes. Lower energy bills are also not guaranteed, as prices depend on fuel costs, demand and the expense of maintaining the electricity grid.
"The wins give Democrats more leverage over spending and more political power to advance a coherent agenda; the question is whether they'll use that power effectively," said Lisa Sachs, director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment. "The vote was for affordability and opportunity. Democrats now need to be clear about which policies deliver them," she added.
Trump said after Tuesday's election that Democrats would send him 'things that are insane' and that he would veto them. However, speaking to Fox News, he predicted that "after a couple of months of vetoes", he and Democrats would find ways to work together.
The White House said Trump was "committed to unleashing reliable, affordable, and secure energy sources to lower prices, strengthen our grid, and protect our national security, and is willing to work with anyone to accomplish this".
Trump has promoted expanding oil, natural gas and coal production, arguing that it would provide the US with the lowest-cost electricity. His administration has also cancelled clean energy projects and grants and slowed permitting for renewable energy developments.
The American Petroleum Institute's CEO, Mike Sommers, said there was an opportunity for bipartisan cooperation to reduce costs and strengthen the economy, starting with an energy permitting reform proposal announced in September. The Senate is expected to hold a procedural vote on the legislation on Monday. The proposal aims to shorten the time required to get major energy projects started.
Ife Kilimanjaro, executive director of the US Climate Action Network, urged Democrats to reject the proposal and use their stronger position to pass legislation that would expand clean energy.
Beyond climate policy, Democrats are preparing to step up congressional scrutiny of the Trump administration, with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries backing an impeachment resolution against Hegseth.
Appearing on ABC News on Sunday, Jeffries said he supported the resolution authored by Republican Representative Thomas Massie and that Democratic lawmakers would discuss it when they reconvened on Tuesday.
"I'm a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution," Jeffries said.
He accused Hegseth of abusing his power, undermining national security and engineering the war with Iran, which he said had increased costs for Americans.
Jeffries also said Democrats intended to pursue legislative measures to end the conflict once they formally took control of Congress in January.
Hegseth dismissed the impeachment effort in a video statement, describing it as "all about the politics of personal destruction" and saying it "won't work with me", CNN reported.
Democrats are also preparing investigations into the Trump administration. Representative Robert Garcia, who is expected to lead the House Oversight Committee in the next congressional session, said he intended to launch inquiries into what he called the "Trump crime family".
"The days of us not fighting back are over," Garcia said.
Trump condemned the anticipated congressional requests for information, describing them as "extortion at the highest level, and they should be held accountable". Attorney General Todd Blanche also cautioned that criminal investigations targeting opposition figures remained a possibility.
However, some Democrats have urged the party to focus on policy priorities rather than devoting its time to investigations and impeachment efforts.
Senator-elect Adam Hamilton said he was "not as interested in impeachment as setting up guardrails". Independent Senator Bernie Sanders similarly cautioned against allowing investigations to dominate the party's agenda.
"We cannot spend all of our time investigating Trump. We've got to stand up for working-class families, make a real difference in their lives," Sanders said.
With federal action potentially constrained by Trump's veto power, Democrats could also seek to advance clean energy policies at the state level.
Democrats won gubernatorial races in states long controlled by Republicans, including Texas and Georgia. Political scientist Leah Stokes of the University of California, Santa Barbara, said those victories could lead to greater state-level action on climate policy.
Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee also expects clean energy efforts to gain momentum in states where Democrats secured governorships and legislative majorities.
At the federal level, David Victor, a professor of innovation and public policy at the University of California, San Diego, expects a stalemate on climate and energy policy because of divided government, although bipartisan agreement could be possible on measures such as permitting reform.
He said Democratic investigations and hearings would likely focus on corruption and other issues that may only partly involve energy and climate policy. Many proposed bills, he added, may not become law but could outline the party's agenda ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
Climate policy is not the only priority for Democrats, who are also targeting healthcare access, trade tariffs and the war with Iran. Representative Frank Pallone, the New Jersey Democrat expected to become chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the party should focus on healthcare, affordability, consumer and environmental protections, clean energy and regulating Big Tech.
(With agency inputs from AP via PTI, ANI)