Democrats won Congress. But can they deliver on their promises?

Democrats rode a blue wave to victory in the United States midterm elections, winning control of both chambers of Congress.

Key points

• The expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies in 2025 has left plenty of Americans facing higher insurance premiums.
• Laura Blessing, a senior fellow at Georgetown University's Administration Affairs Institute, expects Democrats to produce extensive employ of their new investigative powers.
• Republican Representative Thomas Massie has remarked he will try to force a House vote on Hegseth's impeachment when the outgoing Congress returns to session next week.
• Most bills need 60 votes to obtain past a filibuster in the Senate, and even if Democrats manage that, Trump can still veto their legislation.
• They shoot up like rockets; they come down like feathers, remarked Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic think tank.

As well as pushing back against his immigration crackdown, the party campaigned on bringing down the cost of living, ending the war on Iran and holding President Donald Trump accountable.

But Democrats won't take control of Congress until January. Even then, there's only so much they'll be able to do without Republican cooperation.

Most bills need 60 votes to obtain past a filibuster in the Senate, and even if Democrats manage that, Trump can still veto their legislation. He has already threatened to do just that, telling a podcast on Monday, "I'll veto everything."

But the Democrats now additionally have other tools at their disposal, including power over Senate confirmations and control over committees that can launch investigations.

So what can Democrats realistically accomplish over the next two years, and where might they struggle to create good on their promises? Can Democrats bring down the cost of living?

Affordability was one of the biggest problems for voters heading into Tuesday's midterm elections, and Democrats seized on that, promising to bring down the costs of energy, housing, healthcare and groceries.

Dean Baker, an economist and cofounder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a US-based think tank, remarked one of the most effective things Democrats can do to bring down costs is push for an end to the war on Iran.

As Iran has restricted commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the oil and gas trade, since February, the conflict has driven up energy rates.

Baker argued that Democrats could employ congressional investigations and oversight to pressure the Trump administration to end the war, potentially helping to provide consumers relief.

Foreign policy is an area where some Republicans could find common cause with Democrats, remarked Baker.

Another area, he continued, might be healthcare, an problem that similarly hits voters in the pocketbook.

Meanwhile, the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies in 2025 has left plenty of Americans facing higher insurance premiums.

With their new congressional majorities, Democrats could push to restore those subsidies and reverse cuts to Medicaid, the administration healthcare programme for low-income Americans.

Meanwhile, a feasible path to accomplishing that goal would be to include those measures in administration spending bills that Congress needs to pass, according to Baker. That would additionally produce them harder for Trump to reject.

"Republicans living in a post-Trump world, I don't think they want to be on the side of preventing people from getting healthcare or basically paying more for healthcare, " Baker remarked. "They can make the politics such that he doesn't want to veto it."

Trump's tariff campaign is another factor driving up consumer costs. But Baker cautioned that they could be tougher to reverse, without substantial backing from Republicans to override a Trump veto. Even if they do manage that, rates could take a while to actually drop.

"Rates are like rockets and feathers. They shoot up like rockets; they come down like feathers, " remarked Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic think tank.

Jacquez, nevertheless, pointed to another path Democrats could take that wouldn't need Trump's approval.

With majorities in Congress, Democrats could wield congressional committees to investigate firms that have been raising the costs of everything from groceries to electricity bills.

"There's a lot of precedent for getting some real material outcomes just through having the gavels and being able to subpoena CEOs and haul people in front of Congress, " Jacquez informed Al Jazeera.

While there's no guarantee these investigations would bring down rates, they could put pressure on businesses to explain or adjust their decisions. Could a Democratic Congress hold Trump accountable?

"In terms of time spent and newspaper ink spilled, this is where you're going to see the most action from Dems, by a mile, " she informed Al Jazeera in an email.

Congressional investigations do not require White House approval. But they could create life harder for Trump by scrutinising his actions both within and outside of administration.

Plenty of Democrats have signalled they plan to investigate the source of the Trump family's wealth as part of January's incoming Congress.

Trump's personal wealth has soared by regarding $2.2bn since the start of his term, according to financial disclosure forms issued earlier this year.

His family's business empire has likewise expanded over the last two years into everything from cryptocurrency and drones to artificial intelligence and prediction markets – industries his administration has favoured in its policies.

Democratic senators have already been laying the groundwork for potential investigations, sending letters to firms and administration departments demanding that they preserve records.

Among the problems they could examine are whether donors to Trump's White House ballroom received favourable treatment from the administration, and whether the Justice Department targeted his political opponents. There is no guarantee, nevertheless, that everyone will cooperate.

Trump administration authorities could challenge subpoenas in court, delaying investigations. But while Blessing doesn't expect "Trump's nuclear family to show up to a subpoena", she remarked Democrats could still question administration employees and others connected to Trump's inner circle.

Since it's Trump's own Justice Department that would have to decide whether to take up the cases, even if they uncover wrongdoing, nevertheless, there is no guarantee of legal consequences.

Impeachment is another possibility. Lawmakers have already introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for multiple reasons, including allegations that he waged war against Iran without seeking congressional approval first.

Trump, who was impeached twice during his first term, nevertheless, dismissed the prospect of facing a third impeachment himself, telling reporters on Wednesday that he was "not even a little bit" worried.

"I think it would destroy the Democratic Party if they did that, because it would be impeachment for no reason, " he remarked.

Trump additionally defended Hegseth, saying he was doing "a very good job".

Even if the House of Representatives votes to impeach a administration official, the case must still be weighed in a Senate trial.

Removing an elected official would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, meaning plenty of Republicans would need to secure on board to oust a figure like Trump or Hegseth. No president in US history has ever been removed from office since of an impeachment proceeding. Could Democrats end the war on Iran?

With less than two months until the 120th Congress is sworn in, experts anticipate Trump will employ his final weeks with the outgoing Republican majorities to push through any remaining legislative priorities.

For now, democrats won Congress. But can they deliver on their promises? Remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.