Andres Picon, Nico Portuondo
11/03/2026
Democrats' expected sweep of both chambers of Congress will give the party the chance to flip the GOP agenda on energy and environmental issues — as well as a new perch to investigate Trump administration officials and their measures that benefited fossil fuel, mining and tech companies.
The new Democratic majorities are also likely to test the party’s cohesiveness.
Moderate and progressive lawmakers may butt heads over how hard to push their clean energy, climate and oversight plans while trying to check the Trump administration — especially coming out of an election where affordability was among Americans’ greatest concerns. The infighting over committee leadership roles has already begun, though most ranking members on energy and environment committees have already locked up the chairmanship. Add to that the fact that the Democratic caucus is gaining at least one oil-state member in James Talarico, who has pledged to defendTexas' oil and gas industry.
House Democrats are already split on the Senate’s bipartisan proposal to reform the federal permitting process for energy and infrastructure projects. The lame duck will be pivotal for that package’s prospects.
Though their most ambitious legislative priorities are likely to be stymied by President Donald Trump, control of Congress will give Democrats enormous power over government funding and the policy-setting agenda, allowing them leverage to push for stronger measures to support renewable energy, fight climate change and regulate data centers ahead of the 2028 general elections.
Where Democrats will undoubtedly find consensus — and where they will build up momentum early on — is in probes of the Trump administration’s deals with fossil fuel and minerals companies, as well as regulatory rollbacks, cuts to scientific research, permitting delays and other issues. Some progressives are already eyeing deep dives into the oil and gas sector, which has benefited from the loosening of regulations and surge in prices.
“I have an endless list,” of climate and environment priorities, Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), the incoming chair of the House Appropriations Interior-Environment subcommittee, said ahead of the midterm elections.
Climate action
Democrats will look to infuse climate policies into their broader agenda next Congress, but ranking members and aides don’t have any plans to try to craft a sweeping climate bill like the IRA.
Trump would likely veto climate-centered legislation, and most Democrats acknowledge that energy affordability and data centers have galvanized voters on both sides of the aisle — while climate change generally has not.
The House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition — a group of more than 100 Democrats — unveiled a 254-page policy roadmap in September dubbed the Thriving Economy Project that is likely to be at the center of Democrats’ climate strategy in the next Congress.
That plan, which notably does not mention climate in its title, includes ideas on data centers and their energy consumption, utility bill assistance, renewable energy financing, and disaster resilience and recovery.
“It's going to be up to members of Congress, policymakers, coalitions across the country to help us now tackle, pick from the menu of options, hammer it out into legislation, get to hearings,” said Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who led the project. “The groundwork has been laid, and time is of the essence.”
Democratic leaders have not explicitly endorsed the proposal, but they have gotten behind similar initiatives. Jeffries, who is widely expected to be elected the next House speaker, launched a gasoline and utilities working group earlier this year to brainstorm ways to address energy affordability and related issues.
Major bipartisan legislation that does not get done before the end of the year — such as the surface transportation reauthorization or government funding bills — could become vehicles for some climate action. Democrats have hinted that their newfound leverage may allow them to push their priorities in agency budgets and climate-friendly infrastructure, for example.
Democrats may also attempt to use Congressional Review Act resolutions to try to overturn new environment-related rules from the Trump administration — or at least put Republicans on the record supporting them. The CRA allows lawmakers to overturn certain administration actions by simple majority. But those efforts may be long shots.
“You’d have to look at the math,” said Huffman. “You gotta have numbers, and you gotta have numbers to overcome a veto, too, so that’s hard to get.”