What a Democratic Congress Means for Trump’s Foreign Policy: Iran, Ukraine, Israel and Tariffs

The Harry S Truman Building, home of the U.S. State Department (file photo). Photo: U.S. Department of State / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).

Democrats’ new control of Congress gives them more say over war funding, sanctions and oversight of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy starting in January, but the president keeps most of the levers, analysts say. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has named ending the Iran war and rolling back Trump’s tariffs among the new majority’s goals, CBS News reported.

Iran

The U.S. and Israel launched the war with Iran on Feb. 28, Reuters reported, and Iran has kept the Strait of Hormuz closed. Trump said repeatedly there would be no new attack before the midterms. With the vote over, U.S. media have reported that strike plans could begin as early as Wednesday, which our Iran war report details. Live figures are on our Iran War Tracker.

A Democratic Congress cannot order troops home on its own, but it controls the money. Democrats could use spending bills, hearings and war-powers votes to press the White House, though any measure that reaches Trump’s desk faces a likely veto.

Ukraine

Democrats would gain three main levers on Ukraine: control of the agenda, spending bills and committee hearings, analyst Brian Taylor told Newsweek. He also cautioned that “the president still dominates foreign policy.”

Newsweek reported that Congress authorized $400 million in military aid that the Pentagon held until the end of April, and that the State Department approved a possible sale of 500 PAC-3 MSE interceptors on Oct. 30. Experts told the magazine that production limits mean new money would not speed deliveries much. Trump wants Europe to pay for Ukraine’s weapons, Newsweek reported. Follow the fighting on our Ukraine War Tracker.

Israel

Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. would stop paying Israel roughly $4 billion a year after 2026, as we reported. Aid to Israel has long had support from both parties, so how the new Congress handles the next aid package is a test to watch.

Tariffs and trade

Rolling back tariffs is on Jeffries’s list, CBS News reported. Many of Trump’s tariffs rest on presidential authority, so Democrats would need legislation he would likely veto, or would have to use spending and oversight to press the issue.

The limits

The current Republican-led Congress stays in place until January, and Trump keeps his veto, his command of the military and his control of diplomacy. Analysts quoted by Newsweek said they did not expect Trump to change course on Ukraine after the midterms. See our story on the House Democrats’ agenda for the domestic side.

Sources

• CBS News: Democrats, retaking House majority, aim to derail Trump’s agenda
• Newsweek: How the midterms could reshape the Ukraine war
• Reuters via Investing.com: Iran talks and draft proposal