Democrats Have a Plan to Force Trump’s Associates to Cooperate With Investigations
House Democrats are strategizing on how to use congressional oversight and the power of the purse to compel cooperation from Trump administration officials. Potential tactics include threatening funding for specific construction projects if subpoenas are ignored.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing tension between legislative oversight powers and executive branch autonomy in the US political system.
Smelling a potential victory in the midterms, House Democrats are starting to think about oversight investigations next year and how to wield the power of the purse to make the Trump administration comply. In short, Trump’s West Wing renovations and DC arch could be on the chopping block, sources tell Inner Loop.
The nature of any investigations, and where Democrats will try to wrestle back power from the executive, are still to be determined, in part because taking back the House majority is not a foregone conclusion.
But House Democrats have a slew of investigations planned if they do end up controlling the chamber come November. Congressional committee aides have already been exploring how to force recalcitrant officials and family in Trump’s orbit to answer subpoenas.
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