The 2018 U.S. midterm elections were not about international issues. But the Democrats’ gain of at least 34 seats in the House of Representatives gives them a solid majority that opens the door to an important opportunity for Congress to push back against the Trump administration’s worst instincts on foreign policy through stepped-up oversight and investigations.
There will be limits to how much Congress can check President Donald Trump. The executive branch has broader powers and more leeway on foreign policy than on other issues. Plus, Congress has a long to-do list. It will face a major challenge in setting priorities, with domestic policy almost sure to get more attention, just as it did during the election. Nevertheless, single-party Republican rule is over and Trump’s foreign policy has serious vulnerabilities.
The above excerpt was originally published in Foreign Policy.
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