Soaring energy bills and fuel prices helped Democrats regain control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. But divisions within the party and President Trump's veto power could complicate efforts to advance climate legislation and address rising living costs.
The 2026 midterm were an energy elections
High gasoline prices, record diesel costs, and rising power bills fomented the people’s unhappiness and feeded discontent with President Trump and his party. The 2026 midterm were an energy elections and will be remembered as a big defeat for the Republicans: the Democratic Party won control of both the Senate and the House.
Also, Democrats reclaimed seats that had been held by Republicans for decades and won House districts that had long seemed out of reach. These results give the Democratic Party, especially the progressive wing, more leverage, but deep divisions within the party as a whole could cripple future plans on energy and climate. Democrats beat GOP rivals over farmers’ bills in Iowa, Kansas and Ohio. Likely House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries and other prominent Democrats have promised legislation to address the cost of living.
Democrats mapped out an agenda to address affordability after midterm sweep but Trump will be able to veto any legislation. Kenneth B. Medlock, Senior Director of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute, explained: Ā«To that point, Democrats are already organizing around affordability as a key policy objective once they take office in January. This will, however, require negotiation with Trump because any legislation the Democrats pass will still be subject to veto by Trump. Given there is also already discussion about hearings and investigations, there is a risk that the next two years become a political stalemate that devolves into pure political theater. If this happens, then Trump will continue to rule by Executive Order through government agencies.
Congress will be able to hold impeachment proceedings, block various nominations, subpoena agency leads, and call for testimony from energy company CEOs. While it makes for great reporting and narrative building, none of it would tangibly change anything. There is an old saying, āThe more things change, the more they stay the same.ā Hopefully, a divided government, like we have now, will force parties to negotiate toward common-ground solutionsĀ».
A fractured Democratic party and the permitting fight
Moreover, the Senate is set to vote on a broad infrastructure permitting reform package that has received significant bipartisan support. The measure will speed up the permitting process for energy projects, but at the same time, it would weaken environmental protections. Now that Democrats control both the House and the Senate, they might aim for an even more ambitious text and postpone the bill until 2027. Others, like Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, called it a ābird in the hand‘ā and said āwe’d be fools not to take itā.
Affordability takes priority over climate policy
Democrats have made climate change the linchpin of their speeches for years, but this year, during the 2026 midterm campaign, they barely touched upon it.
The progressive wing of the Democratic Party is more supportive of aggressive climate policies than the centrist faction, but their gaining ground doesn’t seem to give these issues any more traction.
For example, Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico, a rising star in the party, had previously warned about fossil fuels’ impact on the planet but, during his campaign, he vowed to protect oil and gas jobs alongside expanding renewable energy and lowering electricity bills. Democrats seem to have changed their narrative focus, and they are repositioning clean energy as one part of a broader focus on affordability and the economy. In any case, some Democratic lawmakers will attend the annual United
Nations climate conference beginning Monday in Antalya, Turkey(COP31).
As Kenneth B. Medlock argued: Ā«I do not see a shaping climate policy. There will be conversations and aspirations to bring legislation forward, but I highly doubt any of it makes it out of committee to the floor. Moreover, it is important to recognize that the Democratic party itself is quite fractured. Not everyone on the Democratic side of the aisle is going to take up climate as their mantle. Affordability is at the top.
The election results are largely a disapproval of Trump, not really an endorsement of the Democratic party. Many in the party understand this, and they are looking for an opportunity to constructively address concerns expressed by voters. In the State of Texas, it is remarkable to note the evidence of down ballot voting because the percentages are remarkable similar across different statewide elections. So, being more ambitious with legislation could happen, but party agreement on what this looks like is far from certain. On top of that, Trump still has veto power, and the Democrats do not have enough of a majority to override a veto. On the affordability front, which is an issue that many Republicans in Congress agree with Democrats, the costs of healthcare and energy will be high on the agendaĀ».
