With Democrats taking control of both chambers of Congress after their landslide victory in the midterms, Rhode Island’s all-Democratic congressional delegation is expected to wield significantly more influence in Washington.
Sen. Jack Reed is in line to once-again lead the Senate Armed Services Committee. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is expected to become chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, after the retirement of ranking member Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois.
Reps. Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo will get their first taste of being in the House majority – a majority that controls which legislation moves through which committees and ultimately to the House floor.
What will this new-found political clout mean for Rhode Islanders? Adam Myers, a professor of political science at Providence College, says to temper expectations, given the presence of President Trump and his veto pen.
Myers spoke with Ocean State Media’s Joe Tasca about what Rhode Islanders can expect.
Interview highlights
On the prospect of U.S. Sen. Jack Reed becoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee
Adam Myers: In terms of the amount of money that might be flowing to Rhode Island as a result of this, I think we have to temper our expectations for a variety of reasons.
As chair of the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Reed will oversee the authorization of military programs and military policy, but the actual levels of spending on these programs are determined via a separate process – the appropriations process. There's a whole separate Senate committee – the Senate Appropriations Committee – that's responsible for that. Neither Sen. Reed nor Sen. Whitehouse are currently on the Appropriations Committee. And of course, there's a whole other chamber of Congress, the House, which also has a big say in regard to military spending. So it's not clear to me that we're going to be getting a lot more spending on our Navy facilities here in Rhode Island as a result of the fact that Sen. Reed will be chair of this committee.
On what Reed's chairmanship could mean for the state's ocean economy
Myers: I think it's possible that he could steer some money toward (Naval Station Newport), and I think it's possible that redirecting priorities toward the Navy and maybe the Coast Guard and so forth could benefit Rhode Island's ocean economy in the long run, but I'm not expecting any immediate tangible benefits.
On the prospect of U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse assuming the gavel of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Myers: I think Sen. Whitehouse, as chair of the Judiciary Committee, is going to be in the spotlight a lot in the next two years because, of course, the Judiciary Committee is responsible for holding confirmation hearings, not just on any Supreme Court nominee that the president sends, but also on all lower federal court nominees. My sense is that the Democrats in the Senate are going to want to slow down the confirmation process for all of the federal judges that Trump is nominating or will nominate. Sen. Whitehouse is going to have a very, very key role in that…
I think, given his role as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he's going to have to prioritize that and de-emphasize his promotion of environmental causes and environmental policies to some extent. But there's going to be, most likely, 56 members of the Senate Democratic caucus come January, and I'm quite certain that there's a lot of climate policy advocates among those 56. I would expect that other senators are going to be taking up that mantle.
On the chances of Rep. Seth Magaziner spearheading a congressional stock trading ban
Myers: This is definitely an issue that we need to watch out for because it was very prominently featured in a lot of congressional campaigns this year. This is a very popular issue among Americans, and I expect that the new Democratic majority in the House will absolutely do something in this area.
Now, Congressman Magaziner's bill is quite stringent. It's a complete ban on all individual stock ownership and purchasing among members of Congress. I'm not sure that many of the incoming Democratic members of Congress will want to impose that kind of restriction on themselves. It's possible they will. But I assume that the Democrats in the House will pass something. Of course, then the question becomes what does the Senate do? In the Senate, to get anything passed, you need a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority, and we'll see if they get there.
On whether Congress will try to restore expired Affordable Care Act tax credits
Myers: I'm almost certain that there's going to be an effort to restore those tax credits. I would strongly suspect that the House will pass a bill to that effect, and it's quite possible that the Senate will pass something to that effect as well. The question is will President Trump sign that kind of change? Remember, this was the signature piece of legislation that the Republicans in Congress passed and that President Trump signed during these previous two years of his administration; the Big Beautiful Bill. Will President Trump want to sign something that undermines or reverses components of that bill? I'm not sure. We'll have to wait and see.
On how a Democrat-led Congress could impact Rhode Island
Myers: I think the most important thing for Rhode Islanders and for voters to bear in mind as we go into this incoming Congress with such large Democratic majorities is that it's quite likely that anything major will need to get done next year. They tend to get the most stuff done in the year immediately following an election. They tend to be more reluctant to pass major pieces of legislation during a year in which they're running for office. And so with that in mind, I think the first six months of 2027 are going to be really crucial. We will see if this incoming Democratic Congress can get major stuff done and delivered for the American people and if they can work with President Trump during those six months.
