WASHINGTON—Soon-to-be House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said that going into 2019, Democrats plan to focus on shoring up the country’s infrastructure with green technology, reforming campaign-finance laws, and lowering health care costs, while leaving room for the incoming representatives to have a say in the party’s agenda.
Health Care
There are two areas that Pelosi sees as being able to work on with Republicans and the president: improving the country’s infrastructure and lowering the costs of prescription drugs.Pelosi also has signaled that the Democrats plan to protect the equal coverage mandate for people with pre-existing conditions, a now-bipartisan issue, should the Affordable Care Act—also known as Obamacare—be overturned in the courts.
Infrastructure
While Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have stopped short of calling for a “green new deal,” as some in their party have, they both want any federal infrastructure investment to go hand-in-hand with raising wages and developing green technology.Democrats have proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure investment that would be financed by removing tax cuts on multinational corporations and the wealthiest Americans. According to the House leadership website, that would be spent on expanding high-speed internet and renewable energy infrastructure, and shoring up the country’s schools, rail lines, airports, roads, water infrastructure, and waterways.
Schumer also has called for tax credits for clean energy production and other green investments that Americans make.
Money in Government
Pelosi says the first thing House Democrats plan to do when they take the gavel in 2019 is to work on passing legislation to “clean up government,” mainly campaign-finance reform.While the specifics haven’t been laid out, the Democrats’ proposals center around requiring a presidential tax-return disclosure, removing “dark money” from campaign contributions, giving tax credits to small political donors, and removing barriers to voting.
Other Priorities
While they aren’t likely to go far in the Senate, Democratic leadership has also talked about wanting to pass legislation on gun control, mainly strengthening background checks, granting citizenship to children brought into the country illegally—known as Dreamers—and safeguarding the Russia investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller.Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have both said they don’t plan to cut Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 elections short. Depending on the outcome, though, the House and Senate may be at odds on what comes next.
Pelosi and Schumer haven’t made impeachment of the president part of their platform, but Pelosi has also said she would be willing to entertain it, depending on the results of the Mueller investigation and if it was to get bipartisan support.
Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has said he plans to have acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker testify before the committee about his decision not to recuse himself from overseeing Mueller’s investigation.
He has also said that Trump’s permanent pick to lead the Justice Department, William Barr, has disqualified himself by writing a letter taking issue with the investigation, and that Democrats could use subpoena power to, if Barr decides to bury Mueller’s report, either subpoena it or get Mueller to testify about its contents.
Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has said he plans to ask for Trump’s tax returns, which Trump hasn’t yet disclosed.