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Democrats have been stockpiling ideas for months on how to retaliate against companies and figures that have aligned themselves closely to President Donald Trump’s political agenda, telegraphing that merger breakups and committee investigations will play a central role in their efforts to push back against the administration should they regain power.
Most recently, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., took to social media to highlight his most recent entry on that list.
“Brendan Carr is a corrupt political hack and fake chair of the FCC,” Jeffries said in a post to X. “This guy (and the entities he promotes) will find himself on the wrong side of a congressional investigation in short order.”
Jeffries’ comments were made in response to a post from Carr, suggesting the administration would more closely review license renewals for broadcasters perpetuating “fake news.”
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. speaks before an upcoming House vote on funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 5, 2026. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
The struggle over political alignment isn’t unique to Carr.
The comments have piled up as the nation inches closer to the November midterms — a critical opportunity for Democrats to break a Republican governing trifecta and more visibly push back against the Trump administration. Even regaining control of just one chamber of Congress could enable Democrats to carry out their list of retaliation.
Democrats like Sen. Ruben Gallego hope to pressure companies that have received approval for mergers under Trump’s watch.
“Once we take power, whoever the president is, we’re going to break up your companies,” Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., told Semafor.
“So, all the investment you did to create these mergers are going to be for naught. Your investors are going to be pissed at you, and you’re likely going to end up getting fired as the CEO because you wasted so much money and corrupted yourself in the process,” Gallego said.
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Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., has a steep price for his vote to avert a partial government shutdown: fire White House Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Under Trump’s administration, notable mergers have included Paramount’s $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros., Capital One’s $35 billion acquisition of Discover and Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., similarly echoed Gallego’s thinking in a X post.
“Paramount should enjoy its growing news monopoly while they have it, because when Democrats win back power we are going to break up these anti-democratic information conglomerates,” Murphy wrote. “All of them.”
Skydance Media, the parent company of Paramount, has close ties to the Trump administration through its CEO, David Ellison — a figure who appeared as a Republican guest at the 2026 State of the Union and who has been a frequent guest at the White House.
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Susan Rice, a former top official in the Biden and Obama administrations, also recently caused a stir after she appeared to vow political retribution during a Vox interview last month against companies once Democrats regain control of Congress and the White House.
“They’re going to be held accountable by those who come in opposition to Trump and win at the ballot box,” Rice said.
“I think whether you’re a law firm, whether you’re a university, whether you’re a media entity, whether you’re a big corporation, whether you’re big tech, you need to play a long game, not this short game that has been so detrimental,” Rice added.
Subpoena powers also make up a part of how Democrats will also look to pursue their objectives if they regain power.
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., the third most powerful Democrat in the House of Representatives, noted that using the subpoena powers to bring in former President Bill Clinton likely clears the way for lawmakers to compel high-profile testimony from Trump’s orbit.
“It sets an interesting precedent on who is subject to come into Oversight, and we will see what the next year holds for Trump Inc. and the Trump family,” Aguilar said, alluding to the requests Democrats might make if they hold a majority in 2027.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media before boarding Marine One at the White House in Washington, D.C. on January 31, 2025. (BRYAN DOZIER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
The targets for Democrats extend to the private sector as well.
During a House Oversight Committee hearing last year, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, interrupted proceedings to demand lawmakers subpoena billionaire Elon Musk over his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
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“The motion was to subpoena Elon Musk, who is heading DOGE who is the one who made the recommendations for these [spending] cuts,” Crockett said.
Her calls were taken up in the Senate where Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced a very similar motion, citing Musk’s closeness to the president and influence in efforts to slim down government operations.
“Mr. Chairman, if we are serious about exercising our constitutional responsibilities, which I hope all of us are, it is critical for our committee to hear from the person who is in fact in charge of the federal government,” Sanders said in committee.
Democrats reached by Fox News Digital did not respond to a request for comment on their plans to implement their past comments.
