The Democratic Party will regain control of the United States House of Representatives, according to projections by NBC News, which anticipate a sufficient majority to wrest control of one of the two chambers of Congress from the Republicans. The U.S. network estimates that the Democrats will win around 244 seats, an estimate that is still subject to variation as the vote count progresses, but one that far exceeds the 218 needed to reach an absolute majority.
If this result is confirmed, Donald Trump will lose Republican control of both chambers of Congress starting on January 3, 2027, when the new legislature begins. The change will allow Democrats to chair parliamentary committees, investigate the actions of the Administration, and condition approval of the White House’s legislative initiatives.
The projection comes on an election night in which the Democrats have also managed to wrest two Senate seats from the Republicans, in North Carolina and South Carolina, while control of the Upper House remains pending the results in several states.
Hakeem Jeffries prepares to lead the House of Representatives
The victory paves the way for Hakeem Jeffries, the current leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, to become the first Black president of this institution in the history of the United States.
Jeffries, a congressman from New York, has traveled across the country during the last weeks of the campaign with the goal of regaining a majority that the Democrats lost in the 2022 elections.
His election as Speaker of the House, which will have to be voted on by the representatives when the legislature begins, would allow the party to control the parliamentary agenda, decide which initiatives reach the full House, and preside over the main committees.
The result also represents a setback for Mike Johnson, the current Republican president of the House of Representatives and one of Trump’s main allies in Congress. His future at the head of the Republican group remains pending the party’s internal decisions following the electoral defeat.
Democrats prepare investigations into Trump, the ICE, and their businesses
One of the most immediate consequences of the shift in majority will be the ability of the Democrats to open parliamentary investigations and summon senior officials of the Trump Administration to testify.
California congressman Robert Garcia, who is aspiring to chair the House Oversight Committee, has advanced that the investigations will focus on possible conflicts of interest related to the Trump family businesses, especially their activities linked to cryptocurrencies.
Also among his priorities are the actions of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) and of the Department of Homeland Security, relations between large companies and the Executive, and the management of documentation related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Control of the committees will allow Democrats to request documents, call public hearings, and issue parliamentary subpoenas. These actions could lead to legal confrontations with the White House if the Administration refuses to provide certain information.
The possibility of a new impeachment trial against Trump
The change in the majority also reopens the debate over the possibility of pushing a third removal proceeding against Donald Trump, after the two impeachment trials he was subjected to during his first term.
Some Democratic lawmakers have defended this possibility, although the party leadership has not adopted a final decision. Jeffries has avoided expressly ruling out that path and has insisted that any action must be based on the facts and on the constitutional powers of Congress.
The House of Representatives has the power to approve a formal charge against the president by a simple majority. However, any eventual impeachment would subsequently require the backing of two-thirds of the Senate, a majority that is much more difficult to achieve.
Therefore, regaining the Lower House would allow Democrats to initiate an impeachment proceeding, but it would not guarantee its outcome.
Medicaid, tariffs and the Iran war, among the priorities of the new majority
Beyond parliamentary investigations, Democrats intend to use their majority to modify some of the most controversial policies of Trump’s second term.
Jeffries has identified four major priorities: reversing the cuts to Medicaid, expanding the tax credits of the Affordable Care Act, restoring Congress’s authority over tariffs, and stopping the war against Iran.
The new majority will be able to approve legislative initiatives in the House of Representatives, although their entry into force will depend on the position of the Senate and, ultimately, on the presidential signature or on the majorities needed to overcome a potential veto by Trump.
Democrats will also be able to use their budget negotiation leverage to condition certain spending items and demand changes in the Executive’s policies.
Discontent with Trump and the battle for electoral districts
The recovery of the House of Representatives comes amid discontent with the management of the US president, especially due to higher prices for basic goods, immigration policy, tariffs, and military intervention in Iran.
The first precinct-level polls reflect that 62% of voters disapprove of Trump’s management, while more than three-quarters express their dissatisfaction with the functioning of Congress.
The campaign has also been shaped by an intense dispute over how electoral districts are drawn. During 2025 and 2026, Republicans pushed changes to the maps in different states, starting with Texas, with the aim of improving their chances of winning additional seats.
Democrats responded in California through Proposition 50, which made it possible to approve a new districting plan designed to offset part of the Republicans’ advantages.
The battle over electoral maps has ended up influencing the composition of the House, although the overall result also reflects changes in voter behavior in competitive districts.
Trump loses full control of Congress for the first time in his second term
Since his return to the White House in January 2025, Donald Trump has had Republican majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, a circumstance that has facilitated the processing of part of his legislative initiatives.
The projected Democratic victory breaks that scenario and opens a new stage of negotiation and institutional confrontation between the Executive and Congress.
Although control of the Senate remains pending the results in several states, NBC News’ projection anticipates that Trump will no longer have a Republican majority in both chambers starting January 2027.
The president will have to negotiate with an opposition that will be able to block legislative projects, demand accountability from its senior officials, and subject decisions from the White House to a much more intense parliamentary scrutiny.
The final composition of the Senate will determine how far that shift in the balance goes, but the recovery of the House of Representatives already points to a turn in the second half of the presidential term.