Yes, Democrats' midterm victory was historic – and enormous. But what will they do with it?
That's the real question the Democratic Party will face when members of Congress are sworn in and they take power in January.
Should they open investigations into corruption – and the way large portions of the government were unilaterally dismantled by Republican President Donald Trump?
Should they try to ignore the volatile president and attempt a left-leaning agenda that could include pulling back from foreign wars and overhauling health care for Americans?
Should they seek middle ground, cooperating with Trump in an effort to carry out the most politically viable policies, like providing free public school meals for low-income children and replacing aging
dangerous infrastructure, such as lead water pipes?
For our latest installment of Forum we asked you, our USA TODAY readers, what you thought were the best paths forward for the new Democratic majority and the lame-duck Republican president. We selected some of your answers and published them below.
To participate in future Opinion Forums, check in at usatoday.com/forum or drop us a note at forum@usatoday.com.
Democrats, don't waste time impeaching Trump
What would I like to see Democrats do with their newfound control of the House and Senate? Reach across the aisle to actually get things done for the American people.
Ignore President Donald Trump and override any vetoes. Also do NOT waste time impeaching Trump, but absolutely go after his minions, namely White House chief of staff Stephen Miller, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
And hold accountable all the contractors who have destroyed Washington, DC, with the orange man's vanity projects.
— Amy Ramsey, New York
We could see progress – if Trump is willing
If Trump is willing to do things like end the Iran war, regulate artificial intelligence and Big Tech, forgive student loans and end the trade wars then I could see some progress.
Otherwise, this is just us holding the line until we can actually fix things after 2028.
Investigate and impeach everyone from the bottom up. Leave Trump for last (if ever) and take down his corrupt, anti-American cadre of stooges.
MAGA is dead. If Republicans would like to be a real party again, they've got some soul-searching to do. For starters, shed the White nationalists and the warmongers and get back to the economy and the free market (if that even exists anymore).
As for election results that surprised me – pretty much all the Senate races. I had zero trust in polling before results came in.
Election night in Washington state was great, with one exception. Our state passed the most extreme trans sports ban in the nation due to confusing ballot language, and the fallout will be fierce.
— Zac Eckstein, Washington
Cut funding for Iran war, Israel and Ukraine
The Democrats should not work with Trump. They should stymie him at every opportunity. Democrats should cut off all funding for the war on Iran, all funding for Israel and all funding for the quagmire in Ukraine.
As for the future of the two parties following the "blue wave": After the Democrats fail to deliver for anyone but their donors, Republicans will again get their chance to fail to deliver for anyone but their donors.
What election results surprised me? Texas was a mild surprise. I am ambivalent about how any of this will change things on my state's level or local level.
— Eric Brown, Pennsylvania
Do not defund the police. Don't try for universal Medicare
Do I think Trump and a Democratic Congress can work together? Probably not! That's because Trump and his minions, mostly that Miller guy that he just elevated to White House chief of staff Nov. 6, will continue to try to push their agenda to the limit. And, with the president vowing to veto just about anything the House and Senate put forth, it could be quite the stalemate.
If the Democrats had a supermajority in both chambers of Congress, they might be able to get things done. But with Trump and his minions who are still left in Congress, they will fight tooth and nail to stop anything the Democrats try to do.
I think that they should try to get an end to the Iran war somehow. Bring down the prices of gas, groceries and anything else that has gone bonkers since Trump's stupid conflicts and policies. Avoid allowing completely open borders like former Democratic President Joe Biden did. Set limits to immigrants coming into the United States. And monitor the undocumented immigrants already here. Put Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the border, and don't use federal agents to turn cities across the country into police states.
Democrats won in these midterm elections. But that's for just two years. Public opinion could completely turn around if the Democrats don't get things going in the right direction for everyone – Democrats and Republicans. Do not defund the police as the socialists want. Do not have universal Medicare as the socialists want. Work with the present health insurance companies and get prescription drugs, hospitalizations, etc. costs down to a reasonable level whereby patients and the companies come out ahead.
— Ed Moore, Kentucky
Investigate everyone in the Trump administration
Trump has shown time and time again he will only work quid pro quo, which is incompatible with the needs of the people.
This administration needs to swiftly be held accountable for their MANY, public crimes. This legislative branch has been given the mandate to bring law and order back to America, but that accountability needs to start at the very top and work down to the very bottom.
Democrats need to replace what has proved to be feckless leadership. And they need to cut ties with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. We should not be allies with, nor should we fund in any other way, the state of Israel, until it has ceased genocidal activity in Gaza and brought its leaders to the International Criminal Court for justice for Palestine.
Simultaneously, congressional Democrats need to heavily, publicly and relentlessly investigate every single person in the Trump administration, from Trump down to the ICE agents that killed U.S. citizens.
Republicans will continue to pretend everyone loves their platform; they'll continue to demonize minorities. Nothing ever changes with Republicans. The only thing they conserve is their hatred from year to year.
The Texas win for Democrats was slightly surprising, but again this just shows how much of a mandate Congress has to rein in the criminals in the administration and bring our country back to law and order.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine finally being forced to leave after all the harm she has done to women's rights, and the U.S. Postal Service, is a boon.
At a state level, I don't expect much to change unless we see federal cooperation with actually enforcing our laws, and that includes against presidents and Defense secretaries, and House members and senators.
If the state-level elected officials don't make the demands loud and clear every time they are in front of a camera, then they may as well hand the keys back to the fascists.
— Michael Dana, Maine
Next two years will be the most unhinged
I do not believe Trump's ego will allow him to work with Congress. The next two years will be more unhinged than any of the other years the president has spent hijacking the executive branch of our government.
The new majority needs to stay focused on affordability solutions to which voters gave a mandate. Do not allow Trump to distract the legislative branch. Voters have acknowledged the corruption in the White House. Prioritize economic issues over revenge policies, unlike the way the Trump administration has conducted business.
The Republican Party will carry the orange stain of corruption and failure for a long time. Extremists will still worm their way into office as Republicans but they will try to keep their inhumane agenda hidden.
I am slightly surprised by the election results. Not by the number of Democratic Party wins but by the percentages of votes. I thought these results would be close enough for Trump to begin litigation immediately.
Ohio elected a woman governor and a Democratic senator. It gives me hope that those of us in the Buckeye State have turned away from the cult of Trump and the garbage heap the GOP has become.
— Michael Williamson, Ohio
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats, don't waste time impeaching Trump | Your Turn
