These Democrats are set to take foreign policy reins in Congress

Tuesday’s seismic midterm results hands Democrats significant powers to investigate the Trump administration’s world dealings and check the president’s intervention abroad. 

The Democrats likely to move into top posts on the foreign policy panels and appropriations committees are seasoned legislators with deep international experience. 

Democrats have slammed President Trump’s attacks on U.S. allies and gutting of American soft power tools like foreign aid, government-funded media, and the foreign service itself. 

The economic costs of Trump’s war against Iran and tariff policies were top of mind for Americans at the polls, making them top targets for Democrats in Congress. The future U.S. relationship with Israel is a divisive issue on both sides of the aisle, and could be shaped in part by the results of Israel’s post-election power struggles. 

The next two years serve as an important period for Democrats to sharpen their foreign policy message heading into the 2028 presidential election. 

Here are the top lawmakers to watch: 

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), likely chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Coons, 63, is the leading contender for the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, moving up in the ranks with the retirement of the ranking member, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). 

Coons, who won re-election in Delaware on Tuesday for his third term, has already telegraphed that going after tech billionaire Elon Musk is a top priority – and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee provides the subpoena power to make that happen. 

“One more thing to add to the list of questions for Musk when I subpoena him,” Coons posted on X on Oct. 28, citing a report that the SpaceX owner was in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about satellite communications. Musk also owns the social media site X. 

Coons is supportive of Ukraine, hawkish on China, outspoken on Israel’s faults but supportive of the Jewish state, and one of........

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