By The Jaffna Monitor Staff
JAFFNA, Nov. 4: On Tuesday, voters gave control of both the House and the Senate to Democrats, handing President Trump’s opponents the power to investigate his administration, control federal spending and block his nominees for the last two years of his term. Republicans had held 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats, and Democrats needed a net gain of four to win a majority. They gained seven: Ohio, Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maine, Kansas and Texas. Democrats have won 54 Senate seats to the Republicans’ 44.
Two Senate races are still undecided. In Alaska, the lead between Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican, and the Democrat Mary Peltola changed hands overnight, and the result may go to the state’s ranked-choice tabulation. In Mississippi, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican, and her Democratic challenger were separated by a margin too narrow to call.
In the 435-seat House, Republicans had held 218 seats to the Democrats’ 214. By Wednesday, Democrats had won at least 231 seats, well past the 218 needed for a majority, and about 60 races were still being counted. They have taken at least 25 seats from Republicans. Projections based on the votes counted so far put the final Democratic total at 255 to 260 seats. That would be the party’s largest House majority since the early 1990s.
This is the first midterm election since 2006 in which control of both chambers changed. In Texas, Democrats won a Senate seat for the first time since 1988. In Maine, Troy Jackson defeated Senator Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent.
Midterm elections fall halfway through a president’s four-year term. Every seat in the House, whose members serve two years, is on the ballot, along with about a third of the Senate, whose members serve six years. Congress is a separate branch of government with its own constitutional powers, and the president does not need its confidence to stay in office. In Sri Lanka, a prime minister and cabinet can be brought down by a no-confidence vote. Mr. Trump cannot. The closest Sri Lankan comparison is the period from 2001 to 2004, when President Chandrika Kumaratunga shared power with a Parliament controlled by Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Front. Ms. Kumaratunga could dissolve Parliament, and she did so in 2004. An American president has no such power, so Mr. Trump and the new Congress will serve together until January 2029.
The outcome matters outside the United States. The war with Iran has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and pushed up fuel prices across Asia, including in Sri Lanka. American decisions on tariffs and foreign aid affect economies across South Asia. Governments in the region will watch closely to see whether this Congress challenges the president on those questions.
The Firsts
In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers and will become the first Muslim to serve in the United States Senate. Mr. El-Sayed, a former local public health director and podcaster, had never held elected office. The first Muslim member of Congress, Keith Ellison, a convert to Islam, was elected to the House in 2006. In 2018, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar became the first Muslim women in Congress. Ms. Tlaib, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, is the first Palestinian American woman to serve there. Ms. Omar came to the United States as a refugee from Somalia. The Senate has never had a Muslim member. Exit polls showed Mr. El-Sayed winning 69 percent of voters under 30, though he made no gains among white voters without college degrees.
In New Hampshire, Representative Chris Pappas defeated former Senator John E. Sununu and became the first openly gay man elected to the Senate. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, became the first openly L.G.B.T. person elected to the chamber in 2012. Mr. Pappas has represented New Hampshire’s First Congressional District since 2019.
Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former mayor of Atlanta, became the first Black woman elected governor of any American state. Her victory also gave Democrats Georgia’s governorship for the first time since 1998. Ms. Bottoms won the Democratic primary in May with 58 percent of the vote against six opponents, with strong support from Black women. She campaigned on universal pre-kindergarten, expanding Medicaid, affordable housing, and support for farmers.
In New Mexico, Deb Haaland became the first Indigenous woman elected governor of a U.S. state. As interior secretary under President Biden, she was the first Native American to lead a Cabinet department. In 2018, she and Sharice Davids of Kansas were the first two Native American women elected to Congress.
In Texas, Gina Hinojosa, a state legislator from Austin, will become the state’s first Latina governor and the first woman to hold the office since 1995. Gov. Greg Abbott, who had been seeking a fourth term, conceded. Ms. Hinojosa trailed by a wide margin early in the year, but by late September she had pulled slightly ahead in polling. In Florida, Byron Donalds, a Republican, became the state’s first Black governor.
In Ohio, Amy Acton, a physician who led the state’s health department during the Covid-19 pandemic, defeated Vivek Ramaswamy by about seven points, 52 percent to 45 percent. She will be the first woman elected governor of Ohio, the state’s first Jewish governor and its first Democratic governor in 20 years.
Mr. Ramaswamy, 41, is a biotech entrepreneur who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. He was born in Cincinnati to Tamil-speaking Brahmin parents from Vadakkencherry, in Kerala’s Palakkad district, and he speaks Tamil in the Palakkad dialect. During his presidential run, a video of him chatting in Tamil with a supporter from Vellore circulated widely in India. Had he won, he would have been the first Hindu governor of any American state. He entered the race with Mr. Trump’s endorsement and far more money than his opponent, and Elon Musk put at least $5 million into a group supporting him.
The campaign turned bitter in its final weeks. Mr. Ramaswamy’s campaign aired an advertisement featuring Ms. Acton’s mother, who had been estranged from her daughter for nearly 50 years, calling her a liar. The mother had lost custody of her children after their stepfather was indicted for raping Ms. Acton as a child. The advertisement was condemned by five Ohio governors, women’s groups, politicians from both parties, and several hundred alumni of Mr. Ramaswamy’s own Catholic high school in Cincinnati. Mr. Trump and Vice President JD Vance defended it. The campaign pulled it about a week before the election, after spending roughly a quarter of the $4 million it had set aside. Ms. Acton refused to debate him. Democrats spent months attacking him for crossing the state by private jet, a habit that annoyed some Republicans as well.
Mr. Ramaswamy also faced racist attacks from his own side. A rival in the Republican primary, who won nearly 18 percent of the vote, made veiled attacks on his ethnicity and Hindu faith and at one point called him an “Indian anchor baby.” Mr. Ramaswamy said he had deleted social media apps from his phone because of the bigotry directed at him online. After his defeat, he told supporters he had “some serious concerns about the future direction of our country.”
In the House, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic leader, is expected to become the first Black speaker when the new Congress meets in January, succeeding Mike Johnson. The full House must first vote to elect him.
Wave elections tend to sweep in candidates who would struggle in an ordinary year, often in states their parties had stopped contesting. Several of this year’s winners had built strong local coalitions before the national mood shifted. Some benefited from movement among voters who had backed Mr. Trump in 2024. Exit polls found that 44 percent of Latino voters now identify as Democrats, up from 39 percent two years ago.
Why Republicans Lost
Mr. Trump’s standing had been falling for months. His approval rating averaged 36 to 37 percent in late October. A national poll two weeks before the election put it at 31 percent, the lowest of his presidency, with 66 percent disapproving. Early exit polls indicated that his approval was lower than that of any president at a midterm election in the era of modern polling.
The cost of living was the main complaint. In one national exit poll, about 90 percent of voters said the cost of living was a crucial or major factor in their vote. About 60 percent disapproved of Mr. Trump’s performance, including about a fifth of people who voted for him in 2024. In another, 39 percent named the economy as the country’s most important problem, 65 percent said Mr. Trump’s policies had made the economy worse, and 62 percent said he was responsible for high prices.
The war with Iran raised gasoline prices and deepened that frustration. The war was unpopular with independent voters from the start. A survey in March found that independents opposed U.S. military action against Iran by 60 percent to 31 percent. Mr. Trump acknowledged the war’s effect on the vote. “I think a part of it was Iran,” he said in a television interview, adding that voters understood the importance of his policy.
Health care costs also rose sharply this year. Enhanced federal subsidies for Affordable Care Act insurance expired on Jan. 1. The more than 20 million people with subsidized coverage have seen their premiums rise by an average of 114 percent, according to health policy researchers. Those increases came after Republicans cut more than $1 trillion in federal health care and food assistance in Mr. Trump’s tax and spending law.
Preliminary exit poll figures showed independents supporting Democratic House candidates by 56 percent to 39 percent, and women by 58 percent to 40 percent. Voters under 30 favored Democrats by 47 points, up from an 11-point Democratic margin in 2024. These figures will be adjusted as the final vote counts come in, though every major survey pointed in the same direction.
The president’s party has lost House seats in 20 of the last 22 midterm elections. In 1994, Republicans ended 40 years of Democratic control of the House. In 2010, they gained 63 House seats after the passage of President Obama’s health care law. In 2018, Democrats gained 41 House seats while Republicans added Senate seats. The closest comparison to this year is 2006, when President George W. Bush, in his second term and presiding over an unpopular war in Iraq, lost control of both chambers.
What Congress Can Do
The new Congress takes office on Jan. 3.
Democrats can block the president’s legislative proposals and pass their own bills, but Mr. Trump can veto them. Overriding a veto requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers, and Democrats are well short of that in each. Mr. Trump said on Wednesday that he expected Democrats to send him legislation he considered “insane,” and that he would veto it. In a separate interview, he said he would rather work with lawmakers than spend two years vetoing bills.
Congress’s control over spending gives Democrats more leverage. Congress must approve all federal spending, and the war has made that power more important. Central Command has estimated that the war cost about $43.6 billion through early September. In June, Mr. Trump asked Congress for nearly $90 billion in additional funding, much of it for the war. A Democratic House can reject that request, attach conditions, or press for a change in strategy. Spending fights carry political risks for both sides. The government was shut down for 43 days late last year in a dispute over health subsidies, and money Congress has already approved will continue to be spent.
Control of the House also gives Democrats the chairmanship of every committee, and with it the power to issue subpoenas and investigate the administration, the president’s family and his businesses. Democrats are expected to examine three matters: the construction of the White House ballroom, whether Donald Trump Jr. stands to profit from the administration’s cryptocurrency policies, and the $400 million jet Qatar gave Mr. Trump for use as Air Force One. The White House can fight subpoenas in court. During Mr. Trump’s first term, some of those disputes took years to resolve, and several ended only after he had left office.
In the Senate, Democrats will decide which of the president’s nominees are confirmed, including Cabinet secretaries, federal judges, ambassadors, and any Supreme Court nominee. Mr. Trump can still fill many positions with acting officials, and White House staff members do not need Senate approval.
The House can impeach the president by a simple majority vote. Removing him requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate, or 67 senators, and Democrats will hold about 54 seats. Asked about impeachment, Mr. Jeffries said Democrats “haven’t ruled anything in and we haven’t ruled anything out.” Democrats are divided over whether a third impeachment would help or hurt them. Impeachment is a trial on charges of misconduct and works differently from a parliamentary vote of no confidence. Sri Lanka’s constitution also sets a high bar for removing an executive president, requiring a Supreme Court inquiry and a two-thirds vote of Parliament.
Congress can overturn an executive order by passing a law, which the president can veto, or by refusing to pay for it. The courts have often been the more effective check. In February, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act did not give the president the authority to impose tariffs. In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts cited the constitutional provision that “Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.” Mr. Trump then ordered new tariffs under different laws. Mr. Jeffries has named four main priorities: returning tariff authority to Congress, reversing the Medicaid cuts, extending the health insurance subsidies, and ending the war with Iran.
The sharpest disputes are likely to come over the war. The president is commander in chief and conducts foreign policy. Congress has the power to declare war and to fund the military. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires a president to withdraw forces within 60 days unless Congress authorizes their use, though presidents of both parties have challenged the law’s constitutionality. Mr. Trump keeps broad authority over foreign policy, while Congress can limit the administration through legislation, spending, and oversight. Any bill ordering an end to the war would face a veto.
Until January, the current Republican majorities remain in place. It was reported in October that the United States and Israel were preparing for a possible attack on Iran in early November, after the midterms, though the preparations could also be meant to pressure Iran into an agreement. In an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said the military was “locked and loaded” if needed, but that there “may be no reason for it.”
The new Congress will be able to investigate the president, slow his agenda and withhold money from his priorities. It will not be able to take away his constitutional powers or direct the executive branch.
Iran, Israel and Sri Lanka
The United States and Israel began striking Iran on Feb. 28, saying they aimed to bring about a change of government in Tehran and to destroy Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was killed on the first day, and his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was chosen to succeed him. Pakistan brokered a cease-fire in April. After talks in Islamabad failed, the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iran. The two countries signed an agreement to end the war on June 17. The cease-fire broke down on July 8, after Iran attacked commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The Pentagon says 21 American service members have died in connection with the war and 865 have been wounded.
The uprising that American and Israeli officials had hoped would follow the strikes did not happen, and some analysts say the attacks increased support for the government inside Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has gained power within the Iranian state since the war began. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the conflict was not a regime change war, “but the regime sure did change.”
Both leaders who began the war now face setbacks at home. Mr. Trump has lost control of Congress. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the overthrow of Iran’s government as Israel’s “primary objective” before the Oct. 27 election. His right-wing bloc then won 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, down from a peak of 68 in the last Parliament, and the bloc supporting his rival, Gadi Eisenkot, won 48. Israel’s main opposition leaders have since agreed to support Mr. Eisenkot for prime minister. In Iran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Parliament and the country’s chief negotiator, wrote on social media on Wednesday: “Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message.”
Sri Lanka, which imports all of its oil, has raised petrol and diesel prices by about 48 percent since the war began, and electricity prices by about a third. Remittances from Sri Lankans working abroad, many of them in the Gulf, totaled $8.1 billion in 2025.
Sri Lanka exported $3 billion worth of goods to the United States in 2025, most of it clothing, and the garment industry employs about 300,000 people. The Trump administration announced a 44 percent tariff on Sri Lankan goods in 2025 and later reduced it. Since the Supreme Court ruling, most Sri Lankan exports pay standard duties plus a 10 percent levy that took effect on July 24. If Congress reclaims some authority over tariffs, American trade policy could become more predictable, though the president still has other trade laws available. Congress also sets foreign aid budgets, which the administration has cut sharply. Democrats may try to restore some of that money, but any spending bill will need the president’s signature.
Several outcomes are possible over the next two years. Investigations, vetoes, and budget disputes could lead to repeated standoffs and government shutdowns. Mr. Trump and the Democrats could reach limited agreements. He said on Wednesday that he could work with them on immigration and other issues. He could also rely more heavily on executive orders and leave the courts to decide whether they are lawful. Neither party will act as a single bloc. Democrats are split over impeachment, and some Republicans broke with the president over the war well before Tuesday. With majorities this large, the White House will find it harder to win over a handful of Democrats to pass its priorities.
Mr. Trump remains commander in chief, with the power to veto legislation and direct foreign policy. The Congress that convenes in January will have a new mandate and the authority to oppose him. In exit polls, 70 percent of voters said they wanted Congress to act as a stronger check on the president. How far Congress goes in using its powers will shape the war with Iran, American trade policy, and the limits of presidential authority for the remaining two years of Mr. Trump’s term.
