Democrats plan tech CEO subpoenas and AI, data center curbs after midterm win

Democrats won majorities in both the House and the Senate on Tuesday, in the 2026 midterms, and will take committee gavels in January. The Verge reports that the party's lawmakers have already signalled what they want to do with that power: hearings with tech CEOs, tougher guardrails on AI and data centers, and investigations of Elon Musk's role in DOGE.

The election-night tone was aggressive. The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee (not named in the article) wrote 'LAWYER UP' on X in a message aimed at the Trump administration and 'corporate corruption'. Senate Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) posted a single word: 'Subpoenas'. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), answering a comment that asked when live televised trials of Big Tech executives would happen, wrote that tech companies 'are going to need to plant new forests for all of the subpoenas we'll be printing'.

Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and an Oversight member, said in a statement that 'AI company CEOs should be called to testify under oath'. He added that the revolt against data centers was one of the top issues of the 2026 election and would prove 'the early tremor of a much bigger AI earthquake upending American politics'. Rep. Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which handles tech policy from digital privacy to kids' online safety to AI, pledged policies that 'protect consumers and the environment, prioritize clean energy, and rein in Big Tech'. Rep. Ro Khanna said taxing billionaires should be among the party's top goals. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has called to 'PAUSE AI NOW'.

Democrats in the minority have already shown their priorities. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) held a 'shadow' hearing earlier this year after the Trump administration's Justice Department settled its Live Nation-Ticketmaster antitrust trial, which state attorneys general who kept litigating went on to win. Raskin said then that the party had to start building the record. More recently he demanded information from Amazon, Google, Meta and Oracle about nondisclosure agreements for public officials considering data center proposals.

Musk is another target. He spent record-breaking amounts trying to elect Republicans this cycle and, as the public face of DOGE, led the cutting of federal jobs and the elimination of USAID. Powerful Democratic lawmakers told Politico they are eyeing his role in DOGE, his alleged conflicts of interest, and his reported role in disrupting Starlink service to Ukraine.

Not everyone in the party wants a show. Rep. Sam Liccardo (D-CA), from Silicon Valley, supports probing DOGE but does not want Democrats lost in endless calls for CEO testimony without legislation behind it. He wants 'solutions, not slogans'. He puts AI safety rules at the top of the tech agenda, followed closely by data centers and AI's impact on jobs, and hopes to use the data center buildout to make developers pay for needed energy grid investments. Despite Trump's aversion to many AI safeguards, he says Congress may get Trump's signature with enough bipartisan support, pointing to the Epstein files, where Trump 'had to get out of the way of the train' once some Republicans broke away.

The obstacle is the White House. The Verge says Democrats will likely run into Trump vetoes over heavy-handed AI safeguards. TD Cowen's Washington Research Group wrote on Wednesday that it believes Trump 'will veto any AI safety bill passed by Congress that would slow the AI model releases cycle'. It expects Democrats to try tech antitrust legislation again, but suspects those efforts will stop short of a floor vote or be vetoed. Yorkville Ives analysts, also on Wednesday, answered a 'clear YES' to whether the midterms will slow the planned 800 to 1,000 US datacenters, and said Democratic control, especially of the Senate, will create major hurdles for AI and tech legislation over the next 2 years. They add that Trump will likely veto any major 'draconian' AI safety or regulatory laws, which will push Big Tech CEOs to the negotiating table over compromises.

Some ground may be shared. Trump told The New York Times on election night he would at least aim to work with Democrats. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) passed overwhelmingly in the Senate in 2024 but was blocked by Republican leadership in the House. Trump has not endorsed it, though it is cosponsored by his ally Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN); The Verge calls it conceivable that it could pass the House with floor time and that Trump could consider signing it. KOSA cosponsor Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said Big Tech's disregard for children and communities will be among his top priorities and that the issue has always been bipartisan. Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) wants to pass his bills making app stores responsible for imposing age requirements and keeping kids under 16 off social media.

The centre-left coalition Chamber of Progress warns Democrats not to 'confuse an anti-Trump wave with an anti-tech mandate'. Its CEO, Adam Kovacevich, says Democratic governor candidates who opposed data center bans won at higher rates than those who supported them. Liccardo says data centers poll 'about as well as measles, mumps, and rubella', though he does not think they drove the midterms.

The Verge adds that Anthropic could get a slightly warmer welcome in Congress, because it stood up to the Trump administration when the Pentagon demanded it agree to let it use Anthropic's AI for domestic mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. It will still likely face many of the same questions as other leading AI companies.

The party's messaging has shifted too. According to Reset Tech, between 2020 and 2024 the Democratic party spent about $2 million on six political ads that referenced tech-industry keywords; between 2025 and 2026 it ran 387 such ads, spending more than $100 million.

Key facts

Democrats won majorities in both the House and Senate on Tuesday and take committee gavels in January; Wyden, Markey and Casar have publicly pointed to subpoenas and sworn testimony from tech and AI CEOs.
Democrats are also eyeing Elon Musk's role in DOGE, his alleged conflicts of interest and his reported role in disrupting Starlink service to Ukraine; Raskin has already asked Amazon, Google, Meta and Oracle about NDAs tied to data center proposals.
TD Cowen and Yorkville Ives expect Trump to veto major AI safety or regulatory laws; Yorkville Ives answers a 'clear YES' to whether the planned 800 to 1,000 US datacenters will slow.
KOSA, which passed the Senate overwhelmingly in 2024 but was blocked by House Republican leadership, is seen as a possible bipartisan path; Trump has not endorsed it.
Reset Tech counts 387 Democratic ads referencing tech-industry keywords in 2025 and 2026, with more than $100 million spent, against six ads and about $2 million in 2020 to 2024.

Why it matters

Democratic control of both chambers gives the party subpoena power and committee agendas over the tech industry, and its lawmakers have said they intend to use them on Big Tech, AI companies and data center builders. The Verge notes that Democrats may now be able to move legislation that was hard to pass under Republican leadership. Whether that becomes law is a separate question, because analysts expect Trump to veto heavy-handed AI rules.

Who it affects

Tech and AI company CEOs, who may be called to testify under oath. Elon Musk, whose DOGE role and alleged conflicts of interest are on Democrats' list. Amazon, Google, Meta and Oracle, which Raskin has already asked about data center NDAs. Data center developers, who may face obstacles and be pushed to pay for energy grid investments. Social media companies and app stores, targeted by KOSA and by Auchincloss's age-requirement bills. Investors in AI infrastructure, who are watching the pace of the planned 800 to 1,000 US datacenters. Anthropic, which may get a somewhat warmer reception but still faces skepticism about its AI safety proposals.

How to use it

Treat this as a watch list for 2027. Look first at what committees do in January: hearing announcements, subpoenas and letters from Oversight, Judiciary, Energy and Commerce and Senate Finance. Then see whether any bill gets floor time. KOSA is the one the article singles out as having a bipartisan route, and the Verge notes Trump has not endorsed it. Also watch whether Trump's stated aim to work with Democrats, as he told The New York Times on election night, produces any shared measure.

How solid is it

The substance is stated intent and market commentary, not enacted policy. The Democratic quotes come from posts and statements by named lawmakers; no hearing dates, subpoena targets or CEO names are given beyond Musk and the four companies Raskin wrote to. The veto forecasts come from two analyst notes, TD Cowen's Washington Research Group and Yorkville Ives, both dated Wednesday. The Verge itself says 'likely' about vetoes. The Reset Tech ad figures cover ads referencing tech-industry keywords, not necessarily ads attacking tech.

Risks and caveats

Trump vetoes are the main risk to the Democratic agenda, and the article does not say any specific bill has been vetoed or that a pause-AI bill has been introduced. Democrats are not united on approach: Liccardo warns against 'performative ranting' and Chamber of Progress says an anti-Trump wave is not an anti-tech mandate, citing higher win rates for Democratic governor candidates who opposed data center bans. Liccardo also doubts data centers drove the midterms. The Anthropic point is hedged in the source: it 'could' get a slightly warmer welcome.

“AI company CEOs should be called to testify under oath”

— Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus