STAT+: House Democrats may use oversight powers to plan for health care overhaul

Democrats are vowing to aggressively pursue oversight if they win control of either the House or Senate in November’s midterm elections. Health care issues, including President Trump’s drug pricing deals, are potential targets.

It’s common for parties to turn to oversight when they take control of a congressional chamber. Lawmakers can use oversight to tell a story about the other side, and it also avoids intraparty divisions by focusing attention on what the other party has done. If Democrats want to keep the focus on Trump, even though he can’t run again, oversight is a good way to do that.

If Democrats flip either chamber, they’ll gain subpoena authority, giving them the power to force the administration and company executives to testify and respond to inquiries. However, the administration could forcefully push back on those efforts. The article is a STAT+ exclusive story, available to subscribers.