Democrats are preparing for an aggressive oversight campaign targeting Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the Internal Revenue Service if they regain control of Congress in November, potentially turning months of simmering disputes into a wave of hearings, subpoenas, and investigations.
Advertisement
Bessent has become a central target after repeatedly clashing with Democratic lawmakers over President Donald Trump’s tax policies, tariffs, IRS leadership, and the administration’s handling of sensitive taxpayer information.
According to Politico, Democrats on the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees are already identifying issues they intend to investigate if the election gives them control of either chamber.
Advertisement
Among the biggest potential flashpoints is a Justice Department settlement involving Trump and the IRS that Democrats say could improperly protect the president and his businesses from federal tax audits.
The issue produced a heated confrontation in June when Rep. Linda Sánchez, D-Calif., questioned Bessent during a Ways and Means hearing about whether Trump and members of his family had effectively received protection from IRS scrutiny.
Bessent argued that Treasury and the IRS were represented in the matter by the Justice Department and pushed back strongly after Sánchez accused him of overseeing what she called the “most corrupt Treasury Department” in American history.
The dispute is one of several Democrats could revisit with subpoena authority, which committee chairmen can use far more effectively than minority lawmakers requesting documents voluntarily.
Democrats have also raised concerns about leadership turmoil at the IRS, where the agency went through seven commissioners or acting commissioners during 2025 before Bessent assumed the acting role after Billy Long’s departure.
Sens. Ron Wyden (Ore.), Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) argued in March that Bessent’s legally permitted period as acting IRS commissioner had expired and accused the administration of circumventing Senate confirmation by creating an IRS chief executive officer position.
Treasury has defended its management of the agency, while Republicans have emphasized their own concerns about fraud, tax-exempt organizations, and what they describe as politically motivated activity by nonprofit groups.
Advertisement
Another likely Democratic focus involves access to confidential taxpayer information, particularly attempts by the Department of Homeland Security and the administration’s DOGE operation to obtain IRS data.
Advertisement
Seventeen Democratic senators previously demanded information after reports that DHS sought taxpayer information involving suspected illegal immigrants while DOGE officials pursued access to tax records as part of efforts to uncover federal-benefits fraud.
Democrats claimed that unauthorized disclosure of taxpayer information could violate federal privacy protections, while the administration has maintained that its broader data-sharing efforts are intended to improve enforcement and combat fraud.
The potential investigations extend beyond the IRS, with Democrats also signaling interest in Trump family business dealings, cryptocurrency ventures, foreign financial relationships, and the administration’s broader economic policies.
Bessent, however, has publicly downplayed how much a Democratic-controlled House could actually do to derail Trump’s economic agenda.
Advertisement
Asked this week what Democrats could accomplish if they captured the House, Bessent responded, “I think there’s very little,” while arguing that the administration possesses durable legal authority for its tariff policies.
That does not mean a Democratic House would be powerless, because committee control would give the party authority to schedule hearings, demand records, and issue subpoenas even if lawmakers lacked the votes necessary to reverse administration policies.
The emerging battle would also reverse the current congressional dynamic, with Republicans surrendering control of powerful committees that have spent the past two years investigating Democratic officials, nonprofits, and alleged misuse of federal institutions.
If Democrats do capture either chamber, the Treasury Department and IRS appear positioned to become major fronts in the next phase of congressional oversight, with Bessent likely facing substantially more scrutiny than he has encountered while Republicans controlled the committees.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
