As President-elect Donald Trump and his administration prepare to take office with his party controlling both the Senate and the House of Representatives, some Democrats are identifying potential areas for collaboration with the GOP in the upcoming 119th Congress. While Republicans will hold majorities in both chambers, those majorities will be slim—just three seats in the House and Senate. The Senate majority is also below the threshold needed to invoke cloture and overcome a filibuster.
Given these conditions, Democratic support may be crucial for passing key policy initiatives. During the No Labels National Conference on December 12, Democratic members of Congress outlined areas where they are willing to offer their support. “We have no choice but to address the issue of border security,” Rep. Ritchie Torries (D-N.Y.) told The Epoch Times. “There’s no Democratic or Republican way to take out the trash. … We have to see border security and public safety not as a left-wing or right-wing position.”
Torres stated that his party’s stance on the issue played a role in Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss in the 2024 presidential election. In contrast, President-elect Donald Trump has made deporting all illegal immigrants his top priority upon taking office. “We have to get serious about border security. …We swung the pendulum too far to the left on immigration,” Torres remarked. Other Democrats supported his focus on border security and immigration reform at the No Labels Convention.
“I think there’s a lot more we could do on border policies … border security, creating safe zones in Central American countries that deal with the migration that’s coming up,” added Rep. Vincente Gonzalez (D-Texas). “I see in this administration [the possibility] to pass a lot of policy proposals that we couldn’t get in a Democratic administration.”
“Comprehensive immigration reform” said Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) as an issue where realistic compromise could be achieved. However, she warned: “We really need to be disciplined” and not always reacting to Trump. Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) noted: “One of the major areas we’re all facing this year … is immigration. Everybody up here is ready for some kind of consensus immigration reform bill,” he added, even if it contained some conservative provisions — which it would, considering the GOP controls the House. “I know that my constituents … aren’t going to like some of that immigration bill.”
Another area where Democrats see potential for compromise is government streamlining, particularly with regard to the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. “I see the emergence of a bicameral [and] bipartisan commitment to improving the efficiency of government, which includes the needs of streamlined permitting processes and streamlined environmental review,” said Torres. Both Democrats and Republicans emphasized that permitting reform impacts the timeline of construction projects during the conference.
“Everything takes forever. … People are really frustrated,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). “We know that permitting reform may get done in this Congress,” said Lee. “I’m going to see what DOGE produces. … We just got to shrink federal government,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), which hinted that he’s willing to consider supporting their proposals.
