What will Republicans do if they win control of Congress?

NEXSTAR (WASHINGTON) – Midterm elections are just days away and recent polling shows Republicans have a good chance of taking control of Congress. But what happens if they do?

Both parties have been focused on campaigning in the final stretch until Election Day. Many political experts are predicting a red wave, with Republicans winning the majority in both the House and the Senate.

President Joe Biden has been trying to convince voters that Republican control would be bad for the country. He says they would make cuts to Medicare and Social Security, pass tax cuts for the wealthy, and try to enact a nationwide abortion ban.

“It’s a choice, a choice between two fundamentally different versions of America,” Biden said.

If Republicans do win the House, Congressman Kevin McCarthy could be speaker and would set the legislation agenda. He told Fox News that his party has big plans if that happens.

“We’ve got to eliminate the waste that also adds to inflation. We’re going to make America energy independent,” McCarthy said. “We’re going to make sure we secure our border. We’re going to stop defunding our police.”

How much Republicans could actually accomplish remains to be seen. Professor Matt Dallek with George Washington University pointS out that 60 votes would still be needed to pass most legislation in the Senate.

“Republican control of Congress does not automatically mean Republican agenda gets enacted. Far from it,” Dallek said.

Also, President Biden will still have the White House.

“They can send legislation to Biden’s desk and kind of control the agenda to some extent, but Biden of course has the veto power,” Dallek said.

Even with a simple majority, Senate Republicans would be able to block judicial appointments of pass their own budget bills. They would also control hearings.

“The kinds of investigations I think will shift dramatically,” Dallek said. “We won’t have a January 6 subpoenas and investigations anymore. We’ll have investigations into Hunter Biden.”

That’s an outcome President Biden is working hard to avoid.

“Let’s make sure we win this election, get out the vote!” Biden said.

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