Democratic Midterm Gains Could Spur Financial Industry Probes

A Democratic victory in either chamber of Congress in the 2026 midterms would not necessarily halt President Donald Trump’s push to ease financial regulations, but it could give lawmakers greater power to investigate cryptocurrency firms, prediction markets, financial regulators and the president’s family business ties. Democrats are considering probes into potential conflicts of interest and whether prediction markets could enable misconduct or expose sensitive government information; they could subpoena records and call officials and executives to testify. The administration argues that lighter rules and support for crypto and prediction markets will encourage innovation and keep jobs and capital in the United States, while industry representatives say they guard against misconduct.