Democrats to Pressure Trump on Five Fronts: Crypto, AI Regulation, Iran Policy and More

Odaily News: U.S. Democrats will use the oversight powers of relevant House and Senate committees over the next two years to pressure the Trump administration across five major areas, focusing on government investigations, the fiscal budget, Iran policy, artificial intelligence regulation, and cryptocurrency legislation.

On cryptocurrency, Democrats' earlier efforts to establish a crypto market regulatory framework have stalled, mainly because senators and the White House failed to reach agreement on ethics provisions related to politicians' crypto businesses. The provisions aim to limit potential conflicts of interest arising from Trump's personal cryptocurrency business, and the prospects for crypto market regulation legislation such as the CLARITY Act have become more uncertain.

In the House, Maxine Waters is expected to serve as chair of the Financial Services Committee, but her long-held position faces a challenge from Sean Casten; in the Senate, Elizabeth Warren will become chair of the Banking Committee, and her long-standing criticism of cryptocurrency, along with Sherrod Brown's return to the Senate, will further increase the obstacles the crypto industry faces at the legislative level.

In addition, on AI regulation, Democrats plan to strengthen investigations into AI companies and their CEOs, focusing on data center construction, the risks of advanced AI models, and the technology's impact on the job market. On Iran policy, Democrats may check the Trump administration through defense budgets, congressional investigations, and war powers resolutions. (Bloomberg)