New term in the US Congress. Democrats' 5 goals in foreign policy

The fact that President Trump did not receive Congressional approval before launching the war against Iran together with Israel on February 28 is one of the issues that Democrats object to the most.

Democrats have previously voted repeatedly to end hostilities without Congressional authorization.

One of these bills passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate with the support of a small number of Republican members, but the Trump administration did not implement the decision.

Democrats are considering playing the card of cutting defense spending or stopping appointments at the executive level, with the new influence they will gain in January.

The party, which aims to force Trump to seek approval from Congress to continue the war, also plans to hold public hearings and oblige administration officials to inform lawmakers and the public about their plans.

The Trump administration, which has halted most direct financial and military aid to Ukraine, which is fighting Russia, is facing backlash from both parties in Congress.

Trump's lifting of sanctions against Russian diesel and granting exemption from sanctions on the Russian energy sector, weeks after it became law, also drew the reaction of many Republican lawmakers.

Democrats, who will decide what will be voted on and when in both chambers starting from January, state that they consider support for the Kiev administration a priority.

It is estimated that new aid packages to Ukraine could pass Congress with the two-thirds majority needed to override Trump's presidential veto, thanks to strong bipartisan support in the past.

On the other hand, New York Representative Gregory Meeks, a Democrat who is expected to serve as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced a bipartisan bill to block Trump's plan to put Russian diesel back into the global market.

Support for Israel among the Democratic base and within the party has decreased significantly due to the genocidal campaign in Gaza that caused the death of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians.

The ongoing violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the close alliance established by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the Republicans were also effective in this attitude.

Democrats are discussing capping or completely cutting off $3.8 billion in annual basic military aid, as well as billions of dollars in additional resources transferred to Israel since the attacks began on Oct. 7, 2023.

This summer, nearly half of Democrats in the House of Representatives voted to cut aid to Israel.

People like Meeks, who oppose the bill in question, advocate limiting the shipment of certain weapons, including heavy bombs, to Israel.

Democrats, who are more determined than Republicans to limit military spending, blocked the unprecedented 67 percent budget increase that Trump demanded this year.

The bill, which aims to increase defense spending to 1.5 trillion dollars, was stopped in the Senate, citing Trump's failure to consult Congress on the Iran war and his cuts in social spending.

In addition, Trump's withholding or canceling billions of dollars of foreign aid approved by Congress caused a reaction from Democrats.

Democrats say they will try to reallocate these funds.

Foreign aid has enjoyed strong bipartisan support in the past, including during Trump's first term as president.