The Democrats’ comprehensive victory in the US midterm elections could embolden Congress to assert greater authority over trade policy and scrutinise the deals President Donald Trump made with China, analysts say, though a dramatic shift in Washington’s trade policy is unlikely.
“Congress, including pro-free trade Republicans who have been intimidated into standing down, might be inclined to reassert some degree of congressional authority on trade,” said Stephen Olson, a former US trade negotiator.
As Trump retained broad executive discretion over tariffs, a major shift in trade policy was improbable, added Olson, who is also a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.