Democrats plan oversight of Trump administration, Iran war probe after midterm win

The Democratic Party has recorded a historic win in the recent US midterm elections, dealing a major blow to the ruling party. Immediately after the victory, Democrats have swung into action and begun drawing up a strategy to rein in President Donald Trump's policies firmly.

The opposition party has warned that the Trump administration will be held legally accountable on highly sensitive issues such as the functioning of the Pentagon, military action in Iran and America's multibillion-dollar defence deals.

Adam Smith, the senior Democratic member of the influential House Armed Services Committee of the US House of Representatives, has laid out a clear outline of the party's future policies and priorities. Speaking in the context of the 120th Congress, Smith said fixing responsibility for every decision of the Trump administration and the Pentagon would be the first task of the new Congress.

Under the Democratic strategy, senior Pentagon officials will be summoned before Congress and questioned publicly, and the recording of their testimony will be stepped up. It has been decided to re-form a special subcommittee within the Armed Services Committee for oversight and investigation.

Smith raised the issue of the conflict in Iran quite aggressively. He openly called it an "illegal war". According to him, the committee will get to the root of how American soldiers and taxpayers' money are being used in the name of this war. He said all military actions the Trump administration has taken, whether by keeping Congress in the dark or without permission, will come under legal scrutiny. These remarks are Smith's political and legal analysis, but they point to a major confrontation between the White House and Congress in the coming days.

The defence budget is also in Smith's sights. More than $1 trillion is spent every year in the name of America's security. Smith has raised serious questions about so large a budget. He said it should be reconsidered whether such heavy funding is truly needed in the name of national security. He stressed that military resources should be used properly and better, without cutting important welfare schemes within the country.

It has also been warned that misuse of public money, irregularities in the military procurement process and unwarranted financial aid to private defence companies will be closely examined. Whether fraud and political interests are involved in contracts worth billions of dollars given to certain private companies during the Trump administration will also be looked into.

Smith has made a very serious charge against the Trump administration of politicising the military. Democrats will keep a close watch on decisions such as the use of American forces in the Caribbean and Latin America without approval and the deployment of troops in American inner cities. He also alleged directly that in key civilian and military posts at the Pentagon and the armed forces, officers' "political loyalty" is being preferred over their competence. Smith also said proper rules would be put in place to maintain the credibility of the military and improve soldiers' living conditions.