Democratic lawmakers are warning that Big Tech executives and figures in US President Donald Trump's business circle should expect subpoenas and investigations once the new Congress takes office in January, after Democrats secured control of Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections.
US Senator Ed Markey, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, said tech executives should prepare for a heavy volume of demands: “They are going to need to plant new forests for all of the subpoenas we’ll be printing.”
Oversight plans take shape
US Representative Robert Garcia, the expected incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee, outlined the areas he intends to pursue, including “the Trump Crime Family, corporate corruption, DHS and ICE abuses, and the cover-up of the Epstein files.” He added a two-word warning: “Lawyer up.”
The warnings follow a midterm campaign in which Democrats challenged Big Tech's growing political influence and the rapid expansion of AI, raising concerns about data centers' electricity demands, safeguards for AI products and tech executives' ties to Trump.
Tech figures expected to face scrutiny
Punchbowl News reported Wednesday that technology executives close to Trump — including Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang — were expected to face scrutiny from House Oversight, Energy and Commerce, and Senate Commerce.
The outlet also identified OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei as potential witnesses facing questions about their companies' AI products.
Crypto dealings in the spotlight
Trump's crypto dealings also featured in Democratic midterm campaign attacks, with candidates including Virginia Senator Mark Warner highlighting his memecoin earnings as part of a broader pattern of alleged corruption and self-enrichment.
“The amount of grift and corruption is unprecedented in American politics,” Garcia said during a press conference on Wednesday. “The president himself has a crypto scheme where he’s making billions of dollars. This family is billions richer as the American public struggles.”
House Judiciary Democrats have scrutinized Trump's crypto businesses, publishing a November 2025 staff report alleging he used the presidency to enrich his family through crypto ventures tied to foreign interests while dismantling enforcement and anti-corruption safeguards.
House Judiciary Democrats have already started advertising positions for counsel and professional staff for the next Congress, including oversight and investigations roles.
