Updated November 5, 2026 at 4:37 PM CST
One thing is clear from this week's midterm elections: The Trump administration's foreign policy decisions were no longer just about what happened abroad. The war in Iran has driven up gas prices, while Trump's tariffs have raised costs for American businesses.
According to the Voter Poll conducted by SSRS for several news outlets, including The Associated Press, 51% of voters said U.S. support for Israel had been too strong, while 63% said the war in Iran was the wrong decision. Nearly three-quarters (74%) considered the war a major or crucial factor in their vote. The economy weighed even more heavily, with 89% calling it a major or crucial factor.
And while Americans were making their views known at the ballot box, the rest of the world had plenty to say, too. Sometimes with a little more humor. The election results have inspired AI-generated videos, social media memes and newspaper headlines abroad.
What could the results actually change?
Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and staff writer at The Atlantic, has spent years studying authoritarianism and the erosion of democratic institutions. In a February interview with NPR, she warned about corruption in U.S. foreign policy, saying people around Trump and his family had accepted money from foreign governments and others.
Now, with Democrats set to control Congress, Applebaum sees reason for U.S. allies to regain some confidence in American democracy. But whether that translates into changes in foreign policy is another question.
On Morning Edition, Applebaum outlined three ways Congress could influence U.S. foreign policy, from the war in Iran to Ukraine, and where its power would stop. Read her takeaways below.
1. How Congress could influence the war in Iran
The U.S. and Israel have carried out military campaigns against Iran since June 2025. The war has cost American taxpayers an estimated $47.1 billion as of mid-October, according to Pentagon figures obtained by The Associated Press. Iranian retaliatory strikes have also targeted U.S. military bases in the Gulf.
"I don't expect Trump to change," Applebaum said. "He's not that interested in what Americans think of his policies."
There is also a question of timing. Iran remains wary of renewed attacks, and some supporters of the war may see the next two months, before the new Congress takes office, as their last chance to escalate the conflict, Trita Parsi, an Iran expert at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi.
Once Democrats take control of both chambers, they could use one of Congress's most important powers: deciding how federal money is spent. Lawmakers can seek restrictions in spending bills that would limit the use of federal funds for certain military operations.
"You could see them trying to use the power of the purse, the appropriations committees, to end the war or to influence politics," Applebaum said.
She expects that pressure to "change the trajectory of the war sooner or later."
2. What congressional investigations could reveal
Congress can also investigate how the administration makes foreign policy decisions, even when it cannot directly reverse them.
Applebaum expects lawmakers to examine potential corruption involving people close to Trump and decisions made by his foreign policy team. She raised questions about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's competence and the advice Trump received during the Iran war.
Such investigations could bring more information into public view, but they would not necessarily produce a change in policy.
"Congress can't force the president to make changes," Applebaum said, noting that Trump can veto legislation.
Congress could, however, offer "a different narrative, both about this war and more broadly about American foreign policy," she said.
For that to matter, Applebaum said, Democratic leaders would need to move quickly, decide what to investigate and establish their priorities.
3. What could change for Ukraine
Support for Ukraine has crossed party lines in Congress, even as the Trump administration's approach to Russia has raised questions among lawmakers.
Applebaum expects that bipartisan coalition to become more active under Democratic control, including through legislation that would require the president to reimpose sanctions on Russia.
"I would expect legislation forcing the president to reimpose sanctions," she said.
The question is whether enough lawmakers would support such legislation to override a presidential veto. Applebaum said she could not predict that outcome, though she considered it possible given the level of congressional support for Ukraine.
Congress has already sought answers about disruptions to Ukraine's satellite communications. In October, the Pentagon's inspector general declined a bipartisan request to investigate slowdowns to Starlink and Starshield services, which Ukrainian officials said had hampered their ability to intercept Russian drones. The Trump administration and SpaceX have offered conflicting accounts of who was responsible.
Applebaum expects lawmakers to examine those disruptions further, along with the administration's negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, including allegations of business dealings involving negotiators.
She expects those issues to become "more open, more part of the conversation, more part of criticism."
The digital version was edited by Treye Green.
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