Sunday shows preview: Democrats lay out legislative agenda; Congress leadership sparks infighting

With Democrats set to take control of both the House and Senate following sweeping victories in the midterm elections, sitting lawmakers have already begun to lay out plans for the lame-duck period and the latter half of President Trump’s second term.

Democrats secured big wins in battleground states , flipping GOP-held seats in places like Texas, Maine, Kansas, Iowa, South Carolina and Ohio. With 54 Senate and 254 House seat — and other races yet to be decided — the Democratic Party is already setting the stage for clashes with GOP officials in the Trump administration.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee who’s seeking to chair the panel, issued a two-word statement to Trump officials after the blue wave: “Lawyer up.” Garcia is set to appear on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday.

Democrats, and as well as some Republican lawmakers, have also called for the impeachment of top Trump administration officials, including Attorney General Todd Blanche and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Two House Democrats , Reps. Hank Johnson (Ga.) and Deborah Ross (N.C.), voiced their support Thursday for impeachment efforts against these GOP administrators in an interview with SiriusXM’s “The Dan Abrams Show.”

Blanche is expected to appear in Fox News’s “Fox News Sunday.”

The calls for Hegseth’s removal came from both sides of the aisles, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) telling CNN he plans to call for a vote to impeach the defense secretary. The Kentucky Republican later posted on social media saying his impeachment resolution is “ a much gentler version of what’s coming when Dem’s control Congress. They’ll have hearings & trials.”

In response , Hegseth said in a Thursday video posted to social platform X, “A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly.”

President Trump asked the Department of Justice Saturday to investigate Democrats’ investigation threats toward administration officials, calling them “extortion at the highest level.”

Though the White House announced its own leadership shake-ups after Election Day. On Friday, the president announced his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, was leaving the White House and longtime adviser Stephen Miller would take her place. Prior to this, former White House adviser Steve Bannon called for Wiles’s immediate removal due to the GOP’s midterm shellacking.

Party officials were quick to place blame on issues like cost of living and the ongoing war in Iran for Republican losses. Even Vice President Vance, attributed the widespread defeat to the administration’s war with the Islamic Republic.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) pointed to cost of living as a “top issue” after the Lone Star State witnessed a historic flip — with state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) defeating incumbent GOP Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrat James Talarico beating state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in the Senate race.

Despite facing unprecedented losses in several historically red-leaning states, the GOP maintained its strong hold in states like Florida , where Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) defeated Democrat David Jolly in the gubernatorial race. Donalds is set to appear on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” and Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

The stunning midterms results also heated up leadership conversations for the 120th Congress. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) is expected to run for the position of the minority leader, a source familiar with his plans told The Hill , where he will likely face against House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). This came after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on a staff call Wednesday that he will not run for the post .

On the Democratic side, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is on track to take the majority leader post. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) also announced he would seek reelection as Senate majority leader. However, newly elected Democratic senators, including Abdul El-Sayed (Mich.) and Adam Hamilton (Kan.) said they would not cast their votes for him.

Hamilton is set to appear on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” and CNN’s “State of the Union.”

See the full list of guests on the Sunday morning news shows below:

CBS News’s “Face the Nation”: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), Rep.-elect Nancy Lacore (D-S.C.).

CNN’s “State of the Union”: Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton (D-Kan.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.).

Fox News’s “Fox News Sunday”: U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D).

NBC News’s “Meet the Press”: Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton (D-Kan.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Florida Gov.-elect Byron Donalds (R), Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D).

Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures”: Florida Gov.-elect Byron Donalds (R), Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty (R), Former Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender, Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.).