US midterm elections under way, with Republican control of Congress at stake

Voting is under way in the United States midterm elections on Tuesday, 3 November 2026. Voters are deciding the composition of the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to Deutsche Welle (DW) and Al Jazeera.

President Donald Trump's Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress. Al Jazeera reports that the elections could strip the Republicans of control of Congress. DW says the Republicans could lose at least the House, and presents losing the Senate as only a possibility.

The United States is engaged in a war with Iran. Both outlets describe the war as an issue in the election.

What is reported

All House seats and 35 Senate seats are being contested, according to Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera also reports that rising living costs and the war on Iran dominated the campaign.

According to DW, recent polls suggest the Democrats could take control of at least the House, and possibly the Senate. DW does not name the polls or give figures.

DW reports that Trump launched the war against Iran alongside Israel on 28 February without consulting Congress. According to DW, Democrats have repeatedly voted against the war. Together with some Republicans, they passed a resolution calling for an end to the hostilities. DW says the Trump administration has ignored it.

On Ukraine, DW reports that the US under Trump has suspended sanctions against Russia and reduced financial and military aid to Ukraine. DW also reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a frosty welcome during a 2025 visit to the White House.

On development aid, DW reports that shortly after beginning his second term, Trump sharply cut US support for global aid projects, including programmes against Ebola, AIDS and hunger, and shut down USAID. DW says it is questionable whether a Democratic-controlled Congress could reactivate USAID against the president's wishes. It says Congress could push for more aid spending and investigate the agency's closure.

What each side says

"Democrats criticize the Trump administration for not doing enough for Ukraine," Brandon Conradis, an editor at Bloomberg Government and a former DW journalist, told DW. "They can push legislation that would provide more aid to Ukraine."

According to DW, Trump has said he gets along better with Russian President Vladimir Putin than with Zelenskyy. DW does not say where or when he said this.

On the Iran war, Michael O'Hanlon, director of research for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, said Congress's role would be limited. "I don't think Congress will have huge powers here," O'Hanlon told DW. In his view, Congress could perhaps prevent a major escalation by refusing to fund it.

On USAID, DW quoted Conradis as saying: "Democrats would have oversight power and use it to scrutinize the closing of USAID." He added: "There will be hearings, and they will drag officials they view as responsible in front of Congress."

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include statements from the White House, the Republican Party or Democratic Party leadership. They also do not include results, projections, turnout figures or current seat margins.

Analysis

The outcome could affect how much room the administration has on foreign policy. If Democrats win one or both chambers, the reports reviewed by Vocemundi suggest they could use funding and oversight powers on Ukraine aid, the Iran war and the closure of USAID. Brookings Institution's Michael O'Hanlon cautioned in comments to DW that Congress's leverage over the Iran war has limits, and DW itself calls it questionable whether Congress could revive USAID against the president's wishes. If Republicans keep control, current policies could face less resistance in Congress. Because the reports do not include polling figures or seat margins, the scale of any shift remains unclear until results are counted.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.