In a Nov. 6 interview with Hindustan Times, outgoing U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar urged Democrats to prioritize affordability and health care after the party won control of both chambers in the Nov. 3 midterms.
The Associated Press and Reuters reported that Democrats won control of the House and Senate. Thanedar, a Michigan Democrat, described the result as a rebuke of President Donald Trump and Republicans. He called for ending U.S. funding for the Iran war, reversing tariffs and restoring Medicaid benefits he said had been cut.
Thanedar argued that ending war funding could lower gasoline costs and that tariffs had pushed prices higher. Those were his assessments. He did not identify a scheduled congressional vote on the proposals.
He said impeachment should remain an option but should not lead the party’s agenda. “Impeachment should not be a priority,” Thanedar told Hindustan Times. On immigration, Thanedar doubted Congress would take up changes to H-1B visas or green cards soon.
AP’s voter poll offered a separate measure of accountability concerns: about seven in 10 respondents said Congress should do more to restrain the president.
Thanedar is leaving Congress after losing the Democratic primary for Michigan’s 13th Congressional District. Wayne County Clerk results for the Aug. 4 primary show state Rep. Donavan McKinney received 57,746 votes to Thanedar’s 53,522, with all 346 precincts reporting. AP reported that McKinney later won the general election and will succeed Thanedar.
