Democrats return to Trump's Washington after getting an earful of 'do something' at home

Congressional Democrats returned to Washington earlier this week, fresh off of a lengthy summer recess where they heard one prevailing message from constituents in town halls and other events: Do something

Congressional Democrats returned to Washington earlier this week, fresh off of a lengthy summer recess where they heard one prevailing message from constituents in town halls and other events: Do something.

Now, Democratic lawmakers — in the minority in the Senate and the House as well as out of the White House — are confronting the limited number of things they can do while trying to appease party members desperate to see some action.

Democrats from battleground states and districts told NBC News near the end of the congressional recess that constituents repeatedly urged them throughout August to keep resisting Trump and his congressional GOP allies. But they acknowledged that there’s little they can do to fight the president’s agenda with no power in Congress, instead focusing on how they can raise the profile of some issues and also organize ahead of the midterm elections.

“I think that the prevalent mood we’re hearing right now is: Keep fighting back. And that is true of not just the Democrats — and I’ve heard from a lot of Democrats, certainly — but also a lot of the independent voters out there that we talked to,” said Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif., who won his Orange County-based district by less than 3 percentage points in 2024.

Democratic members of Congress from California, Nevada, Oregon and Indiana told NBC News that some of the issues that most concerned their constituents over the recess was the impact of tariffs on the rising cost of living, rising medical costs and access to health care.