House Democrats on the Judiciary and Oversight committees have been reviewing a sweeping proposal for corporate investigations in 2027, Jeff Stein reported in The Washington Sun on Nov. 5, 2026, citing people familiar with the lawmakers’ private deliberations.
The 181-page document, drafted by the think tank Groundwork Collaborative, identifies hundreds of executives and companies as potential investigative targets, the Sun reported after reviewing it. But whether Democrats would embrace the strategy remained undecided in the newspaper’s account.
What Groundwork wants Congress to examine
The proposal reaches across tech giants, artificial intelligence labs, natural gas firms, private prisons and nursing home operators, among other industries, according to the Sun.
Its hearing ideas include questioning landlord executives under oath about junk fees and calling online sports gambling chief executives to testify about what the document describes as the industry’s use of AI to encourage compulsive gambling. That is a proposed subject of scrutiny, not a finding from a congressional investigation.
The document also calls for investigations into whether major credit card companies help retailers charge higher prices to big spenders, and for requiring large grocery chains to disclose how they use consumer data, the Sun reported.
Groundwork links its approach to household costs. Alex Jacquez, the group’s senior vice president, told the Sun: “We need to be laser-focused on the pain points and the corporations people blame for jacking up their prices, and that means using the tools of Congress to confront them.”
Raskin emphasizes corruption; centrists want fewer targets
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, told the Sun that his staff was reviewing potential investigative opportunities. He described the focus more narrowly than a campaign against businesses.
“We’re not targeting particular corporations,” Raskin said. “We’re targeting systems and networks of corruption, and to the extent corporations are involved, they are subject to the oversight project of Congress and our subpoena authority like everyone else.”
Centrist policy figures interviewed by the Sun urged a more selective approach. Ben Ritz, vice president of the Progressive Policy Institute, said: “There will be real legitimate instances to crack down on corporate abuses, but it needs to be focused.”
