After Democrats’ midterm sweep that gave them control of the House and Senate, the investigation into the Epstein files is likely to receive new attention.

That’s welcome. The Epstein victims have gotten no real justice under a Trump administration that obfuscated rather than releasing all the documents. But Democrats cannot afford to become obsessed with Epstein in this new era. They have a long list of other tropics they have to tackle at the same time.

Democrats were elected on promises to help Americans with affordability and to fight back against corruption. Now it’s time to govern. Their leadership is promising a blitz of oversight and accountability when it comes to the Trump administration.

That’s needed. But putting all of their energy into investigating Trump will be sure to turn off moderate voters who helped flip the House and Senate. The cost of living remains Americans’ biggest concern.

On the list of Democratic promises and areas to investigate:

Democrats are expected to start looking into Trump family’s business dealings such as Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamian wedding expenses that were reportedly picked up by a Russian oligarch. The president’s continued business interests also need investigation, including Truth Social, his cryptocurrency work and overseas projects involving his family and foreign investors.

Then there are the alleged abuses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in places like Minneapolis. Renee Good was among the protesters shot to death by ICE over mass deportations. That happened in January, though it seems like a decade ago. A push for new safeguards and a serious look at the training of ICE officers are the bare minimum that need to be investigated, along with allowing ICE agents to wear masks.

Looking into ICE won’t be easy: Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin insisted, “Deportations will continue,” in a social media post Wednesday, after the historic win by Democrats.

There is the DOGE-ing of our government, which devastated the federal workforce in the name of efficiency. There’s Elon Musk’s weird involvement in the White House including Teslas on the South Lawn and a one-armed salute similar to a Nazi salute that Musk offered at a celebratory rally in Washington after Trump’s inauguration.

There’s also Trump’s use of executive power, which needs to be curbed, and a June report issued by House Democrats earlier this year about the undermining of public health under this administration. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has said Democrats would use their new majority to reinstate premium subsidies for the Affordable Care Act and reverse nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts. Jeffries is likely to become speaker of the House in January.

Stopping the war in Iran has to be at the top of the list, to help reduce gas costs and stop risking American lives in a conflict that Congress never approved. Tariffs, too, must be addressed because they also are driving up costs for regular Americans.

Democrats have been gearing up for this moment for a long time. On the night before the midterms, U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, a California Democrat likely to become chair of the House Oversight Committee, even offered these two words of advice to Republicans: “Lawyer up.”

Where does the Epstein scandal fit into all of this? It’s not an either/or proposition. Congress can push the Epstein investigation forward — including a release of all documents and any additional links to President Donald Trump’s involvement in the sex-trafficking ring — while also focusing on affordability, accountability and ending the war.

Democrats wanted their chance to run the country. They have a real chance to act as a check on Trump’s out-of-control power. Now let’s see what they do with it.

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