The red wave that wasn’t could be enough to shift control of the House to Republicans, whose possible narrow majority heading into next year may present new challenges for governance but no less of an oversight headache for the Biden administration. Meanwhile, for the second election in a row, Senate control appeared as of Wednesday morning to run through Georgia, where neither incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock nor Herschel Walker had reached the 50 percent threshold needed to avoid a Dec. 6 runoff. Either way, the Biden administration may be forced to curb its congressional agenda as the president redoubles his use of executive authority and his administration’s power to pursue measures through the regulatory process and Executive Orders.

House Republicans have been clear about their own agenda, releasing their Commitment to America plan earlier this year. Under a Republican majority the House will focus on budget bills designed to curb the federal spending that they blame for high inflation, reversing regulations that limit domestic energy production and delaying permitting, moving supply chains away from mainland China, strengthening border security, and expanding parental rights and school choice. Aggressive oversight of government programs and spending will be a new daily reality for agencies and appointees that have operated under a relatively light touch for the past two years. Corporate America will not be immune from this congressional oversight and investigative onslaught.