Democrats won Congress. Can they actually stop Trump’s tariffs?
Published . Updated .
Key takeaways
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On the heels of their resounding victories in the midterms, Democrats are preparing to take President Trump’s tariffs head-on as part of their pledge to lower the cost of living. The tariffs, a ce…
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- XLI Industrial Select Sector SPDR-0.3% 30d
Industrial Select Sector SPDR: it holds companies hit by import costs and trade rules. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story.
- XRT SPDR S&P Retail ETF
SPDR S&P Retail ETF: it holds companies hit by import costs and trade rules. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story.
- TIP iShares TIPS Bond ETF-0.4% 30d
iShares TIPS Bond ETF: it is a common hedge when prices rise. Linked by “cost of living” (inflation and prices) in this story.
- CAT Caterpillar-31.9% 30d
Caterpillar (construction machinery and equip): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story.
- DE Deere-2.2% 30d
Deere (farm machinery and equipment): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story.
- WMT Walmart+20.2% 30d
Walmart (variety stores): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story.
- NKE Nike+6.7% 30d
Nike (rubber and plastics footwear): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story.
- COST Costco Wholesale+14.1% 30d
Costco Wholesale (variety stores): big consumer-goods sellers feel price rises in costs and shopper demand. Linked by “cost of living” (inflation and prices) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XLI | +4.34% | +4.15% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| XRT | +1.17% | +4.73% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| TIP | +0.09% | -0.20% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| CAT | +9.84% | +5.82% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| DE | -0.85% | +0.44% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| WMT | +1.78% | +2.99% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| NKE | +1.40% | +4.92% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| COST | -1.21% | -0.66% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
Democrats won Congress. Can they actually stop Trump’s tariffs? The Hill
Source: The Hill
Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI) since this story, compared with the market
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caterpillar (CAT) | three days earlier | +5.82% | final price |
| Caterpillar (CAT) | five days earlier | +9.84% | final price |
| COST | three days earlier | -0.66% | final price |
| COST | five days earlier | -1.21% | final price |
| Deere (DE) | three days earlier | +0.44% | final price |
| Deere (DE) | five days earlier | -0.85% | final price |
| Nike (NKE) | three days earlier | +4.92% | final price |
| Nike (NKE) | five days earlier | +1.40% | final price |
| TIP | three days earlier | -0.20% | final price |
| TIP | five days earlier | +0.09% | final price |
| Walmart (WMT) | three days earlier | +2.99% | final price |
| Walmart (WMT) | five days earlier | +1.78% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI) | three days earlier | +4.15% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI) | five days earlier | +4.34% | final price |
| Spdr Series Trust (XRT) | three days earlier | +4.73% | final price |
| Spdr Series Trust (XRT) | five days earlier | +1.17% | final price |
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Lisa McClain bought Caterpillar (CAT) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 28 Sep 2026. That is 41 days before publication. Filed 12 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Walmart (WMT) (held by a spouse), worth $50,001 - $100,000 on 2 Oct 2026. That is 37 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Jonathan Jackson sold Walmart (WMT) (jointly held), worth $50,001 - $100,000 on 28 Sep 2026. That is 41 days before publication. Filed 19 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Walmart (WMT) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 44 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Nike (NKE), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 28 Aug 2026. That is 72 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Gilbert Cisneros sold Nike (NKE), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 27 Aug 2026. That is 73 days before publication. Filed 10 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, sold Nike (NKE), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 21 Aug 2026. That is 79 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Costco Wholesale (COST), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 13 Oct 2026. That is 26 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Costco Wholesale (COST) (held by a spouse), worth $250,001 - $500,000 on 2 Oct 2026. That is 37 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Rohit Khanna bought Costco Wholesale (COST) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 25 Sep 2026. That is 44 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
Who gains and who loses around Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI)
Companies carried with this story
- XLI Select Sector Spdr Tr
Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 8 Nov 2026 story “Democrats won Congress. Can they actually stop Trump’s tariffs?.” Reason on file: Industrial Select Sector SPDR: it holds companies hit by import costs and trade rules. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
- XRT Spdr Series Trust
For “Democrats won Congress. Can they actually stop Trump’s tariffs?,” Spdr Series Trust (XRT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: SPDR S&P Retail ETF: it holds companies hit by import costs and trade rules. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
- CAT Caterpillar
For “Democrats won Congress. Can they actually stop Trump’s tariffs?,” Caterpillar (CAT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Caterpillar (construction machinery and equip): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
- DE Deere
For “Democrats won Congress. Can they actually stop Trump’s tariffs?,” Deere (DE) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Deere (farm machinery and equipment): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
- WMT Walmart
In “Democrats won Congress. Can they actually stop Trump’s tariffs?,” Walmart (WMT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Walmart (variety stores): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
- NKE Nike
Nike (NKE) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 8 Nov 2026 story “Democrats won Congress. Can they actually stop Trump’s tariffs?.” Reason on file: Nike (rubber and plastics footwear): importers and exporters pay or lose sales when tariffs change. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI)
The 8 Nov 2026 story “Democrats won Congress. Can they actually stop Trump’s tariffs?” names Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI) because of this story.
The link for Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI) is this: Industrial Select Sector SPDR: it holds companies hit by import costs and trade rules. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
Spdr Series Trust (XRT) is here too. Its reason reads: SPDR S&P Retail ETF: it holds companies hit by import costs and trade rules. Linked by “tariff” (tariffs and trade) in this story
Dates and price levels for Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI)
CAT traded between 550.88 and 811.83 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 558.57. XLI traded between 163.00 and 172.33 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 169.73.
A simple score for Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLI)
54 out of 100
“Democrats won Congress. Can they actually stop Trump’s tariffs?” scores 54 out of 100. The score uses 2 sources, and 6 linked companies.