Representative Richard Neal, the Massachusetts Democrat in line to lead the House Ways and Means Committee when the next Congress convenes, said on Friday that rolling back President Donald Trump’s tariff program would sit at the front of his trade agenda after Democrats’ midterm wins on Tuesday.

Speaking at a conference hosted by former U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, Neal promised to unwind what he called “deliberately chaotic and unjustified” duties and secretive side deals that have raised import costs since Trump returned to office. He did not release bill text, but his remarks point to a legislative push that could target some of the administration’s most politically sensitive levies, including those on Canadian goods.

What Neal said

Neal tied the midterm outcome directly to pocketbook pressure. He argued that broad tariff increases have fed higher living costs and widened inequality between workers and the wealthiest Americans. “I’m committed to reversing Trump’s unjustified tariffs and pursuing trade policy that is grounded in good governance and transparency,” he said, according to Reuters coverage of the event. “That means delivering for every working family, not serving one man’s ego.”

He also stressed that Mexico and Canada should remain inside the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and that the pact’s six-year review cycle offers room to improve enforcement without abandoning the framework.

The arithmetic in Congress

Projections after Tuesday’s voting show Democrats with at least 250 House seats—their largest majority since Barack Obama’s 2008 wave—and 54 Senate seats aligned with the party, enough to organize both chambers when the 120th Congress opens in January. That shift returns committee gavels to Democrats and gives Neal, as presumptive Ways and Means chair, control over which trade bills reach the House floor.

Yet reversing tariffs is not a one-vote exercise. Most Senate legislation still needs 60 votes to clear a filibuster, and any bill Trump vetoes would require a two-thirds majority in each chamber to become law without his signature. Neal’s Friday speech therefore marks the opening of a bargaining season rather than an immediate schedule change at the border.

Which duties are in the crosshairs

Democrats have already signaled interest in repealing tariffs imposed under Section 338 against Canada and the global Section 122 surcharges that briefly touched nearly all imports. Senate Democrats, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have introduced measures that would also curb Section 301 forced-labor add-ons that replaced the expired global duties. Neal did not endorse specific bill numbers on Friday, but trade lawyers following the midterms say punitive Canada tariffs are among the likeliest first targets because they draw bipartisan discomfort in northern border states.

Analysts note that Trump has enjoyed mixed success defending his tariff authorities in court. A Democratic Ways and Means majority could pair repeal votes with clarifying language on how much discretion presidents retain under statutes such as Section 232 and Section 301, making future judicial review easier.

What happens next

Neal and Senate Finance Committee chair-in-waiting Ron Wyden are expected to hold hearings early next year on affordability, supply chains, and congressional war powers over taxation. Lame-duck Republicans still hold gavels until January, but Democratic leaders may test vote counts on targeted Canada rollbacks before the holiday recess if GOP border-state members break ranks.

For importers, the message is procedural: tariff lines on customs filings stay in place until statutes change or courts strike them. Neal’s pledge nonetheless tells global suppliers that the political cost of the current schedule has risen sharply—just three days after voters handed Democrats both chambers.