The Congress has WAY more tools than just impeachment to check illegal executive actions. Impeachment’s the nuclear option, but daily oversight is where real accountability happens. Let’s just take a look at a few tools dems could use.
Trump admin officials like Wilbur Ross repeatedly ignored subpoenas about the citizenship census question. Dems could’ve jailed officials for contempt ,like the GOP did to Lois Lerner, or sued for enforcement. They folded. Trump’s family separation policy violated asylum laws. Congress controls the purse. They could’ve defunded ICE/CBP’s ability to implement it. Instead, they funded it more. Trump’s emoluments violations (e.g., foreign govs. paying at his hotels). Pass a bill explicitly banning presidential self-enrichment. When Dems did act (e.g., suing over border wall funds), they won which proves that legal avenues exist.
Claiming "Congress can’t do anything" ignores history. When Bush pushed torture, Congress passed the Detainee Treatment Act. When Obama overreached on immigration, courts blocked him. Weakness is a choice, not a constraint. Even without majority control, minority parties have real power, which dems are not using. They can force subpoena votes, sue in court (like Dems did to block Trump's border wall funding), leverage Senate filibusters, and rally public pressure. Republicans proved this by stonewalling Obama's Supreme Court pick for 10 months with only Senate control. The tools exist, and the lack of oversight reflects political opportunism as opposed to institutional impossibility.