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January Capitol Pulse Results: Congress Backs Maduro Capture, Worries About Data Centers, and Puts National Security at the Top of the 2026 Agenda
January’s Capitol Pulse results highlight several clear differences between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, particularly on U.S. foreign policy, President Trump’s political future, and the pace of data center development. Other issues, including credit-card interest rates, show considerably more overlap between the parties.
Congress Supports the U.S. Capture of Maduro
Congress supports the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, with 48.46% supporting the action, 37.66% opposed, and 13.88% unsure .
The partisan divide is substantial. 75.86% of Republicans support the capture, compared with 21.05% of Democrats , while 68.42% of Democrats oppose it compared with just 6.90% of Republicans.
The split centers on a question about the use of U.S. power overseas, with the two parties taking sharply different positions on the Maduro operation.
National Security Leads Congress’s 2026 Agenda
National security and foreign policy lead the issues Congress expects to dominate in 2026, at 47.46% , ahead of health care policy and costs at 33.90%. Economic policy and financial regulation follows at 16.95%, while AI policy and other technology regulation accounts for 1.69%.
The parties place somewhat different emphasis on the congressional agenda. 57.63% of Republicans selected national security and foreign policy, compared with 40.68% of Democrats. Health care ranked more evenly, with 35.29% of Republicans and 33.33% of Democrats selecting it.
The results put foreign policy and national security at the top of Congress’s expected 2026 workload, while health care remains the leading domestic policy concern in the survey.
Congress Does Not Expect a Trump Third-Term Bid
A clear majority of Congress, 63.12% , does not expect President Trump to make a serious attempt to run for a third term. 22.70% expect him to try, while 14.18% are unsure.
Here, the partisan divide is particularly pronounced. 81.40% of Republicans do not expect a serious third-term attempt , compared with 34.04% of Democrats. Meanwhile, 48.94% of Democrats expect Trump to make an attempt, compared with 8.14% of Republicans.
The difference tracks the parties’ sharply different assessments of a potential Trump 2028 campaign, even as a majority overall does not expect a serious third-term effort.
Congress Narrowly Supports a 10% Credit-Card Interest Cap
Congress is narrowly in favor of a 10% cap on credit-card interest rates , with 48.13% supporting the proposal, 29.75% opposed, and 22.11% unsure .
Unlike several of the January questions, the parties are relatively close on this issue. 50.00% of Democrats support the cap, compared with 46.27% of Republicans. Opposition is somewhat higher among Republicans, at 32.84%, than among Democrats, at 26.67%.
The relatively narrow partisan gap puts credit-card interest rates among the issues where Congress shows more cross-party agreement.
Congress Raises Concerns About Rapid Data-Center Development
Rapid data-center development receives the strongest negative response in the January results. 70.96% of Congress describes the development as bad , compared with 18.35% saying it does not matter much and 10.69% saying it is good.
Democrats and Republicans both register majority opposition, but the intensity differs significantly. 86.11% of Democrats call rapid data-center development bad, compared with 55.81% of Republicans. Republicans are also more likely to view the development positively, with 25.58% selecting “good,” compared with 11.11% of Democrats.
The partisan difference comes as Congress considers the rapid expansion of the infrastructure supporting AI and other high-demand computing, putting data centers at the intersection of technology, energy, infrastructure, and local development policy.