New Delhi: The upcoming US midterm elections could significantly constrain President Donald Trump's domestic agenda if Republicans lose control of either chamber of Congress, potentially triggering congressional investigations and pushing him to focus more on foreign affairs, foreign policy expert Robinder Sachdev said on Sunday.

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However, the outcome is unlikely to affect ongoing negotiations between India and the United States for an interim trade agreement, as tariff decisions and trade discussions largely fall within the executive branch's authority, he said.

Speaking to ANI, Sachdev said opinion polls suggest a challenging contest for Republicans in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. A loss in either chamber could undermine Trump's priorities on taxation, immigration, deregulation and environmental policy.

“I think this midterm is extremely important for President Donald Trump. If Trump loses the majority in the Lower House, or in the Upper House, or in both the Houses, it will be a setback to President Trump's legislative agenda, his domestic agenda, his agenda on taxation, his agenda on immigration, his agenda on deregulation, environment, and all of those,” Sachdev said.

He said a Democratic majority in either chamber could pave the way for increased scrutiny of the administration, with Democrats gaining control of congressional committees and their chairmanships.

“If Democrats gain a majority, then they will initiate, I would think, many, many inquiries, subpoenas—that is, they can call officials to come and answer before the Congress. There are multiple inquiries out there, including against Trump, which could include those related to the Epstein files,” he noted, warning that the final two years of Trump's term could turn into a "troubled, lame-duck presidency" marked by intense political friction.

A Republican loss in the Senate could also restrict Trump's ability to secure confirmation for key appointments, including administration officials, agency heads and ambassadors, Sachdev said.

He pointed out that US presidents facing legislative roadblocks at home have often turned their attention towards international affairs, where they enjoy greater executive flexibility.

"When a President loses legislative majorities, he cannot pursue his agenda domestically because many of those things require legislative approvals. In such situations, it has been seen in the past that the President turns more actively to foreign affairs, which are driven more by executive orders and trade. The President has much more leeway and flexibility in conducting foreign policy and national security policy," Sachdev said.

He added that Trump could become more active in international affairs irrespective of the election outcome.

"He has a vast menu to choose from in foreign affairs... in any case, even if he wins or loses overall in this midterms, Trump will get much more proactive in foreign affairs," Sachdev added.

On the possible impact of the midterm results on India-US trade negotiations, Sachdev said the electoral outcome would not significantly change the course of discussions on an interim trade agreement.

"The results of these midterms will not, as such, impact the trade deal with India which is being discussed," Sachdev said.

He explained that tariff decisions and negotiations are largely handled by the executive branch, rather than being directly controlled by Congress.

"The tariffs that Trump is talking about imposing are under his executive authority under Section 232 and Section 301. Congress has no control over those. As well as the negotiation of the trade agreement, the various nuts and bolts are handled by the US Trade Representative (USTR)," he explained.

Sachdev said India and the US still had differences to resolve before reaching an agreement, but the final stages of negotiations would remain an executive-level matter, irrespective of which party controls Congress.