The White House Has Spent Months Mapping How to Govern Without Congress if Democrats Win, Reuters Reports
Since April, senior officials have catalogued the executive actions President Donald Trump could take alone — on tariffs, immigration, visas and spending — and how to defend them in court. One person familiar with the plans said he would be 'very comfortable' governing that way.
President Donald Trump's White House has spent months preparing for a possible Democratic takeover of Congress, developing plans to keep advancing major parts of his agenda through executive power while bracing for investigations of his administration, Reuters reported Sunday, citing a White House official and two people familiar with the plans.
Senior officials including deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and budget director Russell Vought have worked with the White House Counsel's Office since April to identify executive actions on immigration, tariffs, housing costs and federal spending that Trump could pursue without congressional approval, the three people told Reuters. White House counsel Will Scharf and his team are also looking at what Trump can legally do on his own, where he could push the limits of his authority and how to defend those decisions in court. Among the actions under consideration are new tariffs on imports of critical minerals and wind turbines, tighter visa rules for international students and temporary foreign workers, and measures aimed at lowering housing and construction costs. Vought is also examining which priorities can move forward using money already appropriated, and wants to change federal grant rules to give political appointees more say over which programs receive taxpayer money.
The paradox, as Reuters put it, is that capturing Congress would give Democrats the power to investigate Trump, block legislation and constrain his spending — but Trump would retain broad executive authority over trade, foreign policy and the federal bureaucracy. Trump has been briefed on the preparations and has taken part in the discussions, and one of the people said he would be 'very comfortable' governing through executive authority under a Democratic Congress. The White House pushed back on the prospect of Republican losses. 'This administration and commonsense Republicans will continue to secure our borders, restore law and order, putting more money back into the pockets of hard-working Americans, and deliver wins for the American people,' White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said. Democrats need a net gain of four seats in both chambers on Tuesday; polls favor them for the House, while the Senate remains too close to call.
