Inside House Dems' 11th-hour plot to sabotage Trump's agenda
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
House Democrats are strategizing ways to put a damper on the Trump administration 's sweeping plans while their party still retains some control in Washington, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Many Democrats fear that full GOP control of Congress – an increasingly likely prospect – will allow Trump to roll back many of the gains they made under the Biden administration.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is already telling allies how he is preparing to lead the resistance to Trump, Axios' Hans Nichols reported.
- "We as Democrats have to roll up our sleeves and get into defense and protection mode," Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) told Axios.
- Said outgoing Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.): "A lot of things can be undone, but it can take longer to undo them and it will force a priority from them on what they want to focus on."
What we're hearing: The talks mainly involve members of the Progressive, Black, Hispanic, Asian Pacific American and Equality caucuses, according to multiple lawmakers engaged in the discussions.
- Ramirez said the conversations center on figuring out "what are the things [where] we have any powers to protect the communities that we know will be most harmed as a result of a Donald Trump election."
- Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) confirmed to Axios "there are conversations that are taking place where people are tying to figure out if there are some steps that can be taken that can reduce the damage."
- Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragan (D-Calif.), in a statement, pointed to immigration policy as a key focus, noting Republicans "have promised mass deportations. The president-elect has even admitted that women and children could get caught up in these operations."
Zoom in: Jayapal said one plan is to propose a raft of executive orders President Biden could issue to "protect existing structures," such as shielding career civil servants and Justice Department officials.
- She also said lawmakers are working on getting funds from the Inflation Reduction Act , bipartisan infrastructure law , and CHIPS Act "out the door as quickly as possible."
- Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), Jayapal's likely successor as CPC chair, said lawmakers want to ensure those funds "start creating jobs before Trump finds some way to just send that money to his friends."
- Democrats also plan to lean on the Biden administration to fast-track citizenship and residency paperwork for immigrants, Casar said.
They are also trying to come up with messaging strategies to bolster Biden's legacy, said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.): "Trump is going to inherit a good economy ... [we want to] help educate people about that reality."
Reality check: Biden's executive orders have often run into trouble in conservative-dominated federal courts, and Democrats are limited in what they can do legislatively during the lame duck session due to GOP control of the House.
- Some Democrats are also sensitive to the perception that they are adopting the tactics of Republican state legislators who used their supermajorities to kneecap incoming Democratic governors.
- "We're trying to show how the United States is supposed to conduct itself every four years when a new person takes over the reins of government," said Cleaver.
- "I do think that's important. I want the American public to see, if they've forgotten, just how things are supposed to be ... I know that Biden doesn't want to step over the line."
What's next: Several lawmakers told Axios that the caucuses spearheading this brainstorming are set meet on the subject this week as the House returns to session.
- "In anticipation of [Trump's] actions, CHC will meet to discuss how best we can protect our communities and hold the incoming administration accountable," said Barragan.
- Ramirez told Axios: "CHC, CPC and others are going to have a lot of meetings next week to discuss what we end up prioritizing and how much of that can we take to the Dem caucus to ask that they prioritize."
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They once again will resist!
SCOTUS has given full immunity to the sitting POTUS to protect and defend america, and now that attempts to overthrow democracy are legal ...
No they didn't. Try reading the decision instead of relying on what you've been told.
As republicans did, and still do, whenever democrats take control of the House, Senate, or presidency. This article is nothing but a big hypocritical DUH.
What democrats did have no equal.
Let us begin with the Russia-hoax.
Any smug answers to that?
oh no, the obstructionist party is having a meltdown about the possibility of being obstructed ... /s
You just won't give up. The Russian collusion as confirmed by the Mueller report , republican investigation , and Trump's own mouth ?
Do you get a kick back for every time you claim it is a hoax?
Cool. Right after you prove that Trump was stopped from arresting Hillary by his AG, you can show us who Mueller arrested and charged with colluding with the russians to interfere in the 2016 election.
Try to keep up. Already did that on the other comment thread.
Durham slammed the FBI’s investigation – dubbed Crossfire Hurricane – into the Trump campaign for its “serious lack of analytic rigor” and a “cavalier attitude” for accuracy.
“...We conclude that the Department and the FBI failed to uphold their important mission of strict fidelity to the law in connection with certain events and activities described in this report,” Durham wrote.
For its part, the FBI does not dispute the report’s findings, but says it has already taken action and added safeguards in its investigations.
Durham also called out the role of the ( now-discredited ) Steele dossier, the opposition research gathered for the Hillary Clinton campaign that was in turn given to the FBI. Durham said the dossier was “unvetted and unverified,” yet was used as justification for surveillance.
“Indeed, based on the evidence gathered in multiple exhaustive and costly federal investigations of these matters, including the instant investigation, neither U.S. law enforcement nor the Intelligence Community appears to have possessed any actual evidence of collusion in their holdings at the commencement of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation," the report stated.
The political implications are clear, and the report highlights the favoritism shown to the Clinton campaign over Trump’s.
Give Biden family the Trump treatment
As Durham details, the FBI fumbled the “collusion” investigation. But mainstream media outlets also deserve blame for breathlessly going along with the Trump-Russia allegations .
The willingness to report negative rumors about Trump is in direct contrast to how the news media have protected President Joe Biden and his family.
For example, when the New York Post broke the Hunter Biden laptop story in October 2020, ahead of the presidential election, the rest of the media pretty much ignored it . Twitter even suspended the Post’s account for sharing its news reports. Emails from the laptop indicated Hunter Biden had used his dad’s position as vice president for his personal gain.
The story was slammed by Democrats and the media as Russian “disinformation .”
Nearly two years later, however, news organizations outside the right-leaning press finally admitted that the substance of the laptop story was real .
Media should give Biden 'Trump treatment' during GOP investigation
And to call it a "Republican" investigation is really farcical. The only Republican on the team was the cognitive mess who lent his name to it.
Do you get a kick back for every time you claim it is a hoax?
Not from the majority of human beings living in a fact-based universe. It only seems to be our very hardcore group of radicals who still believe that Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election.
Durham's investigation was an unmitigated partisan failure, but he is the only one you can find to dispute it?
Human beings living in a fact-based universe? So non-MAGA.
So, I see you are ignoring all the investigations proving otherwise, and calling Trump himself a liar.
I love seeing the and frantic and hysterical actions by the scorned and rejected left wingers.
They won't be able to get much done in the remaining few weeks that won't get reversed by the trifecta of a Republican President and Congress.
If they don't wake up and learn to live with and to cooperate with the Republicans, they will have little if any power for long time to come.
That's nice. It's exhausing always pointing out how these mountains are really molehills.
All they are trying to do is spend the money already allocated for laws they have already passed.
Sure not working across the isle is only a Dem thing. /s
I have to agree with their being scared S/
It is hilarious
I saw a video of a guitar accompanying the woman on the left as she was having her meltdown.
Freaking hilarious.
That's their job. That's why they were elected.
We will all be better off if they are moderately but not overly successful.
To obstruct a mandate?
They can represent their constituents without doing the things they did during the first Trump term.
winning an election by 2.5% of the vote isn't a mandate. trump barely won more votes than the popular vote that hilary beat him by in 2016, while still losing the election to him ...
They call it a mandate because right wing media and social media tells them to.
When its all said and done Trump will probably not have even 51% of the vote.
You're correct. Only 50.2%
Close enough for horseshoes and hand grenade fights.
Absolutely. That's how checks and balances work. That's how representative governments work.
Although I think it's incorrect to interpret the election results as a pro Trump mandate.
What we saw was the rejection an exceedingly poor candidate who could not articulate her policies, couldn't answer basic questions and couldn't do remedial math. With even a minimal level of competence, she could have won easily.
You leftists have been harping that no Republican has won the popular vote in a couple of decades, so when they finally did, that is considered a mandate, no matter by how much.
And so it begins..........again.
They may even try to fastrack citizenship for any they can
It still won't take effect until after Inauguration Day. Seriously doubt it will affect cleaning out the illegals.
They can try to speed up the process, but they still have to go through the process. My issue with the immigration system is there are not enough people (lawyers and judges) to speed up the process. It should take weeks to determine status not years. Then we wouldn't have 11m illegals roaming around the US, they would be processed and determined legal or deported.
They are wondering about the cost of that all of a sudden. They never asked the cost of anything but now they ask the cost of it.
The system is overwhelmed,
Whose fault is that?
Congress. All of them for the last 20 years.
Nope.
The democrats get every bit of the blame. Joe Biden's 4 years of trying to change the voters & the demographics was historic.
I'm hoping it can be undone.
Because they cost would mean a cut in their little idiotic pet projects.
Sorry, but who blocked the bill, that was written by a republican, that would have put in more judges to fast track the process?????
How about starting with getting them in the country LEGALLY.
That's all on the Biden / Democrat open border policies.
The bill?
The one that appeared 3 years after maybe 20 million were let in and every obstacle removed?
Riiiggghhhtttt... It's not like the Reps ever had all control of any branch of the government in 20 years. Nor wrote immigration bills that they then end up voting against either.
They don't want to fast track the process. It's all about enraging the voters to get them to the polls. It will be fun to see Trump fail at his deportation plan. Of course that will also be the Dem's fault.
When did that happen?
Are you cheering for failure to deport violent criminals in this country?
He and Holman have said they are the first priority.
Of course, all their failures end up being the fault of the Democrats somehow.
No no no....
To many leftists, that is crazy talk.
Are you referring to the bill that sent more money to Ukraine than it set aside to secure the border?
Nice try, but no.
Good luck with that.
If trump wants it the left doesn't. It is as simple as that. Doesn't matter what it is
Or they will deport a bunch in the first months and call it a success until the Dems get back into office and only then will it be a problem again.
What would your reply be if they were very successful?
Will you be sad?
Please share what success looks like under Trump's plan?
becoming victims of the "rule by the minority" ideology they pioneered probably won't sit very well with them ... bummer ...
Correct, the bill that took republicans more than 3 years to write after refusing to write one under Obama.
Nope. The one that sent more money to American companies to build weapons for Ukraine.
I don't have time to get into details but in a nutshell...
The exact opposite of the shit show we are experiencing now.
The federal government, specifically the congresses since the 80's.
Obviously, it was those who invited this.
Do you really want 74 million American citizens to decide elections?
There were only 3 Republicans involved with it. It was hardly a Republican bill, and it never made it to a vote because so many objected to the hidden details.
It did make for some interesting shit that stuck during the campaign.
So it was a bill that didn't benefit the US. And you question why it was not passed.
So you agree that the Biden administration allowed that many illegals into the US
The devil is in the details, but to you success is whatever you say it is... Pretty much what I expected.
Who is the author of the bill? How many republicans voted for it in the Senate?
No I don't, it didn't pass because Trump told the House not to pass it.
And there it is. The obligatory nonsense indicating you really don't have an argument.
no, it didn't pass because it was a piece of shit bill
In MAGA land, truth = nonsense? That actually explains a LOT!
Former President Donald Trump urged Republicans to move forward with border legislation separate from aid to Ukraine in a Truth Social rant pushing the GOP to reject the long-awaited Senate legislation unveiled Sunday—imperiling months of negotiations as Republicans sought to tie foreign aid to stricter border controls.
And that solidified you have nothing.
Can you explain how a private citizen, that does not donate to them to get pet projects done, can tell Congress how to vote
I say success is what is good for the country, even to the whiny little bitch leftists who think resistance and climate change are religions.
That is the exact opposite of Biden policies.
They can't explain how a private citizen that does not give money to campaigns can tell Congress how to vote.
It's an automatic go to excuse when they have absolutely NOTHING to back up their claims. They start with that and 1.3.3 is all I consider them as.
Are you seriously suggesting that Trump does not have the pull with republican lawmakers? They still went to Mar-a-Lago to kneel at his feet AFTER he lost the election, which most of them refused to acknowledge.
So what's the big deal? All I see is Dems pushing through what they got passed before Reps take it away. This isn't a new idea and both parties have done it often enough.
it seems like the last 2 months of an electoral change is only when any congressional work gets done ...
The ultimate TDS. They would rather see the country go down the toilet than Trump succeed.
He has beaten them at their own game - TWICE.
there's only one thing that criminal/traitor has ever beat in his life ...
I'm talking about Trump. Who are you talking about?
trump, the criminal/traitor elect, the maga lord and savior, the clown prince of western fascism ...
2 Questions:
Given you lack of answers to the questions in 3.1.4 (not that I'm surprised), it's safe to say you are still running on nothing but opinion and hurt feelings.
my opinion is that no american is above the law and should be held accountable for breaking it. my feelings are that he may realize later that accountability by the judicial system may be preferable to a future price he could pay.
So your "opinion". While I agree with you on that part, there have been over 8 years of investigations and the best that the partisan hacks could scrape up was a the James case that was shredded in the appeals courts and Jack Smith's hypocritical classified materials case where his team mishandled classified material / evidence that he's stepping away from. Oh and we can't forget the Merchan case that will more than likely be tossed because he won't go through with the sentencing phase (negating a "conviction").
Not to mention that nobody has been charged with "Treason". Looks like your criminal/traitor claim is nothing but hurt feelings and lacking any factual backing.
your faulty reasoning and logic suggests that since SCOTUS has given trump immunity and the DOJ won't prosecute a sitting president or president elect, trump is innocent of all crimes and indictments...
I never mentioned the SCOTUS immunity decision. Trump wasn't a sitting POTUS for 4 years. What happened then? Oh, that's right, partisan nonsense I mentioned.
They are playing the "what if" game with their hair on fire. A lot of their "gains" have been utter failures and need to be rolled back.
Okay, I have to ask. What are these Congressional Democrats trying to protect? (Other than their own asses.) What has Biden and Democrats done over the last four years that needs protecting?
Presidential immunity, so hoping Dems give it a go and we can see how it works. After Republicans fought to keep the filibuster, just watch as they cackle getting rid of it on day one.
the parade of lopsided government hypocrisy by maga republicans will likely continue. the immunity of trump's sycophants to self awareness, traditional american values, and constitutional ideals of justice are endless ...
You mean values like the sanctity of life, like self sufficiency? Do you mean constitutional ideals like freedom of speech, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of religion, the freedom of self defense or the freedom to keep and bare arms? Those are things that the left dislike and would like to see ended.
Their ultimate goal is to get hordes of cat ladies to protest.
Unfortunately their size is all sold out!