White House Prepares Post-Election Playbook: Executive Action on Tariffs, Visas and Housing if Democrats Win Congress
Reuters reported on November 2 that the White House has spent months quietly assembling a playbook for governing through executive authority if Democrats capture Congress in the November 3 midterm elections, according to a White House official and two people familiar with the planning. The preparations, begun in April, are led by Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Budget Director Russell Vought and the team of White House Counsel Will Scharf.
The measures under consideration cover immigration, tariffs, housing costs and federal spending: new tariffs on imports of critical minerals and wind turbines, tighter visa rules for international students and temporary foreign workers, steps aimed at lowering housing and construction costs, and revised federal grant rules giving political appointees more say over funding decisions. Federal agencies have already submitted proposals and legal reviews of actions they could take unilaterally, and Vought is assessing which priorities can advance using money Congress has already appropriated.
White House lawyers are also examining what the president can legally do on his own, where he could push the limits of his authority and how to defend those decisions in court. Trump has been briefed on the preparations and has participated in the discussions; asked how comfortable he would be governing through executive authority under a Democratic Congress, one of the people replied: "very comfortable." Trump has signed 293 executive orders since returning to office in January 2025, according to the Federal Register.
Speaking on the New York Post's Pod Force One podcast published Saturday, Trump said: "I'll be 'Veto Man'" and added that "at some point we'll probably come to an agreement" - a reference to the veto power he would retain even under a Democratic Congress, whose members are unlikely to muster the two-thirds majorities needed to override him in either chamber.
Republicans currently hold the House 218-214 and the Senate 53-47; Democrats need a net gain of four seats to flip each chamber. Polls favor Democrats in the House while the Senate remains too close to call. A Democratic Congress would gain committee power to investigate, subpoena and demand documents; the report said White House lawyers have also prepared for months for that prospect, briefing officials on handling congressional inquiries and advising care about what is put in writing.
A White House spokesman said Trump will continue advancing his agenda and delivering on his promises. Results will begin arriving after polls close on November 3. The full report is at Reuters: White House prepares to rely heavily on executive power.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国国会大厦清晨（资料图）。美国众议院摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The U.S. Capitol at sunrise (file photo). Photo by the U.S. House of Representatives, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
