The Trump White House has drafted plans to govern without Congress if Democrats win in Tuesday’s midterms, according to a Reuters report published Sunday. The planning has run since April and spans four policy areas: immigration, tariffs, housing costs and federal spending.
What Reuters says the plan looks like
Reuters reports that the White House has spent months preparing unilateral moves. The goal is to keep Trump’s agenda going if Democrats win the House, the Senate, or both. The reporting rests on one White House official and two people familiar with the planning. All three are anonymous, and the White House didn’t confirm details on the record.
Those sources say deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and budget director Russell Vought have worked with the White House Counsel’s Office since April. Their job is to find actions Trump could take without a single vote on Capitol Hill.
Why this matters to your wallet
Tariffs, immigration enforcement and federal spending touch prices, jobs and paychecks. If this plan plays out, the White House would make those calls. No bill would go through committee and a floor vote first. We’ve already seen how this works with spending, as in the GAO ruling on Trump’s $810 million pocket rescission, where the money was gone before anyone could object.
Reuters asked how comfortable Trump would be with rule by executive action under a Democratic Congress. One source said “very comfortable,” according to Reuters via The Business Standard.
That fits the pattern. Since returning to office, Trump has leaned on presidential directives for sweeping tariffs, tougher immigration enforcement and a smaller federal workforce. Nathan Gonzales of Inside Elections put it bluntly. Trump has “basically ignored Congress and tried to do as much as possible through executive orders and executive power,” he told Reuters.
The legal groundwork behind the executive power plan
White House counsel Will Scharf’s team is also studying what Trump can legally do on his own. It is mapping where he could push the limits of his authority, the White House official told Reuters. It is also working out how to defend those choices in court. One source says the plans include tariffs on critical minerals and wind turbines.
Another source says Vought wants to change federal grant rules. The change would give political appointees more say over which programs get taxpayer money. In plain English: more control over spending, with no help from Congress.
The part you can’t bypass Congress to avoid
Reuters says one problem can’t be sidestepped: congressional investigations. A Democratic House would gain subpoena power. The sources say White House lawyers have been briefing political appointees and agency leaders. The briefings cover how to handle inquiries, document requests and subpoenas.
One source also says the White House sought a Justice Department opinion. It could let Trump invoke executive privilege to shield communications with private advisers. Reuters notes that senior House Democrats have discussed using hearings and subpoenas. They want to examine whether Trump used presidential power to benefit himself, allies or donors.
So who really holds the cards? Democrats could block nominees if they win the Senate, including any Supreme Court pick. They could pass bills too. Trump could veto them, and Democrats are unlikely to have the votes to override. Congress can also vote to end national emergencies. That would take two-thirds of both chambers if Trump vetoes.
The White House pushed back generally. It accused the media of promoting a false narrative about Republican losses. Other fast-moving White House fights are heating up too, like the Lisa Cook committee hearing now set for Nov. 5.
The political backdrop is simple. Polls favor Democrats to win the House, and the Senate is too close to call. Democrats need a net gain of four seats in each chamber to take control.
The biggest question isn’t whether Trump can act alone. He already does. It’s what happens when a Democratic Congress, the courts and a pile of subpoenas all start pushing back at once. We’ll find out Tuesday night, and again in January.
