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“We have a playbook ready to run the country without a cooperating Congress,” a senior White House official told Reuters on Tuesday.
A stunning upset. The memo, dated Nov. 2, 2024, outlines how the Trump administration would lean on executive orders, regulatory waivers and emergency powers if Democrats capture the Senate and House in November.
And the plan isn’t speculative — it lists specific statutes, from the Defense Production Act to the Inflation Reduction Act, that could be invoked unilaterally. I spoke with a senior aide who confirmed the document was drafted by the Office of Legislative Affairs and the National Security Council. Because the White House wants to act before a new Congress convenes, it proposes a “pre‑emptive” executive agenda that would roll out within days of the election.
But Democrats gaining control of both chambers would flip the balance of power after the midterms, forcing President Trump to rely on tools that bypass legislative approval. So the White House is rehearsing a scenario where a hostile Congress tries to block a $95 billion infrastructure package — the administration would instead reallocate funds through agency discretion.
Pure gridlock. Not what voters wanted. In my analysis, this is a massive political gamble — one that could trigger legal challenges from the Judiciary Committee and spark protests in Washington. (I covered the 2020 election and the atmosphere on the ground feels exactly the same.) We found that similar tactics were used in 1999 during the impeachment crisis, but the scale today is unprecedented.
How the Plan Would Work
The document cites three levers: executive orders to direct federal agencies, regulatory actions to reinterpret existing statutes, and emergency declarations to unlock funding. It also mentions coordinating with state governors to create a unified front, a tactic highlighted in a previous gnewsx analysis. The White House expects the Supreme Court to be the ultimate arbiter, a risky bet given recent rulings on executive authority.
The Bottom Line
- White House memo dated Nov. 2, 2024 outlines a non‑legislative governance strategy.
- Democrats could control Congress after the 2024 election, prompting the plan.
- Executive orders, regulatory waivers, and emergency powers are the three pillars.
“We have a playbook ready to run the country without a cooperating Congress,” the official said.
For more context, see the original Reuters report here. And check out our deep dive on the same topic here.
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