Donald Trump’s White House has spent months drawing up a plan to keep its agenda moving even if voters hand Congress to the Democrats on Tuesday, according to an exclusive report by Reuters.
The news agency, citing a White House official and two other people familiar with the preparations, reports that senior aides have been mapping out how far the president can go using executive power alone, and how to defend his administration against the wave of congressional investigations that a Democratic majority would be expected to unleash. One of the sources described Mr Trump as “very comfortable” governing that way.
What is reportedly on the table
According to Reuters, the work has been led since April by deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and budget director Russell Vought, alongside the White House Counsel’s Office, where a team under counsel Will Scharf has been testing the limits of presidential authority. Among the measures reportedly under consideration:
- New tariffs on imported critical minerals and wind turbines.
- Tighter visa rules for international students and temporary foreign workers, a change that would be closely watched by Irish people hoping to study or work in the US.
- Executive steps aimed at cutting housing and construction costs.
- Using money Congress has already approved to push the president’s priorities, with Mr Vought’s budget office in the lead.
- Rewriting federal grant rules to give political appointees more say over which programmes are funded.
Reuters also reports that the administration has sought Justice Department legal opinions on what the president can do without Congress, including one that could allow him to use executive privilege to shield conversations with outside advisers from congressional scrutiny. Officials have reportedly been told to be careful about what they put in writing, in anticipation of subpoenas.
The White House hits back
The White House rejected the premise that Republicans are heading for defeat. Spokeswoman Lauren Bis accused the media of pushing a false narrative and said the administration and Republicans would keep securing the borders and delivering for Americans, Reuters reported.
The polls tell a less comfortable story for the president’s party. Al Jazeera reports that the RealClearPolling average gives Democrats a lead of more than eight points on the national congressional ballot, and analysts broadly expect them to win the House. The Senate, which Republicans hold 53-47, is viewed as a toss-up by the Fox News Power Rankings.
Why this matters beyond Washington
Mr Trump has already governed heavily by executive order in his second term. Reuters notes that tariffs, immigration enforcement, cuts to the federal workforce and the war against Iran have largely gone ahead without new legislation, with his July 2025 tax and spending law the main exception. For Ireland, the trade measures matter most: new tariffs, even on niche goods such as minerals and wind turbines, add to uncertainty for exporters and for Europe’s energy transition.
A Democratic Congress would have tools to push back. It could refuse to pass legislation, stall nominees and vote to end national emergencies that underpin some of the president’s tariff powers. But as Reuters points out, Mr Trump could veto those measures, and Democrats are unlikely to have the two-thirds majorities in both chambers needed to override him. That sets up the prospect of two years of trench warfare between the White House and Capitol Hill, fought in the courts as much as on the floor of Congress.
What happens next
Americans vote on Tuesday 3 November, with results arriving through the early hours of Wednesday, Irish time. If Democrats take the House, they would gain subpoena power and committee chairmanships when the new Congress sits in January, and investigations of the administration could start soon after. The legal opinions Reuters says the White House has requested would then be tested, almost certainly in court. If Republicans hold both chambers, the contingency plan may never be needed, but the reporting offers a clear sign of how the president intends to operate if voters clip his wings.
Sources
- Reuters (via Yahoo News): Trump White House maps path to govern without Congress if Democrats win (1 November 2026)
- Al Jazeera: US midterms: 2 days to go (1 November 2026)
- Fox News: Everything to know about House and Senate control, ballot measures and 2026 Election Day poll closing (1 November 2026)
Featured image: White House lawn by Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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