Looking forward to having a legislative branch again

I know we're on opposite sides of some issues but I have to give credit where it's due. Well done.

Banning stock trades

Getting big money out of politics

Term limits

Investigate Trump admin

Do not impeach, investigate, or hold endless hearings. Simply work hard for the people.

...some excerpts...

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With Democrats increasingly confident they will win control of the House next month and hopeful of a majority in the Senate, party leaders are turning to the next challenge: deciding what they will do with their power if they get it.

For months, they have promised voters they will address an “affordability crisis” they blamed on failed Republican policies, pledging to lower the high cost of groceries, gas and health care. And they have vowed to combat what they say is rampant corruption by President Trump and his administration, though they have shied away from promising an impeachment after their first two efforts to remove him from office failed.

Should they win in November, top House Democrats are planning a shock-and-awe legislative sprint to demonstrate within hours of taking power that they are passing bills to deliver on their promises, including restoring health care subsidies and Medicaid resources and moving to end Mr. Trump’s tariffs and the war with Iran.

They will face steep challenges given that Republicans are all but certain to retain the ability to block legislation in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to advance major measures. (Democrats would have to make a net gain of 13 Senate seats to win a filibuster-proof majority, something not even the most bullish among them expect to come close to next month.) And Mr. Trump will still have veto power. The president and his advisers are also unlikely to bow to congressional oversight, having stonewalled past efforts by lawmakers to investigate their actions.

But Democrats argue they would be able to use a majority to check the president and roll back some of his worst policies. And they expect their actions to set the conversation for the 2028 presidential campaign.

“While Trump is still president, we’re not going to pass visionary progressive legislation,” Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii, who is in line to be the No. 2 Democrat next year, said in an interview. “If you give us power, we will in some cases reverse his decisions, stop him from making terrible decisions and in other cases slow him down.”

Here’s what Democrats are planning to do if they win.

Mr. Jeffries, according to aides, plans in the first 100 hours to speed legislation to the floor that would:

·       Reinstate expired Affordable Care Act health care premium subsidies.

·       Reverse the nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts that were included in the president’s domestic policy law.

·       Move to end Mr. Trump’s tariffs and restore congressional power over trade policy.

·       Direct Mr. Trump to end the war in Iran or seek authorization from Congress to continue it.

Democratic leaders believe the measures are all consensus items among their members that are basic enough to bypass time-consuming committee consideration and go straight to the floor. They could be voted on before committees were even set up, and would be all but certain to pass in the House, where a simple majority is needed.

The picture is more complicated in the Senate, where Republicans would still have the ability to filibuster legislation even if Democrats capture the majority.

But some Democrats argue the first batch of bills they have in mind are so broadly popular that they could draw enough G.O.P. support to pass the Senate and make it to Mr. Trump’s desk, where he would face steep political consequences if he vetoed them.

“When Trump looks bad over and over again in public opinion, he chickens out,” said Representative Deborah K. Ross, Democrat of North Carolina, who has been serving on an internal working group giving feedback to Mr. Jeffries on the agenda for next year.

“If we’re passing hugely bipartisan bills that are wildly popular, he has a choice,” Ms. Ross said. “And in the past, he has chosen to not buck public opinion on those things.”

If Democrats propose popular policies that attract Republican votes, “it’s game on, baby,” said Mr. Emanuel, who is eyeing a presidential run in 2028. “Trump then has to make a decision: Signs it, we win. Vetoes it, we win. The whole strategy is what unites us and divides them.”

Democratic leaders in the Senate see a path to reversing the Medicaid cuts and reductions in nutrition assistance enacted as part of the tax cut law, as well as a bipartisan appetite to pass a serious ban on lawmakers’ trading stocks, which emerged as a major issue on the campaign trail.

But first, they plan to address the war in Iran.

“The first objective is to bring this war to a conclusion,” said Mr. Schatz, who declined to outline exactly what legislative actions the Senate would consider, but said there were a number of ways to do so. “It’s costing regular Americans too much, it’s not working, it’s not making us safer. Everyone knows it, and that should be our No. 1 objective.”

Whether or not they make any progress on legislation, Democrats are planning to use their congressional oversight powers aggressively to investigate Mr. Trump and his administration. They have made combating corruption a central plank of their closing midterm campaign message, arguing that it is costing voters money.

“If the president is going to veto our actions, well then in the meantime, we’ll be zeroing in on all of the corruption, which is the true commitment of this administration,” said Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who would be in line to be the chairman of the Judiciary Committee next year if his party were to win power.

He declined to outline his first targets, but he named a few preliminary areas of focus:

·                The pardon industry that has sprouted up around Mr. Trump.

·                Potential corruption in public contracting and the awarding of no-bid contracts.

·                 

Whether or not they make any progress on legislation, Democrats are planning to use their congressional oversight powers aggressively to investigate Mr. Trump and his administration. They have made combating corruption a central plank of their closing midterm campaign message, arguing that it is costing voters money.

“If the president is going to veto our actions, well then in the meantime, we’ll be zeroing in on all of the corruption, which is the true commitment of this administration,” said Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who would be in line to be the chairman of the Judiciary Committee next year if his party were to win power.

He declined to outline his first targets, but he named a few preliminary areas of focus:

·                The pardon industry that has sprouted up around Mr. Trump.

·                Potential corruption in public contracting and the awarding of no-bid contracts.

·                 

“We understand from our own experience that impeachment is no panacea,” Mr. Raskin said, noting that it is unlikely that Democrats would be able to persuade the requisite two-thirds of the Senate needed to convict and remove him. “We are sober about the constitutional arithmetic.”

First 100 Days: Tax Credits, ICE Limits and Stock Trades

Beyond their initial sprint, Democrats have yet to agree on a full slate of policies they would pursue with a majority. People familiar with their plans say leaders intend to take some action to make ICE more accountable, as well as on legislation to raise the minimum wage and ban congressional stock trading.