WASHINGTON – A leaked memo has exposed what Republicans are calling a brazen Democratic scheme to “Trump-proof” key policies in the lame-duck session, prompting explosive calls for the expulsion of involved lawmakers as the post-election Congress convenes amid shutdown threats. The plan, detailed in a November 2024 Axios report and amplified by GOP probes, outlines frantic efforts by House Democrats to rush through executive actions shielding Biden-era initiatives from President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming agenda.
At the heart of the controversy: Outgoing President Joe Biden’s push to finalize hundreds of regulations, confirm judges, and lock in appointments before January 20, 2025. Sources describe “11th-hour defense mode” maneuvers, including fast-tracking immigrant protections and redirecting unspent funds from climate subsidies to evade Trump’s mass deportation and deregulation vows. Rep. Pramila Jayapal urged colleagues to “protect our gains,” while Senate Democrats eye renominating agency heads whose terms expire under Trump. The White House, in a February 2025 memo, decried these as “lame-duck sabotage,” citing a Department of Education collective bargaining agreement inked January 17 that barred remote worker returns—purely to hamstring Trump’s efficiency reforms.
The revelation has galvanized MAGA forces. President Trump blasted it on Truth Social as “the ultimate hijack of the people’s will,” demanding Attorney General Pam Bondi investigate for “abuse of power.” House Speaker Mike Johnson, fresh from a slim GOP majority, introduced a resolution to censure and potentially expel Democrats under House Rule XXIII, labeling their tactics “treasonous obstruction.” “They lost the election—now they’re stealing the mandate. Expel them to reclaim democracy,” Johnson roared at a fiery caucus rally, backed by Sens. Rick Scott and Josh Hawley.
Democrats counter that these are standard transition plays, not subversion. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed the uproar as “sour grapes,” insisting confirmations like David Huitema for the Office of Government Ethics safeguard ethics amid Trump’s Project 2025 blueprint. Yet with a December 20 funding deadline looming, Republicans threaten to block short-term resolutions unless Democrats abandon the push, risking a shutdown that could furlough millions.
Legal scholars warn expulsion requires a two-thirds vote—a tall order—but the furor echoes 2013’s failed No Budget, No Pay Act. As Biden’s team races the clock, this exposed gambit exposes raw partisan veins: heroic legacy-building or electoral theft? With Trump’s inauguration weeks away, the lame-duck chamber risks becoming a expulsion battleground, testing Congress’s fury against democratic norms.
