House Democrats are ramping up their efforts to respond to President Donald Trump’s sweeping overhaul of the federal government by creating a task force that could lead to lawsuits against the administration.
The new “Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group” is part of a “multifaceted struggle to protect and defend everyday Americans from the harm being inflicted by this administration,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday in a letter to colleagues.
The task force will be chaired by Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), a top Jeffries ally who serves in the extended leadership circle. Its co-chairs will be other Democratic committee heads including Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.) of Appropriations, Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.) of Oversight and Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) of Judiciary.
Democrats have faced some pressure from their base and a flood of calls to their offices demanding they mount a more determined resistance to Trump and his allies. Jeffries has been laying out a plan for the party’s opposition, and Democrats are expected to use their limited leverage in government funding talks that will play out over the coming month. But their ability to influence policy is still limited by the party’s minority status in both the House and Senate.
