House Democrats launch group to respond to possible second Trump term

A group of House Democrats is launching a new task force to respond to the possibility of former President Donald Trump’s return to office.

The group is reacting to the so-called Project 2025, a policy road map for the next presidential administration compiled by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Democrats have sought to turn the blueprint and its government overhaul proposals into a foil as campaign season ramps up.

“This stuff is going to be coming at us at lightspeed. And if we are on our heels and reacting to it, we could lose our democracy. So we're going to need to be ready to confront it in real time. And those plans need to begin now,” said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), one of the lawmakers spearheading the effort.

Democrats want their task force to be a hub for members of Congress, advocacy groups and others to coordinate and respond to a future Trump administration — and to raise awareness during the campaign. Huffman said it would be composed of lawmakers from across the caucus like Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) and Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.).

Huffman stressed he believed President Joe Biden would still win reelection, but acknowledged “it would be extreme political malpractice to not be prepared for what's coming.”

“If Trump wins, they're telling us more clearly than anything we've ever seen what they're going to do. We just need to understand it and take it seriously,” he said.