Dems to Biden: Take Action Before Trump Takes Over

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/donald-trump-democrats-joe-biden/2024/11/15/id/1188231/

Democrats are pushing the Biden administration to put safeguards in place before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, including seating as many Biden-appointed federal judges as possible, finding a way to protect generals Trump plans to expel from the Pentagon, and sending money out to Ukraine, among other items, reported the Hill.

"There's a lot that the Biden administration can do, and I know that they've done some scenario planning," said Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif. "It would be a huge political malpractice for them not to anticipate this scenario and have some plans in place."

Trump said he plans to overhaul and reshape many parts of the federal government.

In recent weeks, he has picked Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new "Department of Government Efficiency" aimed at driving "large scale structural reform;" nominated former Rep. Matt Gaetz to attorney general to "root out the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution;" and nominated Pete Hegseth to Defense Secretary to make the U.S. military "great again."

According to Reuters, Trump's transition team is reportedly drawing up a list of military officers to be fired, potentially to include the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two sources said, in what would be an unprecedented shakeup at the Pentagon.

"That will be terrible for the preparedness of the country," Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., told the Hill. "What Biden can do about that to prevent it, I don't know. But he should be looking at it, because that's a terrible threat to our armed forces."

Many Democrats want Biden to launch a slew of executive orders before he leaves.

"We should do everything that we can --- everything that we possibly can — and I'd say all of the above," said Rep. Juan Vargas, D-Calif. "He's still the president until the last moment."

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., told the Hill that Biden should tweak union contracts for federal employees to bolster worker protections.

"Those can be amended," he said. "It's just a contract we would have with the union. That's exclusively an executive branch issue."

On Ukraine, Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., said Biden should be "doing everything they can to get the [Ukraine] money out the door, that has already been appropriated."

Funding for other Biden-era projects should also be allocated, Huffman said.

"Across the board, so much of what we've been able to push out under the IRA and the infrastructure law is at risk if we don't get that money out the door, get it encumbered, figure out bulwarks against either nonimplementation or outright repeal," he said. "So, I think there's a real serious effort under way in that regard."

Varhas said steps should be taken to shield certain federal lands from oil, gas, and mining development.

"I'd try to protect as much land as you can with these guys who are going to come in and try to drill and destroy," he said. "He could set those lands aside, and he should."