What can Democrats do with their majority in the House ?

[OnDoutside]

Outside of the important Committee majorities, and blocking Trump nutjob policies that require House approval ? What can they do that doesn't require Trump's or the Senate's approvals ?

[Sherman A1]

1. All money bills start in the House

So it would seem that they can do a great deal.

[OnDoutside]

2. But that would require Senate approval ? What I'm wondering is what they can pass themselves that

doesn't need to go to Trump or the Senate.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Congress doesn't work that way

All legislation needs approval of both chambers.

However even with any seat losses in the Senate, the margin is still somewhat close often requiring a bit more give... although I expect Turtle will double and triple down.

[OnDoutside]

5. Someone mentioned that they might be able to do something on Pre-Existing conditions ?

[BumRushDaShow]

7. ??????

No, that's not how Congress works.

They may be able to try to force through legislation as a rider to bolster the ACA's minimum provisions, including pre-existing conditions, but whatever is passed would need to pass the Senate too (and be signed by you know who).

The only thing the House can do "by itself" is impeach.

[OnDoutside]

12. So blocking and to do what RDANGELO suggests below. So essentially they'll have lots of time to

go after Trump and GOP corruption through the committees then.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. Yes

but they can also do something that might cause heartburn on DU but... it was something that had been done in the past. That is to try to make some sort of agreement to raise the minimum wage in exchange for support of some other legislation that the GOP might have in mind (that the Senate could support). Not radical crap mind you, but the option is there.

In 2007, the legislation that allowed for the current minimum wage, had been added to a supplemental appropriation for the Iraq war. Congress has pretty much stopped doing supplementals (I think due to the Budget Control Act) but there may be some mechanism with the appropriations bills to do this.

[OnDoutside]

19. There is a bi-partisan bill ready to roll to fix the ACA, that should be the first thing up.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. But that will only go somewhere in the Senate if Turtle allows it.

[OnDoutside]

22. Yes, but as was said, put it up there, and dare them to vote against it. Repeatedly if necessary. If

I were McConnell, I would jump on it and pass it asap, so Healthcare as an issue is a distant memory by 2020, and then Trump can claim the credit for it. Otherwise it's death by vote for the GOP.

[BumRushDaShow]

23. When you don't control the chamber, you can't "put" anything "up there"

Turtle can immediately deep-6 and it goes into obscurity... And we can whine and moan on DU about it but that is what "control of a chamber" means.

What could potentially happen is Senators can try to force a discharge of it from committee via a "Discharge Resolution" but that could easily be torpedoed too because that requires a vote.

[Sherman A1]

8. See Post #4

and take a minute to review the Constitution. Yes all spending bills eventually need to be approved by the Senate and Signed by the Executive, but they start in the House. The Senate nor the Executive can begin the process. This could mean a real problem for future tax cuts, border walls and those types of things.

[OnDoutside]

9. No, I know they can block all that stuff, I was wondering if they could do any non-financial stuff.

[Sherman A1]

14. They can start investigations

and they can I believe do things that support Mueller's efforts.

They do not have any advice or consent on cabinet or judicial nominations, but we are far better off now than we could have been.

[OnDoutside]

15. Absolutely, they HAD to get something, and they did. We all forget the low base that they started

from.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

20. +1

Big relief. Th russian in chief is no longer unfettered.

[uponit7771]

3. Start defunding Putins government

[Quemado]

11. +1

nt

[RDANGELO]

6. They can do things that would put pressure on the Republicans.

They could have a vote raising the federal minimum wage.

They could vote to install a public option to the ACA.

They could vote to repeal the Trump tax cuts for the wealthy.

Things like this would be blocked by the Republican Senate, but it would put political pressure on them.

[OnDoutside]

10. As fodder for the 2020 campaign, yes that's a great point.

[uponit7771]

13. +1, and make bouse KGOP have to go in record

[Demsrule86]

16. Stop Trump from more tax cuts, cutting social security, Medicare and Medicaid...Stop Trump.

The House holds the purse strings.

[Raven123]

17. Propose and pass legislation that fulfills their promises

Make sure it is sound legislation. Make the GOP vote against it. Show the country what could happen if Dems had control of both chambers. Return the argument to the issues.