Few in the North Bay have spent more time over the past year thinking about the possible impacts and direction of a second administration of President-elect Donald Trump than Rep. Jared Huffman, who led the group work of Democrats on the 2025 project, criticism of the presidential transition plan. described as extremist.

After Trump’s landslide election victory on November 5, in which Republicans captured not only the White House but also the Senate and, it seems increasingly likely, the House of Representatives, Huffman is now preparing to see these plans implemented.

“You really have to take seriously everything that he and his entourage say they’re going to do,” he told The Press Democrat. “I just can’t spread false hope in the face of what I know is coming.”

During his re-election campaign, Trump denied Project 2025drafted by the conservative Heritage Foundation, represents its proposed mandate. But the document’s authors include many former officials from his administration, as Huffman spent much of the campaign cycle arguing, and many of its positions align with those Trump expressed during the campaign electoral, such as mass expulsions and strict immigration enforcement.

In 2017, the first Trump administration began to be plagued by scandals and infighting.

“Trump is going to be a lot more organized and professional this time, and he’s going to get to the gate a lot quicker,” Huffman said.

Huffman, long known as one of the toughest environmental voices in Congress and a hawk in the fight against climate change, a week ago, I was considering a possible meeting in a Kamala Harris administration or a chance to chair the House Natural Resources Committee, on which he long served. But now, as the House appears to be moving further and further away from Democrats, he faces two very different years, if not more.

He will seek to curb Trump’s agenda in any way possible, but he will not have many clear options. Many more moderate Republicans opposed to Trump have left or lost power over the past eight years, Huffman noted.

House Republicans appear to fully support Trump’s legislation, without undermining it.

“We’re going to get crushed in committees and in the House,” he said. “We won’t have subpoena power, it will be very difficult for us to exercise oversight and use the power of the purse as a check and balance if the Republicans have a unified government.”

As a preview of potential strategies Democrats could adopt, he pointed to the failure in 2017 of Republicans’ attempt to largely repeal the Affordable Care Act, the signature health policy of President Barack Obama’s administration. That defeat, he said, came from a coalition of grassroots organizations and congressional maneuvering, which “started to create a lot of political pressure and some Republicans felt that pressure.”

But even then, what ultimately defeated this legislation was a single, stunning vote by the late Sen. John McCain, who harbored deep personal animosity toward Trump.

Much of the work to blunt Trump’s agenda will likely go to court, Huffman said, and he noted that California leaders are already preparing to litigate many of those fights.

On election night, Huffman achieved his own victory ‒ with more than 73% of the votes counted so far ‒ in a dark blue constituency. On Nov. 6, the congressman shared a post on X from Liz Cheney, the Wyoming Republican who opposes Trump and has become a main character in Harris’ election campaign.

“All Americans are obligated, whether we like the outcome or not, to accept the results of our elections,” Cheney wrote. “We now have a special responsibility, as citizens of the greatest nation on earth, to do everything we can to support and defend our Constitution, preserve the rule of law, and ensure that our institutions stand the test of time. of the next four years. »

Huffman echoed those sentiments as he looked ahead to the years ahead. But when asked if he could find any glimmer of hope in Trump’s election, he said “none.”

“Clarity is extremely important as we move forward, but I would never suggest that anyone despair or just give in to all these dark threats that come our way,” he said. “We have to be resolute and have as much hope as possible to face them and survive this, but you just can’t wish away from it.

You can reach staff writer Andrew Graham at 707-526-8667 or [email protected]. Follow him on X (Twitter) @AndrewGraham88