They're reducing the authority of the executive branch. These folks were the ones who the public elected to make such decisions... most of them were re-elected. This isn't authoritarian fascism that usual hair-on-fire crowd is screaming about.
Whether that is how it was intended - I don't know. If not, they should probably just do away with the lame-duck period from election day.
I'm sure you know this has been done by both sides. I'm sure you'll say, of course, "that that doesn't hold water."