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In lately’s factor:
Senate up subsequent in shutdown showdown
Social Safety in Musk’s crosshairs
Ukraine counseled U.S. ceasefire proposal
Activist or terrorist sympathizer? Khalil’s case
3 days ahead of a central authority investment cut-off date, the Area on Tuesday narrowly handed a party-line stopgap investment invoice that may most commonly stay executive investment at present ranges thru September.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-L. a..) spent weeks shepherding the invoice thru his razor-thin Area majority, which Democrats hostile in droves. The chamber cleared the measure in a in large part party-line 217-213 vote, with only one Democrat — Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) — bucking his get together’s leaders to again the measure. Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) was once the lone GOP “no” vote.
Passage of the stopgap within the Area places a pin at the first lower-chamber investment combat of President Trump’s 2nd time period, which in large part revolved across the Division of Govt Potency (DOGE), overseen by means of Elon Musk. Republicans rallied across the stopgap within the title of permitting DOGE to proceed its paintings in lowering the dimensions of the federal government. Democrats demanded, albeit unsuccessfully, to incorporate language that may restrict DOGE’s energy.
The a success vote marks an enormous victory for Johnson, in addition to Trump, who for my part positioned calls to Area GOP holdouts urging them to vote for the package deal.
“President Trump and Republicans in Congress will stop at nothing to deliver on that agenda,” Johnson informed newshounds following the vote. “We are gonna continue to work hard, we will continue to stick together and get this job done, and it’s an essential one.”
The New York Occasions: What’s within the Area invoice?
The invoice now heads to the Senate, the place Democrats seem in a position to back off on demanding situations to the Area invoice forward of the looming March 14 investment cut-off date.
Whilst a number of Senate Democrats have slammed the law — elevating issues about spending cuts incorporated and as a substitute pitching a shorter stopgap to permit extra time for bipartisan negotiations on full-year expenses — a variety of participants are withholding judgment, weighing their issues with the invoice in opposition to the political fact of probably forcing a shutdown. The Hill’s Alexander Bolton studies Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) warned {that a} shutdown may just play into Trump and Musk’s solution to do away with federal systems. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) stated he’s going to vote to stay the federal government open, even supposing he’s now not partial to the Area-passed investment stopgap.
“I’ve been very clear, I’m not going to vote or withhold my vote that’s going to shut down the government,” Fetterman informed The Hill. “For me, if the Democrats think that they want to burn the village down to save it, that’s terrible optics and that’s going to have serious impacts for millions and millions of people. I’m never going to vote for that kind of chaos.”
Best Area Democrats, in the meantime, are urgent their fellow get together participants within the Senate to kill the spending invoice, announcing the proposal will harm American citizens across the nation.
“I wouldn’t expect senators to vote for this,” stated Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), the pinnacle of the Area Democratic Caucus. “This is a bad bill. We did not negotiate this bill. They did not negotiate this bill. … In the interest of our national security, in the interest of American families, they need to vote no and beat back this bill.”
TRADE WAR: Trump’s greater price lists on all U.S. metal and aluminum imports took impact lately, drawing swift retaliation from Europe. The Eu Fee introduced a two-stage retaliation protecting $28 billion in EU exports. Forward of the announcement, a Eu metal business consultant informed Politico that the EU would “go full sledgehammer because they are so fed up with Trump.”
The escalations come as Trump on Tuesday doubled down on his fashionable tariff threats regardless of a inventory marketplace downturn that has fueled anxiousness a few imaginable recession.
The president additionally escalated the tit for tat with Canada when he stated his management would building up deliberate metal and aluminum price lists based on an electrical energy surcharge the Ontario executive imposed at the U.S. Later that day, Ontario Premier Doug Ford sponsored off from the danger. The White Area has touted its tariff technique in opposition to Canada as “retaliatory,” arguing Trump is aiming for truthful and balanced business practices to give protection to American employees. It additionally justified the inventory marketplace dives during the last few days as “a snapshot” in time.
“Our country had to do this. We had to go and do this,” Trump stated, whilst taking a look at Tesla automobiles at the side of Musk. “Other countries have taken away our business, they’ve taken away our jobs.”
Amid the shutdown drama, Senate Republicans are rising more and more nervous about Trump’s escalating business wars, writes The Hill’s Al Weaver. Whilst maximum GOP participants stay reluctant to criticize the transfer without delay, some expressed worries in regards to the results on their house states. As Wall Boulevard buckles beneath the tariff back-and-forth, Trump’s stewardship of the economic system is beneath new scrutiny. The Hill’s Niall Stanage writes in The Memo that the query is whether or not a president identified for doubling down will backpedal on an issue that even conservatives to find unpopular, or whether or not he’s going to be prepared to undergo some stage of political ache to pursue his selected coverage.
The Wall Boulevard Magazine: Trump’s business coverage and financial messaging have rattled a few of his personal allies.
SMART TAKE with NewsNation’s BLAKE BURMAN:
A standing checkup 50 days in. Emerson Faculty dropped a long ballot midway into the primary 100 days and we dug throughout the crosstabs. What stood out isn’t essentially how Democrats and Republicans really feel about President Trump (it’s essential expect the ones numbers yourselves). Moderately, it is how independents view the management up to now.
On the subject of the economic system, for independents there’s a transparent view: the president’s numbers are quite underwater, but it surely’s nonetheless too quickly to inform. For instance, when requested if Trump’s financial insurance policies are making the economic system higher or worse, 23 p.c of independents stated higher, 32 p.c stated worse and 50 p.c stated there is not any impact or it is too quickly to inform.
“This is basically a couple outs into the first inning,” stated Scott Tranter, information science director with our companions at Determination Table HQ. “This is an indicator of what to watch for if you’re the Trump administration.”
It’s clearly very early, however that fifty p.c quantity may just dwindle because the months growth. How the ones numbers transfer may just function a hallmark of the place independents are headed.
Burman hosts “The Hill” weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation.
3 THINGS TO KNOW TODAY:
▪ The Gavel, The Hill’s new criminal publication from newshounds Ella Lee and Zach Schonfeld, launches lately. Every week they’re going to focal point on all issues courts and the rising criminal battles in Washington and around the nation. Click on right here to enroll to get it for your inbox.
▪ The January midair collision between an Military Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airways regional jet close to Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport, which killed 67 other folks, underscored the superiority of previous near-miss incidents and “a serious safety issue.” That’s what Jennifer Homendy, chair of the Nationwide Transportation Protection Board, stated Tuesday after a initial coincidence investigation. She referred to as at the Federal Aviation Management to “permanently prohibit helicopter operations” close to DCA in positive scenarios.
▪ For the primary time, Southwest Airways will rate for checked luggage starting Might 28 because it continues to switch its industry type. How a lot did U.S. airways pocket in luggage charges ultimate yr? $5 billion.
LEADING THE DAY
© The Related Press | Jose Luis Magana
👉 SOCIAL SECURITY: Trump and adviser Musk lately claimed with out proof or corroborating information that Social Safety suffers from fashionable fraud and must shed $500 billion to $700 billion in allegedly wasted spending. That rhetoric confounds professionals and Social Safety advocates, who say the ones claims are myths. They worry large program discounts are looming at the horizon, studies The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel.
Candidate Trump confident electorate that Social Safety, which gives advantages to greater than 71 million other folks, and Medicare, the well being care program that covers greater than 67 million seniors, would now not be touched if he returned to the Oval Place of business.
Trump ultimate yr posted a video on his marketing campaign web page announcing, “Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security.” He informed Michigan rallygoers greater than a yr in the past, “We don’t have to play around with Social Security and Medicare.”
And the White Area repeated that message Tuesday in a press liberate: “The Trump Administration will not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits.”
However, as CNN reported in 2024, Trump have been open to the speculation of slicing entitlements ahead of his presidential bid. His marketing campaign spokesperson, now his White Area press secretary, drew a difference between Trump’s ideas about slicing Social Safety “benefits” and rooting out “waste” in federal entitlement systems.
Musk, who first of all estimated he may just to find $2 trillion in federal financial savings ahead of he and Trump briefly revised that daring goal to “hundreds of billions of dollars,” understood from the outset that the majority of presidency spending helps Social Safety, Medicare and protection. Even Trump’s widespread guarantees to go away third-rail entitlements untouched are beneath revision. The president vows to spend much less on many federal systems whilst slicing taxes and balancing the federal finances.
THAT GOAL isn’t politically painless. Democrats on Capitol Hill are professionals at wielding Social Safety, the most well liked federal program, as a weapon and a defend. “They don’t learn,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the minority chief, informed The New York Occasions as he eyed Republicans. “Their biggest mistake was going after Social Security when George Bush was president. And now they are doing it again,” he stated.
The Area Speaker on Tuesday spoke to an target audience about his day by day want to sweep up amongst his Republican colleagues after Musk problems public pronouncements that impact budgeting and different legislative objectives. “He can blow the whole thing up,” Johnson stated.
Musk this week stated his DOGE group would scrutinize Social Safety and entitlement spending. He described allegedly fraudulent transactions and a conspiracy idea that Democrats faucet the systems as a “gigantic magnet to attract illegal immigrants and have them stay in the country.” All through a February podcast dialog, Musk described Social Safety as “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
CHALKED UP: After weeks of predictions and public warnings, the management fired just about part the Schooling Division body of workers, or 1,315 workers, on Tuesday. Trump’s purpose is to ship federal schooling appropriations to the states whilst transferring positive federal education schemes to different companies, together with pupil loans. Trump’s transfer is not going to affect pupil support, Unfastened Utility for Federal Scholar Help bureaucracy, components investment to states, operations for college students with disabilities, civil rights investigations or any statute-mandated tasks from Congress, an reputable stated. Schooling Secretary Linda McMahon, who concedes most effective Congress can get rid of the dep., described the “reduction in force” as a “significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system.”
▪ The Hill: Musk is going through mounting public and investor grievance. And his firms are taking a beating. Tesla’s inventory plummeted greater than 50 p.c since past due ultimate yr, whilst anti-DOGE demonstrations are doping up on the electrical car corporate’s shops around the nation.
▪ The New York Occasions: Wish to observe Trump’s main movements since Jan. 20? Take a look at a working listing.
▪ The Washington Submit: Taxpayers personal a museum’s value of valuable works of art and historic treasures maintained in places national by means of Basic Services and products Management professionals who lately gained purple slips beneath Trump’s DOGE initiative. Now what?
▪ Politico: An reputable with the U.S. Company for World Building informed closing workforce participants they must shred and burn their executive paperwork.
WHERE AND WHEN
The Area will grasp a professional forma consultation on Friday at 9 a.m. Area Democrats will huddle in Leesburg, Va., thru Friday for an problems convention.
The Senate will convene at 10 a.m.
The president will meet with Eire’s chief, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, on the White Area. (The dialogue is per week forward of St. Patrick’s Day as a result of Congress will probably be in recess on March 17). Trump will sign up for lawmakers at midday on Capitol Hill for an annual luncheon with Eire’s top minister. The president will host a 5 p.m. reception with Martin on the White Area.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio lately will arrive in Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada, and stay thru Friday to fulfill with opposite numbers on the Staff of Seven international ministers’ assembly. He’s going to meet with Canadian International Minister Melanie Joly and most likely speak about business with the U.S. “Our obligation is to try, to the extent possible, to not allow the things we work on together to be impacted negatively by the things we disagree on right now,” Rubio informed newshounds.
ZOOM IN
© The Related Press | Seth Wenig
IMMIGRATION: The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia College graduate and pro-Palestinian protester, marks a vital escalation in Trump’s immigration crackdown. A criminal immigrant now not charged with against the law is in U.S. custody. The Trump management is making transparent that inexperienced card holder Khalil, who has a courtroom look set for lately, was once arrested on account of his participation in pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations ultimate yr. Trump stated Monday that Khalil would be the first of many international scholars deported as “terrorist sympathizers.”
Criminal professionals informed The Hill’s Lexi Lonas Cochran the goal is apparent: to frighten different would-be activists and to cool political protests. Additionally they say Khalil’s detention gifts severe constitutional issues.
Progressives need Democrats to do extra to make the detention of Khalil central of their fight in opposition to the Trump management, seeing it as relating their key values to enchantment to electorate misplaced within the ultimate election. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the management would transfer to deport further “Hamas supporters” within the nation on visas or inexperienced playing cards. The Hill’s Jared Gans and Julia Mueller write the transfer may just give a gap for Democrats at the ethical grounds of loose speech and civil rights may just end up a smart gambit that considers innovative and younger liberal electorate.
The Hill: Democrats in Congress condemn Khalil’s arrest by means of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “This should scare everyone,” warned Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.).
MESSAGING: When California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) introduced his podcast ultimate week, his feedback on transgender athletes made headlines, sparking backlash from all sides of the aisle. However it were given consideration. Since November, The Hill’s Amie Parnes studies Democrats were seeking to reclaim the political dialog, nervous to reconnect with electorate now not simply at the back of a podium or in social media posts.
“Democrats are feeling more license and permission to go out and take their message to communities,” stated Democratic strategist Joel Payne.
ELSEWHERE
© The Related Press | Saul Loeb, AFP
UKRAINE: The White Area will right away carry its pause on army and intelligence fortify for Ukraine after Kyiv counseled a U.S. ceasefire proposal. The announcement comes as officers from Ukraine and the U.S. met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks geared toward finishing the struggle in Ukraine, began by means of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
“Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,” the international locations stated in a joint observation. “The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace.”
It was once now not right away transparent whether or not Moscow would settle for the proposal. Rubio stated the ball is now in Russia’s courtroom.
“Our hope is that the Russians will say yes, that they will also agree, so the shooting will stop, the killing will stop, the dying will stop, and the talks can begin about how to end this war permanently, in a way that’s acceptable and enduring for both sides,” he stated Tuesday.
Tuesday marked the primary assembly between Ukraine and the U.S. since Trump and Vice President Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a televised Oval Place of business assembly ultimate month. The Trump management since then has frozen army support and intelligence to Ukraine. Zelensky has been cultivating ties with Eu leaders and sending conciliatory messages to the White Area. White Area officers held equivalent conferences in Saudi Arabia with Russian officers ultimate month. However the 3 international locations seem to have very other concepts about what any ceasefire must seem like.
▪ Politico: What to find out about Trump’s Ukraine ceasefire plan.
▪ Al Jazeera: After Trump iced over support, is Ukraine’s army preserving on in opposition to Russia?
▪ Reuters: Israeli hearth killed 4 Palestinians in Gaza amid new ceasefire talks.
▪ Axios: Greenland’s center-right opposition get together claimed victory within the territory’s election Tuesday, in what might be one of the consequential in its historical past as Trump floats annexation.
OPINION
■ Why purchaser’s regret is boiling over in congressional GOP the town halls, by means of Theodore R. Johnson, columnist, The Washington Submit.
■ How do you just like the business struggle now? by means of The Wall Boulevard Magazine editorial board.
THE CLOSER
© The Related Press | Alex Brandon
And after all … ☘️ Who doesn’t want some higher success this week?
Eire’s Taoiseach (top minister) Micheál Martin, who’s scheduled to enroll in the president on the White Area lately, stated ultimate week, “I have never met Donald Trump, but I am looking forward to meeting with him. … We have to keep engaging with the United States.”
A present of shamrocks in a crystal bowl on the White Home is a protracted custom that represents the bonds between the folk of Eire and The united states. Greater than 9 p.c of the U.S. inhabitants boasts of Irish ancestry, together with no less than 23 former presidents, with John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama and Joe Biden amongst them.
Reuters: Irish top minister faces balancing act at talks with Trump.
Keep Engaged
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