Democrats lay out demands for DHS funding, urging GOP to “get serious” with both sides far apart
By Kaia Hubbard Washington — Democratic leaders on Wednesday outlined their demands for funding the Department of Homeland Security beyond next week, reiterating several policy proposals to rein in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement practices — some of which Republicans have already rejected. “Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, not to brutalize or kill them,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a news conference at the Capitol. “ICE is completely and totally out of control, immigration enforcement should be just, it should be fair, and it should be humane. That is not what
Supreme Court allows California to use new congressional map, giving Democrats a boost
By Adam Edelman The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new congressional map that voters approved, delivering a major victory for Democrats ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The decision came down in a one-sentence order that provided no explanation or dissents. Republicans had asked the high court to block California’s redrawn district lines, alleging they were racially gerrymandered. The map, drawn by Democratic lawmakers and passed by voters last November through the Proposition 50 ballot measure, gives the party an opportunity to pick up as many as five House seats as it seeks to win a majority in the chamber this
Trump signs funding deal, ending 4-day partial government shutdown
By Ben Werschkul A four-day partial US government shutdown is now over after the House of Representatives gave final approval Tuesday to a funding measure and President Trump signed it into law. “I’m thrilled to sign the consolidated appropriations act to immediately re-open the federal government,” Trump said in the Oval Office late Tuesday afternoon. The vote in the House came down to the wire, ending with a tally of 217-214. After a day of arm-twisting, Republicans unified on a key procedural step earlier in the day, which set up the narrow bipartisan vote where 196 Republicans joined 21 Democrats
House eyes Tuesday vote to reopen the government and end brief shutdown
By Sahil Kapur and Kyle Stewart WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders plan to vote Tuesday to pass a government funding package approved by the Senate, three days after a shutdown began. Funding lapsed Saturday amid divisions in Congress over changes to the Department of Homeland Security after agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pushed the vote back by one day after, he said, Democrats conveyed to him that they won’t provide enough votes to skip the procedural hurdles. “I think we’ll get it done by tomorrow,” Johnson said Monday. The bill’s prospects trended positively through the day
Amid FBI investigation, Trump’s 2020 election obsession is still shaping Georgia politics
By Adam Edelman and Ben Kamisar Six years after President Donald Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election results, that campaign is still shaping Georgia’s next big vote. The race to be Georgia’s next governor features a handful of Republican candidates who played integral roles on both sides of Trump’s obsession with the 2020 race. And the saga is far from over: Last week, the FBI searched an election hub in Fulton County seeking records related to the 2020 election. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones — who was on the alternate slate of presidential electors who cast votes for Trump at the state Capitol after an
Trump strikes deal with Democrats in government shutdown funding fight
By Scott Wong, Sahil Kapur, Ryan Nobles, Frank Thorp V and Julie Tsirkin President Donald Trump and Senate Democrats struck a deal Thursday to avert a prolonged shutdown for most of the federal government, according to Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office. The agreement would fund all of the government except for the Department of Homeland Security through September. DHS would operate on a two-week stopgap bill, according to five sources familiar with the agreement, in order to buy time to negotiate changes sought by Democrats following public outrage over the DHS killings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Senators had hoped to vote on the deal Thursday
Senators explore off-ramps to prevent a shutdown as Democrats lay out DHS reforms
By Sahil Kapur and Scott Wong WASHINGTON — Senators met privately on Wednesday to discuss off-ramps to prevent a government shutdown this weekend, with both parties recognizing that a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security cannot pass in its current form. A recent funding deal that passed the House last week has been upended by the DHS killing of Alex Pretti in Minnesota over the weekend — and the subsequent public outcry, which prompted Democrats and a top Republican to say the department should not be funded without policy changes. The deadline is Friday at 11:59 p.m. ET, leaving little time to hash out a solution that can achieve
Democrats in Texas Senate race call for ICE overhaul hours after Minnesota shooting
By Bridget Bowman Hours after federal immigration agents killed a man in Minneapolis, the top Democrats running for U.S. Senate in Texas appeared on a debate stage together and both called for overhauling Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Just minutes into the debate between Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico, which was hosted by the Texas AFL-CIO and moderated by NBC affiliate KXAN of Austin and The Dallas Morning News, Crockett referenced the shooting by Department of Homeland Security agents. She pointed to the incident to lay out the stakes of the race ahead of the March 3 primary. “Listen, we are not looking at
Trump expresses frustration and says his team has made ‘some mistakes’ after one year in office
By Jonathan Allen President Donald Trump said Tuesday that federal agents “make mistakes sometimes” in enforcing his immigration crackdown, an acknowledgment that comes after weeks of violent confrontations — including the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good — in the streets of Minneapolis. “ICE is going to be too rough with somebody, or, you know, they’re dealing with rough people,” Trump said of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during a lengthy White House press room briefing focused mostly on highlighting the milestones of the first year of his second presidency. “They’re going to make some mistakes sometimes,” he said. “It can
Trump threatened GOP senators who voted for war powers resolution in ‘angry’ calls
By Julie Tsirkin Hours after the Senate voted to advance the war powers resolution rebuking the White House’s current and future actions in Venezuela, President Donald Trump placed “angry” calls to each of the five Republicans who crossed the aisle, according to people with knowledge of the calls. Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Rand Paul, R-Ky.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Todd Young, R-Ind., voted with Democrats to require the administration to get congressional approval for future military action in Venezuela. Thursday’s vote was a procedural motion, and it advances the legislation to a full Senate vote that will require a simple majority.
