Four House Republicans still have not committed to backing the spending bill
Four House Republicans said this morning that they were still undecided on whether to support the short-term government spending bill that will come up for a vote at around 4 p.m. Trump is urging Republican lawmakers to back the measure.
Rep. Tim Burchett, of Tennessee, said he would like to see Pentagon spending reduced, but hasn't received a call about the bill from Trump.
Rep. Kat Cammack, of Florida, said she would prefer a recision package, which would legislate spending cuts, and a top-line number for 2026 funding levels before supporting the bill. She said she expected to talk to the White House today.
Rep. Rich McCormick, of Georgia, said the short-term spending measure was not equivalent to writing a budget.
Like McCormick, Rep. Beth Van Duyne, of Texas, said she would prefer to pass appropriations bills and a budget. She and McCormick will be speaking to Speaker Mike Johnson, of Louisiana, later today.
Democrats are expected to vote against the measure. Republicans can't afford to lose any votes from their conference given that Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, has already said he'll oppose the bill.
Guantanamo Bay troops guard empty migrant tents, suffer low morale, Democratic House member says
During a visit to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, last week, Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., said she and other lawmakers observed U.S. service members guarding empty tents that were intended to hold undocumented immigrants.
“They told me it cost about $16 million already, and at the time I was there, they told us that there were only 41 immigrants that they were holding, and at max right now, they can have 225," Jacobs told NBC News in an interview last night. "So we saw service members guarding empty tents that aren’t usable."
Trump had planned to house 30,000 immigrants at the U.S. naval base, but NBC News reported last week that the plan has faced major obstacles.
Jacobs, who represents the San Diego area, said she and the bipartisan group of lawmakers were not allowed to interact with the migrants.
“I think all of us had a lot of questions about the money, how few immigrants were actually there, in regards to how much money is being spent, sort of like the operational questions,” she said.
Jacobs also said the undocumented immigrants were divided by threat level.
“The low-threat folks are in sort of more communal living space," she said. "The high-threat folks are in Camp Six, which is one of the areas that had been used for war on terror prisoners."
“So it looks like a pretty standard super-max prison, and our service members are living sometimes in hardened facilities," Jacobs added. "Some of them are living in tents, and it was clear that the morale was quite low among the service members.”
Johnson says short-term government funding bill ‘solves the problem’
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., addressed the plans to pass a short-term government funding bill and defended the legislation after previously opposing other continuing resolutions.
Fired federal workers say a government shutdown could 'force' people to 'realize the impacts' of DOGE cuts
Federal workers laid off as a result of DOGE cuts held a protest in the Hart Senate office building this morning. NBC News spoke with Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont, as well as several attendees, who discussed the global consequences of their jobs being eliminated and voiced their frustration with Congress’ inaction.
Samuel Port, a fired USAID contractor and veteran, said, “I am not satisfied with the response” from Democrats on the DOGE cuts.
“The Democrats should not back up anything that the Republicans are doing," Port said. "We should have a government shutdown as an option to force a couple people to realize the impacts of it and go back to the negotiating table to fix these cuts that are happening right now.”
Noelle Huhn, a former USAID worker who was in Malawi working on the president’s Malaria Initiative at the time of her firing, said that she would also support Democrats voting against the short-term government funding bill.
“I want them to support something that is going to put a stop to things that are happening, and if that means not pushing this bill forward, I hope that they use this as an opportunity to take those actions," she said.
Van Hollen and Welch spoke about the dangers of Elon Musk’s “illegal takeover” of government and assured attendees that Democrats will do “everything they can” to reverse DOGE’s cuts.“Damage is being done, and you’re the face of that damage, but behind your face are the folks who you have been serving, and they’re being abandoned,” Welch said.
Both senators criticized the House continuing resolution, but declined to tell NBC how they would vote if the measure makes it to the Senate.
Another appeals court blocks Trump's birthright citizenship order
A federal appeals court in Massachusetts today denied the Trump administration’s bid to pause a lower court’s nationwide block on the president's birthright citizenship executive order, pending appeal.
The government “has not made a strong showing as to either the Executive Order’s lawfulness or the Plaintiff-States’ lack of standing,” the ruling by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said.
The administration had sought a stay of a lower court's ruling blocking the order from going into effect while it appeals the decision. A coalition of states challenged Trump's executive order, titled "Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship," which aims to limit birthright citizenship to people who have at least one parent who is a United States citizen or permanent resident.
The states argued the order violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The appeals court ruling was the third against the administration on the issue.
Trump has yet to sign off on 50% Canadian steel and aluminum tariffs
Trump has yet to sign off on his announced doubling of tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, but it's “in the works,” a senior administration official said.
Trump's post on Truth Social announcing that tariffs will go from 25% to 50% remains just a threat until that paperwork is signed, the official said. Trump indicated that the increase would go into effect “tomorrow morning.”
Trump felt Ontario Premier Doug Ford's placement of surcharges on electricity sold in three northern U.S. states was aggressive, the official said. Asked whether the response was disproportionate, the official said Trump wanted to “lay down the gauntlet.”
In another post to Truth Social, Trump focused on the electricity levies, writing, "can you imagine Canada stooping so low as to use ELECTRICITY, that so affects the life of innocent people, as a bargaining chip and threat? They will pay a financial price for this so big that it will be read about in History Books for many years to come!"
The president does not have any calls on the schedule with Canadian officials today, and he has yet to speak with the country’s new prime minister, Mark Carney, the administration official said.
Pregnant federal employees who were fired grapple with stress of losing insurance and looking for work
Emily Erroa was eight months pregnant when she found out she was being fired from her human resources job at the Department of Energy.
“It stressed me out to the point where I did have to go into the hospital because I felt as though I caused too much stress to the baby,” she told NBC News. “They were calling me saying, ‘Oh, you’re fired. Oh, never mind. You’re not fired. You’re not on the list.’ And then they call me back and said, ‘You are on the list.’ These were way after work hours, and it was constant emails, daily things, and so now it’s affected everything.”
Erroa, a 38-year-old Army veteran and reservist, was based in Texas. Now, she’s had to move to Kansas City, Missouri, to be closer to family.
“It’s not like I could just say, ‘Oh, well, fine, I’ll just go get another job.’ I’m visibly pregnant. Nobody would ever hire me in their right mind, even though it’s discrimination,” she said. “But we live in reality, right? They would not hire me, and plus, I would need to have time off. My baby is due April 17.”
Thousands of federal workers have been fired from their government jobs in recent weeks amid efforts from President Donald Trump, his billionaire adviser Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. But for Erroa and women like her, who are pregnant, the stakes are more challenging and complex.
Democratic lawmakers demand Trump administration release Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil
Fourteen Democratic lawmakers sent a letter today to the Trump administration demanding the release of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate who was arrested Saturday by federal immigration agents.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said his arrest was in coordination with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the State Department in support of Trump's “executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism” and because Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.” The Trump administration has not provided evidence of the allegations against Khalil.
He’s currently being held at an immigration detention facility in Louisiana.
“As the Trump administration proudly admits, he was targeted solely for his activism and organizing as a student leader and negotiator for the Gaza Solidarity Encampment on Columbia University[’s] campus,” the lawmakers wrote. “We must be extremely clear: this is an attempt to criminalize political protest and is a direct assault on the freedom of speech in this country.”
In a Truth Social post yesterday, Trump wrote that Khalil’s arrest was the first of many to come. The lawmakers condemned Trump’s message, adding that “if unchecked, this authoritarian playbook will be applied to any and all opposition to his undemocratic agenda.”
Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Jasmine Crockett, D-Mo., and Al Green, D-Texas, were among the letter’s signatories.
Trump is focused on Canada and serious about it becoming the 51st state
Trump is heavily focused on Canada this morning in conversations with aides, a source with direct knowledge of the conversations said, and aides believe he is serious about his often-stated desire to make Canada the 51st state.
The decision by Ontario Premier Doug Ford to levy a surcharge on electricity sold in three northern U.S. states was the jumping off point for Trump to announce the doubling of tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, the source said.
Trump has not yet spoken to new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, a White House official said.
Protesters demand release of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil as judge blocks deportation
Rallies are planned today in New York and Chicago as protesters continue to demand the release of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, whose arrest Trump said is the first of many.
Khalil, a Columbia graduate, was arrested Saturday at his apartment by federal immigration agents who told him that his student visa was being revoked, his attorney Amy Greer has said. He’s being held at an immigration detention facility in Louisiana.