DHS PAYCHECKS: All employees at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are set to receive their wages as Trump plans to sign an order to pay them amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.
The DHS shutdown will reach its 50th day on Saturday, extending what has already been the longest shutdown in U.S. history. But Congress now seems to have a clear path to restoring funds and ending the standoff between Democrats and Republicans over immigration enforcement policy.
The Senate on Thursday formally sent a bill to fund all of DHS except for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol to the House for consideration. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) agreed to move forward with the bill after Trump came out in favor of the proposal.
The plan would then be to pass funding for immigration enforcement through the reconciliation process, which would allow the legislation to pass the Senate by a simple majority and not require any Democratic support. Trump has set a deadline of June 1 for the bill to be sent to his desk.
But passing the bill will require almost unanimous support among congressional Republicans to get through, and only a few defectors could sink it. The Hill's Mike Lillis and Sudiksha Kochi report hard-line House conservatives are seething after Johnson reversed course to support the Senate plan after initially opposing it.
The conservatives argue the two-step plan would create a national security issue in denying additional funding to agencies that protect the country and are vowing to oppose the legislation if it comes up for a vote in its current form.
But Trump's order could give much-needed relief to the tens of thousands of DHS employees who have been forced to continue working without pay for more than a month during the shutdown. The president ordered Transportation Security Administration staff to be paid last week to address the growing backlogs at airports throughout the country, but he stopped short of ordering other employees to be paid.
This order will provide pay to other key agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Coast Guard and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, along with ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
"Republicans are UNIFIED, and moving forward on a plan that will reload funding for our FANTASTIC Border Patrol and Immigration Enforcement Officers," Trump said on Truth Social.
▪ Reuters: Fate of DHS funding uncertain.
▪ The New York Times: Lawsuit challenges ICE warrantless searches, forced entries.
BONDI TICK-TOCK: Trump was reportedly insistent that he wanted to move on from Bondi as he told her of his decision to remove her as attorney general this week.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Bondi rode with Trump in the presidential limousine Wednesday on the way to the Supreme Court to attend oral arguments in the birthright citizenship case.
Trump told her during the ride that she was being removed, saying, "I think it's time." Bondi later asked Trump if she could stay on until the summer, but he declined, the Journal reported.
The New York Times reported Bondi had an idea she may be on the way out as Trump often complained about her performance. His willingness to fire Noem added to the AG's feeling that she may follow, Bondi told a friend.
But she didn't expect the decision to come so soon, denying her the graceful exit she hoped for, the outlet reported.
U.S. POUNDS IRAN: The war in Iran showed no signs of letting up Thursday following Trump's address to the country that the conflict was "nearing completion."
The U.S. apparently struck the biggest bridge in Iran twice, with Trump sharing video of the attack. The president suggested he's trying to put pressure on Tehran to agree to a deal.
"IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY," Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Trump said during his speech from the White House that the conflict would end in the next two to three weeks but said the U.S. would send Iran "back to the stone ages" if a peace deal isn't reached.
He also used his speech to try to reassure the American public that the economic impacts of the war would be short-lived. He blamed Iran for essentially closing the Strait of Hormuz and sending oil prices soaring, but he said the strait would "open up naturally" once the conflict ended.
The oil market hasn't reacted well to Trump's remarks, as the cost of oil jumped to more than $110 per barrel Thursday.
The Hill's Rachel Frazin reports Iran plans to institute a "toll booth" system on the strait, underscoring its grip on the global oil supply chain and likely keeping prices high.
The United Kingdom gathered roughly 40 countries together Thursday to formulate a plan to reopen the strait.
▪ Politico: Why Trump's Iran timeline sounds familiar.
▪ Time: Inside Trump's search for a way out of the war.
HEGSETH DUMPS TOP OFFICIAL: The Defense secretary on Thursday asked the Army chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, to step down and retire immediately.
George had served in the role since 2023, having been nominated by former President Biden. A typical term in the post is four years.
"The Department of War is grateful for General George's decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.
The Army's current vice chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, who was previously Hegseth's military aide, will serve as the acting chief of staff.
"General LaNeve — a generational leader — will help ensure the Army revives the warrior ethos, rebuilds for the modern battlefield and deters our enemies around the world," Hegseth said in January.
Since taking the helm at the Pentagon, Hegseth has fired more than a dozen senior military officers, including the Air Force vice chief of staff and the chief of naval operations. And George's ouster is the latest public example of tension between the Pentagon chief and Army top brass.
In February, Hegseth ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to remove one of his top advisers, Col. David Butler.
▪ The Wall Street Journal: Hegseth carries out latest purge of military's top ranks.
BALLROOM APPROVED: A federal panel has signed off on the president's planned ballroom at the White House, giving it final approval to go forward.
The National Capital Planning Commission, which is mostly made up of Trump allies, voted 8-1 in favor of the project, with a few abstentions. Washington, D.C., City Council Chair Phil Mendelson cast the lone "no" vote.
With the board's approval, all that remains to block the ballroom is a legal battle that preservationists have launched. A federal judge blocked construction on the $400 million project on Tuesday, ruling that no federal statute "comes close" to granting Trump the authority to have the ballroom built without congressional approval.
The ruling leaves the fate of the project, which is set to be funded by private donors, up in the air.
Although the commission approved the ballroom, The Washington Post reported it softened its own language declaring its authority over the project. A White House staffer requested the commission change the language of what became a public FAQ document, and emails show the commission complied, the outlet reported.
The exchange may raise more questions about the commission's independence in making its decision.
▪ The New York Times: What to know about the military bunker under the ballroom.
▪ Politico: Why Republicans aren't rushing to save Trump's ballroom.
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