Monday, January 27 | By Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch |
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| ▪ Trump works to impose his will on immigration ▪ Bolton, Fauci's revoked security draws scrutiny ▪ The House GOP budget huddle ▪ Trump floats plan to "clean out" Gaza |
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©️ The Associated Press | Mark Schiefelbein
| Trump, Colombia spar, then reach migrant deal
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President Trump begins his second week by daring Congress, the courts and other nations to bend to his will — or else. After scuffling publicly with the government of Colombia for hours Sunday on social media over the question of letting U.S. deportation flights land, Trump and the White House announced that Colombia's concession means the president's bark would not bite after all. Trump, who is using U.S. military planes to fly arrested migrants out of the country, angrily announced Sunday on social media that he would impose large tariffs and significant sanctions, including a travel ban, on U.S. ally Colombia after its government refused to accept two military cargo flights carrying deported Colombians. The State Department on Sunday described the specifics of U.S. trade and visa punishments. In a retaliatory response hours later, Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered his foreign trade minister to raise import tariffs on U.S. goods by 25 percent, arguing for "dignity and respect" for migrants from his country. The White House subsequently announced the trade levies are now "in reserve" for implementation after Petro agreed to allow U.S. migrant flights to land. Petro reposted the White House statement describing Colombia's assent to "all" of Trump's terms. The New York Times: Colombia agrees to accept deportation flights after Trump threatens tariffs. The speed and reach of Trump's edicts became clear last week as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rounded up migrants on U.S. soil — including without notification to officials in Chicago and Newark — and made a public show of deporting hundreds of individuals daily, some in chains. The president's top immigration coordinator at the White House, Tom Homan, defended federal migrant raids and what he described as "collateral arrests" of migrants who lack legal status, but have not been convicted of serious crimes in the U.S. He is publicly pressuring Congress to authorize additional federal funds to remove migrants. Trump during his campaign said he would deport 11 million people, although that is not a specific target Homan has repeated. "If you're in the country illegally, you got a problem," he told ABC News's "This Week." "If we don't show there's consequences, you're never going to fix the border problem," he added. Vice President Vance, during his first interview since taking office, backed ICE raids on schools to locate and remove migrants without legal status and backed the administration's suspension of the nation's refugee admissions program. "I desperately hope it has a chilling effect … on illegal immigrants coming into our country," he told CBS's "Face the Nation." ▪ CBS News: Nine highlights from Vance's interview. ▪ The Hill: Trump's five biggest moves on immigration so far. ▪ The New York Times analysis: Trump tests the boundaries of the presidency. Second-guessing about some of Trump's early decisions, including some unease within his party, has been muted amid a muscular GOP narrative about border security, an issue important to many voters who supported Trump in November. The president will give House Republicans some legislative direction at a meeting in Florida today and he appears to be on a glide path to surmounting Senate questions aimed at the qualifications of some of his Cabinet picks. ▪ The Hill: Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, once a Democrat, faces a narrow path to become Trump's director of the Office of National Intelligence. All eyes are on her responses to Senate Intelligence Committee members on Thursday. ▪ The Hill: GOP lawmakers grumble over Trump's billionaire kitchen Cabinet. Democrats, relegated to the minority in Congress and without a national leader, are struggling to land punches over what they conceded last year was a border "crisis." Democrats agree they should buck Trump's challenge to the 14th Amendment when it comes to birthright citizenship but splinter over how best to rally around legal immigration — elements of which the new administration also has halted for the time being. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) told NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday" that his constituents have made their views clear. "Look, I think most people in my district and across the country think, you're here without authorization, you've come illegally, you're committing crimes, you got to get sent back to where you came," he said. (The Hill and NewsNation are owned by Nexstar Media Group. |
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Smart Take
with Blake Burman |
| Now that President Trump has called for the federal government to release files on the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., more calls are coming for sunshine. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) posted on social media: "Now do UFOs." Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) told me he has "been reaching out to Trump's campaign and to his policy team trying to get them to consider UFO disclosure." Trump has separately ordered a report early in his term on the drone sightings that began in the Northeast last year, vowing transparency. And it's not just flying orbs. "Let's start releasing the [Jeffrey] Epstein list," Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) told me, adding she "would not be surprised one bit if [Trump] released the Epstein files." Where does this end, and where should it? Stay tuned. |
Burman hosts "The Hill" weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation. The Hill & NewsNation are owned by Nexstar Media Group. |
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©️ The Associated Press | Ben Curtis
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SECURITY GAMBIT: Trump sparked fresh controversy in his first week back in office with his decision to remove security details from several prominent people with whom he has fallen out. Anthony Fauci, John Bolton, Mike Pompeo and Brian Hook all saw their government-provided security teams taken away last week. The Hill's Niall Stanage writes in The Memo that Trump's move has stoked suspicions that he is acting out of a desire for retribution. Speaking to reporters in North Carolina on Friday, Trump said he would not feel a sense of responsibility if any of the people from whom he had pulled security came to harm, noting, "You can't have a security detail for the rest of your life because you worked for the government." "They all made a lot of money," he said. "They can hire their own security, too." But Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Tom Cotton (Ark.) on Sunday both called on Trump to rethink his revocation of security protections in the face of threats from Iran, arguing it could affect how current officials do their jobs. "If there's a legitimate threat against people who served our government from a foreign adversary, I don't want to pull that protection," Graham said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "So I think what you'll see is the Senate particularly get a briefing about this, and engage the White House to see if we can get some relief. Because I fear it will chill out how people will serve in the future." Graham also said he disagreed with Trump's decision to pardon Jan. 6, 2021, rioters who targeted police officers. 👉 Rewind: Here are five key takeaways from Trump's whirlwind first week back at the White House. Trump's new federal hiring freeze has congressional lawmakers and veterans groups worried that operations at Veterans Affairs medical facilities will be hindered, writes The Hill's Ellen Mitchell. The freeze could prevent critical health care roles from being filled, complicating care for veterans, its critics fear. The administration has no "regard for the impact it would have on veterans' access to healthcare and benefits, nor for the urgent need to fill critical clinical vacancies within VA, such as mental health providers and nurses," House Veterans' Affairs Committee ranking member Mark Takano, (D-Calif.) said in a statement Thursday. ▪ Forbes: How long will the federal hiring freeze last? ▪ Bloomberg Law: Trump's hiring freeze is preventing students specializing in public service law from getting federal jobs. ▪ The Washington Post: The National Park Service rescinded roughly 400 job offers for seasonal positions, prompting concerns that parks could be short-staffed during the summer. ▪ The Hill: Trump's opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs places top colleges in federal crosshairs. |
- The House convenes for a pro forma session on Tuesday at 11 a.m. House Republicans are meeting in Miami through Wednesday.
- The Senate meets today at noon.
- The president is in Florida and will attend a House GOP retreat at Trump National Doral Miami at 5 p.m. Two hours later, Trump is expected to depart South Florida to return to the White House tonight.
- The vice president is expected to visit Damascus, Va., today to check on 2024's hurricane cleanup efforts. He was last in the area in October following Hurricane Helene's flood damage.
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©️ The Associated Press | J. Scott Applewhite
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BUDGET BATTLE: House Republicans are meeting in Miami today at their annual policy retreat, hosted at Trump National Doral, to make plans for how to execute Trump's ambitious legislative agenda. The president will address the conference this evening. House GOP leaders have already indicated that they will try to move Trump's priorities — encompassing an extension of 2017 tax cuts, energy policy, and border policy — in a single bill through the budget reconciliation process, rather than split it into two pieces. The process bypasses the threat of a Democratic filibuster in the Senate, but can be used only once or twice in a year — and will need near-unanimous support from the slim House GOP majority. Facing what will soon be a 217-215 margin, any GOP member could kill the bill, at least until early April. Balancing the Trump agenda wish list with demands from fiscal hawks for the legislation to be deficit neutral, or even deficit reducing, will be tough, writes The Hill's Emily Brooks. "We've got a math problem," Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), one of those fiscal hawks who is hoping for more than $2 trillion in cuts, said leaving a meeting last week on options for "pay-fors" that can offset the costs of tax cuts and other priorities. "Let's put the math on the board, and let's go about it agency by agency." ▪ Reuters: House Republicans are divided over how to pay for Trump's tax cuts. ▪ USA Today: Trump said on Saturday that the legislative package he's hammering out with Republican lawmakers will include a campaign pledge to eliminate taxes on tips. Meanwhile, Democrats are raising the alarm over Trump's move to claw back funding approved in two of former President Biden's signature laws, write The Hill's Aris Folley and Rachel Frazin. Trump issued an executive order pausing the disbursement of funds appropriated in the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Democrats say Trump's order violates a law called the Impoundment Control Act (ICA), a measure enacted during the Nixon administration that put guardrails on the president's powers to cut congressionally approved funding. Republicans have dismissed the attacks, defending Trump's moves as within his powers as president. "They're just badly written, and Republican and Democratic states alike have been trying to sort through what the hell this executive order meant," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). "There was an initial clarification that didn't provide much clarification." GOVERNORSHIPS: A number of Trump's most vocal and controversial allies are considering runs for governor in 2026, opening the door to more Trump influence in state capitals across the country. The Hill's Julia Manchester reports Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) has been laying the groundwork for a run in Florida, while former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) also said he has started to think about a run in the state. Vivek Ramaswamy has said he will launch a bid in Ohio, while Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said this week she is "seriously considering" a run for governor in her state. And Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) is publicly mulling a run for Arizona's top office. The Hill: This weekend, Trump took a Nevada victory lap while Democrats licked their wounds. |
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©️ The Associated Press | Jehad Alshrafi
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GAZA CEASEFIRE: Trump this weekend suggested to "clean out" Gaza and asked Egypt and Jordan to take in more Palestinians, raising new questions about U.S. policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and two of its most important Middle East allies. Trump's comments are aligned with the Israeli far right. They say Palestinians should be encouraged to leave Gaza — a suggestion that is likely to be rejected by Egypt and Jordan. "You're talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing," Trump said of Gaza on Saturday. "I don't know. Something has to happen, but it's literally a demolition site right now." Jordan said it is committed to "ensuring that Palestinians remain on their land," its minister of foreign affairs said in a statement Sunday. "Our refusal of displacement is a steadfast position that will not change," Ayman Safadi said. "Jordan is for Jordanians, and Palestine is for Palestinians." Tens of thousands of people were marching and driving back to northern Gaza today, after Israel allowed them to cross into the north for the first time in over a year. Israel has pulled back from several areas of Gaza under the ceasefire, but the military still operates in a buffer zone. ▪ The New York Times analysis: Bloodshed over the weekend highlighted the brittleness of the cease-fires in both places. Still, Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah each have reasons to postpone a new escalation, at least for a few weeks. ▪ USA Today: The Israel-Hamas ceasefire appears to be holding steady. Does Trump deserve credit? Salome Zourabichvili, Georgia's fifth president, is on a mission in Washington to make her country matter to Trump and his team's "America First" foreign policy, writes The Hill's Laura Kelly. And she's using personal relationships to gain access that was largely blocked in a Biden administration that rigidly stuck to protocol. Her message is that the U.S. should push back on Russia using Georgia "as a playground." Russian forces have occupied 20 percent of the country since an invasion in 2008. Mass protests have taken place for more than two months, demonstrating against the Kremlin-aligned ruling party. Zourabichvili has carried out a weeklong media blitz, including Trump's favorite news channel, Fox News, to get her message across. "They cannot let this region go to Russia," she said of her main message. "That's what we have to understand." ▪ The New York Times: Trump told Denmark's leader he wanted to take over Greenland, European officials say. Denmark has asked its EU allies not to inflame the situation until Mr. Trump's intentions are clearer. ▪ CBS News: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday the U.S. has not stopped military aid to Ukraine after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he would pause foreign aid grants for 90 days. |
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- Trump's Gaza remarks put willing Arab partners on guard, by David Ignatius, The Washington Post.
- There's a method to Trump's madness; Democrats must respond with bold initiatives, by Brad Bannon, opinion contributor, The Hill.
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©️ The Associated Press | Godofredo A. Vásquez
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And finally … 🏈 Super Bowl 59 is set and few seem surprised by the results. The Kansas City Chiefs will compete Feb. 9 in New Orleans for the team's third consecutive season, this time against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs on Sunday defeated the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC matchup after the Eagles trounced the Washington Commanders 55-23 in the NFC championship. Next month's sports extravaganza signals a return engagement between the Eagles and Chiefs after Kansas City's Super Bowl triumph in 2023. The Chiefs won last year against the San Francisco 49ers. Entertainment Weekly: Here's everyone performing at the 2025 Super Bowl, from the national anthem to the halftime show. |
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