THE RACE IS ON for the federal government to quickly get Americans out of the Middle East as the conflict with Iran expands across the region.
The State Department has urged Americans from more than a dozen countries throughout the region to leave as Iran retaliates to the U.S.-Israeli strikes with attacks of its own on other nations. But doing so appears to be logistically much easier said than done.
The department initially directed Americans to book commercial flights, but more than 6,000 flights from countries in the region had been canceled as of Tuesday afternoon ET. Major airlines are diverting trips for at least the next couple days because of regional instability.
The situation has sparked criticism, particularly from Democrats, as to why the Trump administration didn't have a more defined plan for getting Americans in harm's way out of the area.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) said in a post on the social platform X that his office is receiving "panicked calls" from Americans who are stuck in the Middle East and "outraged that our government has provided zero evacuation support."
Trump told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. didn't have a preconceived evacuation plan for Americans because the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes "happened very quickly."
"We thought and I thought, maybe more so than most, I could ask [Secretary of State Marco Rubio], but I thought we were going to have a situation where we were going to be attacked," he said, arguing he was right about the plan to attack first.
Rubio insisted to reporters Monday ahead of a briefing with congressional leaders that Iran did pose an imminent threat to the U.S.
With commercial airspace restricted, the State Department is now turning to securing military aircraft and charter flights for U.S. citizens who wish to leave the Middle East, according to Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of State for global public affairs. He said the department has been in contact with nearly 3,000 Americans so far.
Trump said in a Truth Social post that 9,000 Americans have returned from the Middle East since the Iran strikes began. He said those seeking to return home should register with the State Department.
"The Department will identify where you are, and provide travel options to you," Trump continued. "We are already chartering flights, free of charge, and booking commercial options, which we expect will become increasingly available as time goes on."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also pointed citizens to the department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, which allows officials to quickly contact enrollees in cases of emergency.
But Kim said starting evacuation warnings days into the conflict after commercial airspace was already closed shows a lack of a plan.
"Now Americans have limited options to evacuate at an extremely dangerous moment with no government assistance. This administration is failing its citizens," he said on X.
The situation on the ground in multiple Middle Eastern countries is adding to the difficulty of connecting with and helping Americans who want to leave.
Operations at the U.S. embassies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were suspended after drone attacks, while the embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, closed Tuesday because of the regional instability.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the embassy in Jerusalem is not currently in a position to evacuate or directly assist Americans in leaving the country. Instead, he recommended using Israel's Ministry of Tourism shuttle buses to travel to Egypt and get flights from there.
He said he wouldn't suggest evacuating to Jordan for now as flights are inconsistent.
The president is meanwhile doubling down on his strategy regarding Iran, emphasizing the U.S. role in the operation and slamming allies who have broken with him on the plan.
Trump contradicted an account from Rubio in saying he might have forced Israel to strike Iran first based on his opinion that Iran was going to attack. Rubio had said Israel had decided to attack, which prompted Trump's decision to join the fight before likely Iranian retaliatory strikes.
During a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday, Trump went after both U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Spain, both of which have distanced themselves from Trump's Iran operations.
"We're going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain," he said.
"And by the way, I'm not happy with the U.K. either," he added.
▪ The Hill: GOP says Iran conflict isn't a war but a limited military operation.
▪ The Hill: Trump likely to get free hand on Iran from divided Congress.
BACK IN THE HOT SEAT: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will be back on Capitol Hill today to face questions from lawmakers after facing a barrage of attacks from members of both parties in the Senate on Tuesday, who cast doubt on her leadership.
Noem received a cold response even from some Republicans to her Tuesday testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Arguably the most vocal condemnation came from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who lambasted her during a 10-minute monologue.
His criticism touched on a variety of topics, from the two individuals killed by immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota in January to alleged violations of the rights of U.S. citizens during enforcement operations and accusations of Noem holding up federal emergency funding.
"I'm giving you a performance evaluation here — I'm not looking for a response," Tillis said, adding "time after time after time, I've been disappointed."
Noem also faced skepticism from GOP Sen. John Kennedy (La.) over a $200 million ad campaign that he said was "primarily effective in [her] name recognition." The ad from last February featured Noem telling migrants to go home or face deportation.
She also engaged in a tense back-and-forth with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who pressed Noem on her accusation that Renee Good and Alex Pretti were trying to carry out domestic terrorism.
"One of the most hurtful things they could ever imagine was said by you about their son," Klobuchar said, referring to Pretti's family.
And Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) repeatedly pressed her on her department's push to purchase "a luxury jet with a bedroom" for detainees. Noem said the plane is being refurbished to remove the bedroom.
Read five takeaways from the hearing from The Hill's Rebecca Beitsch here.
Noem is set to appear before the House Judiciary Committee at 10 a.m.
Her appearances come as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues without a clear end in sight. Democrats appear undeterred in insisting on immigration reforms for them to agree to fund DHS, The Hill's Al Weaver reports.
Democrats have held their ground despite Republicans placing new pressure on the opposition to fully fund the department given the military developments in Iran and the Middle East.
Transportation Security Administration workers, who have mostly been required to continue working without pay during the shutdown, are set to miss their first paycheck Friday, another factor that is expected to add pressure to bring an end to the funding gap.
▪ The Hill: Dems whipping votes against DHS funding bill.
LUTNICK TO TESTIFY: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has agreed to testify in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said Lutnick "proactively agreed to appear voluntarily" before the panel, saying he commends the secretary's "demonstrated commitment to transparency."
The announcement comes after bipartisan calls for Lutnick to testify following the release of new Epstein files that showed he kept contact with Epstein longer than he previously said. He initially claimed to have cut ties with the disgraced financier in 2005, but emails revealed they were in contact in 2012.
Lutnick later confirmed he met with Epstein that year but said he didn't observe any illegal activity.
▪ CBS News: What remains online of the Epstein files.
▪ The Hill: Bill O'Reilly says Hillary Clinton deposition was unnecessary.
REVERSE, REVERSE: The Department of Justice (DOJ) has changed course again by seeking to continue to enforce the president's executive orders targeting some of the country's top law firms, just a day after moving to dismiss its appeal.
The DOJ asked a federal judge in a court filing Tuesday to allow it to withdraw its motion to dismiss its appeals of four rulings. Those rulings had rejected Trump's executive orders targeting the firms Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner & Block and Susman Godfrey. The firms are opposing the request, saying they agreed to the government's request for a voluntary dismissal of the case.
The executive orders have sought to limit the firms' government contracts and employees' security clearances and access to government buildings. They have alleged they were politically targeted for representing Trump's political adversaries.
Federal judges have ruled against these orders as unlawful, though at least nine other firms that were targeted have chosen not to fight back. Instead, they agreed to provide tens of millions of dollars in pro bono work to the Trump administration to void the orders.
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