Shutdown Watch
This is an important day in yet another shutdown countdown.
Senate Democrats control the make-it-happen votes that will determine whether government operations chug along for the rest of the fiscal year, and they say they want changes in immigration enforcement before they’ll say yes. The minority party wants to pass legislation funding everything except the Department of Homeland Security while Congress changes the law to, among other changes, set up a code of conduct, mandate the use of body cameras, and ban masks.
And they’re not — at least at this stage — making it easy for the Trump administration to peel away votes or make side deals. Mica Soellner reports that the White House sought “a listening session” with several Senate Democrats and got turned down.
Still, there were some discussions and the administration has moved toward the Democrats’ demands, Steven T. Dennis reports, citing a person familiar with negotiations. No deal was reached.
Less than 48 hours remain until about 80% of the money to run the government runs out, including funds for the military and the folks at the IRS gearing up for tax-filing season.
Subscribers, there’s more on the shutdown state of play in this morning’s editions of Congress Tracker and BGOV Budget.
See Also:
- GOP Negotiators Pitch Health Credit Deal Amid Funding Chaos
- Why Does the US Government Keep Shutting Down?: QuickTake
Next in Minnesota
After two fatal shootings, the viral photo of a 5-year-old detainee in a bunny hat, a change of command and a court order, America will hear this morning from the new face in charge of the immigration roundups in Minnesota.
Border czar Tom Homan’s scheduled to speak in Minneapolis this morning.
Late yesterday, a federal judge blocked the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement from arresting or detaining refugees in the state.
Judge John R. Tunheim also said that any refugees in custody must be immediately released, Shweta Watwe reports.
- “Refugees have a legal right to be in the United States, a right to work, a right to live peacefully—and importantly, a right not to be subjected to the terror of being arrested and detained without warrants or cause in their homes or on their way to religious services or to buy groceries,” the judge said.
Tunheim also said the threat of irreparable harm favors immediate relief because the named plaintiffs recounted stories of terror and trauma from their arrests. Read More
Political Cost
The behavior of federal agents surging into cities is starting to put some Democrats in an uncomfortable position,
Greg Giroux reports that a nonbinding resolution adopted last year (
There’s no taking that back, and the wording is having a delayed political impact. For instance, in the Illinois Senate race, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) brought up Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi’s vote for the resolution at their first Senate debate. Yesterday, his campaign began airing a television ad underscoring his opposition to Trump’s ICE.
The 75 Democrats who voted for that resolution also included Senate hopefuls Angie Craig (Minn.), Seth Moulton (Mass.), Chris Pappas (N.H.), and Haley Stevens (Mich.). Read More
See Also:
- US Border Patrol Agents on Leave After Deadly Minnesota Shooting
- Trump’s National Guard Deployments Costing $93 Million a Month
- Supreme Court Has Made It Difficult to Sue Immigration Agents
Iran Pressure
Trump warned Iran to make a nuclear deal with the US or face military strikes far worse than the attack he ordered last June, increasing pressure on the regime and propelling oil prices higher.
In a social-media post on Wednesday, Trump said the fleet of US ships he’d ordered to the region, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, is “ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary.”
Adopting the US president’s use of capital letters in social media, Iran’s mission to the UN wrote in a post on X that it was ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests but warned that “IF PUSHED, IT WILL DEFEND ITSELF AND RESPOND LIKE NEVER BEFORE.” Read More
Also Read:
- Venezuela Leader Pressed From All Sides Over Oil Industry Plans
- US, Denmark Start Talks Over Greenland Deal to Assuage Trump
Eye on Trade
Cumulative US exports have been on the upswing and imports have been declining, with the most recent data showing the smallest trade gap since 2009.
Today, fresh numbers due from the government will show whether that trend continued in November. There have been large monthly swings in trade this year, in part as companies front-loaded shipments to get ahead of tariffs.
See Also:
- Rolex, Gold Given to Trump Before Swiss Deal Queried by Senator
- Trump Keeps Trashing Cost-of-Living Message His Team Is Pushing
- Health Care Leads Voters’ Economic Worries Ahead of US Midterms
Before You Go
More Epstein Files Likely Ready Soon, DOJ Says in FOIA Challenge
A Justice Department attorney said a “substantial release” of documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein “is likely to happen in the near term” during federal appeals court oral arguments Wednesday over a media outlet’s Freedom of Information Act request for the files.
Senate Democrat Urges SEC to Probe Tribal Tax Credit Sponsor
Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is again pushing the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate a company that sold nonexistent tax credits.
K Street Lobbying Conglomerate to Begin Trading on Nasdaq in IPO
PPHC said in a news release that the pricing of its initial public offering in the US would be $12.25 per share with total gross proceeds of approximately $50.8 million before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses.
Great Society to DEI Fury: Agency Trump Cut Was Antibias Bastion
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs was arguably the federal government’s most potent force in integrating federal contractors’ workforces over the past 60 years. It took two days for President Donald Trump to largely dismantle it.
FTC Chair Pushes for Corporate Use of Tech to Boost Kids’ Safety
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson urged businesses to use technology to comply with children’s privacy law rather than find “innovative ways of breaking the law” at a Wednesday workshop on age verification technologies.
Crypto Super PAC Reaches Nearly $200 Million on Cusp of Midterms
Pro-crypto super PAC Fairshake said it holds more than $193 million in the bank ahead of this year’s midterm elections as it seeks to bolster industry allies running for Congress — and defeat legislative foes.
Commerce Department Plans National AI Center in San Francisco
The US
Trump Nominates US Prosecutor as Top National Fraud Investigator
President
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