SHUTDOWN AVOIDANCE PLAN: Senate Democrats are trying to speed up passage of most of the remaining funding bills to limit how much of the federal government could shut down at the end of the week.
But whether this plan can succeed is questionable, with potential roadblocks in the way.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement Monday that Democrats are prepared to move along five of the six spending bills that are awaiting consideration by the Senate as the party is unified against approving the sixth bill — for DHS — in its current form.
He called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to bring the five bills to the floor so they can be passed before the deadline on Friday.
“If Leader Thune puts those five bills on the floor this week, we can pass them right away. If not, Republicans will again be responsible for another government shutdown,” Schumer said.
The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that Republicans are scrambling to save the funding package and get it across the finish line, but some key GOP senators want to keep it as-is.
Getting support for separating the DHS legislation from the rest won’t be easy.
Thune would need unanimous consent to separate the DHS appropriations bill, or else the five-bill package would have to go back to the House, which is on recess this week. If the latter happens, that would likely ensure much of the government shuts down for at least a few days.
Even if the so-called minibus package can be separated, parts of DHS seem highly likely to run out of funding at the end of the week. Although Democrats’ objection is mostly focused on ICE, withholding funding would affect various other agencies under DHS’s purview, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard.
▪ NBC News: ICE would likely continue operating during shutdown.
▪ The Hill: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) breaks with party on shutdown, DHS.
REPUBLICAN DROPS OUT: A GOP candidate for governor of Minnesota dropped out of the race Monday over his party's handling of the situation in Minneapolis.
Chris Madel said he supports removing "violent criminals" from the U.S. but said the administration has gone too far in its enforcement tactics.
“Number one, I cannot support the national Republican stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so,” he said.
KLOBUCHAR DELAYS CAMPAIGN: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) has reportedly delayed the formal launch of her campaign for Minnesota governor over the turmoil in the state.
Politico reported Klobuchar planned to launch her campaign Monday but is now expected to start it by next Tuesday, two people familiar with her plans told the outlet. She's expected to be the front-runner for the Democratic nomination and a favorite to win the race to succeed Walz.
TRUMP TO IOWA: The president is traveling to Iowa today as part of his efforts to bring his message on the economy directly to the American people in anticipation of a challenging midterm cycle for the GOP.
Trump will visit Clive, a suburb of the Des Moines metro area, to speak about energy and the economy. The White House chief of staff signaled last week that Trump would begin more frequently traveling around the country to sell his message to voters as the midterms approach.
Iowa voted for Trump for each of his three presidential campaigns, but Democrats are eyeing a few possible pickup opportunities for the state’s House seats in November. They’re also hoping to pull off an upset victory in the state’s gubernatorial race.
Trump has recently visited the battleground states of Pennsylvania and North Carolina to talk up his efforts to improve the economy and lower costs.
▪ KGAN: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R) welcomes Trump to Iowa.
▪ WOI-DT: How often presidents visit Iowa.
LAST REMAINS RETURNED: The last hostage remains held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack have been returned to Israel, completing a final sticking point on the first phase of the peace deal between the Hamas and Israel.
The Israeli military said it identified the remains of 24-year-old Ran Gvili, who served in the Israeli police and died fighting Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack. His body was taken into Gaza and was the last one still in the territory as all other living and deceased hostages, and others killed during the attack, were returned already.
The return of all hostages living and dead was a key part of the first phase of the ceasefire that the Trump administration negotiated, which began three months ago. Hamas quickly released the hostages who were still alive and slowly returned those who had died, saying the group needed time to track them all down.
Israel released thousands of Palestinian prisoners detained since the war began in tandem with the hostage releases.
The return of Gvili’s remains comes days after Trump launched his “Board of Peace” to oversee the transition of Gaza away from Hamas rule, though the militant group has sent mixed messages about whether it will step aside and disarm, as laid out in the peace agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel would now agree to reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt for pedestrian passage. It has been largely shuttered since May 2024, except for a brief period early last year.
The reopening of the crossing was another term of the deal.
Trump said last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that Hamas agreed to give up its weapons in the next “three weeks,” but he warned of military action if it doesn’t follow through.
“If they don’t do it, they’re going to — they’ll be blown away. Very quickly. They’ll be blown away,” Trump said.
▪ The Times of Israel: All of them are home now.
▪ Reuters: U.S. believes disarmament comes with some amnesty for Hamas.
