Welcome to From the Politics Desk. This is a daily newsletter that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News political team on the White House, Capitol Hill and election campaigns.
In today’s issue, Sahil Kapur delves into the recent rift between President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans. In addition, Lawrence Hurley reports on oral arguments in a Supreme Court case that could have significant medium-term implications.
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— Adam Wallner
President Trump pushes Republicans into a corner by shutting down DHS
Analysis by Sahil Kapur
President Donald Trump has rejected a workaround to the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, instead calling on Republicans in Congress to reject any deal with Democrats unless they agree to pass the SAVE America Act, a sweeping bill to overhaul elections across the country.
Trump originally made the request on Truth Social last night and doubled down on it today in Memphis.
“There’s no rush to vote. There’s no need to worry about Easter or going home. In fact, make this for Jesus. All right, make this for Jesus,” Trump said, referring to the scheduled recess of Congress.
“The most important parts of homeland security are voter ID and proof of citizenship,” he added, pointing to the SAVE America Act’s two main plans. “You cannot vote on Homeland Security without voter ID or proof of citizenship.”
His theory boils down to combining a bill that Democrats oppose (a DHS funding measure with no limits on immigration enforcement) with another bill that Democrats oppose (the SAVE America Act) in the hope that it will encourage Democrats to bend and support both bills.
Unsurprisingly, Trump’s proposal quickly failed on Capitol Hill among both parties.
Asked this afternoon about President Trump’s strategy of linking the two bills together, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (D-N.M.) told reporters, “I think everyone knows that that’s not realistic.”
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) said: “I agree with the goals and objectives, but it’s easier said than done.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called the idea “ridiculous” and “insensitive” and branded it a “tantrum” on Trump’s part.
“He doesn’t care about the American people. He cares about his election. He thinks the failed SAVE Act will change the outcome of the election,” Schumer said on the floor. “And he’s using millions of Americans as hostages. How can his Republican friends across the aisle go along with this? It stinks in your face.”
Bottom line: 60 votes are needed in the Senate to fund DHS and pass the SAVE America Act. Neither party has the right to vote, and Trump’s maneuvering will likely move Congress further from a deal to reopen DHS than it was 24 hours ago, when at least regular contact existed with the White House, including border czar Tom Homan’s visit to the Capitol for a bipartisan meeting.
President Trump’s comments show how committed he is to passing election legislation, which is a top priority for him. But Democrats now have an opportunity to try to pin the blame on him for the DHS shutdown and the gradually worsening airport chaos.
The proposal, supported by some Republicans, would essentially accept Democratic proposals to fund non-controversial agencies within TSA and DHS, while reserving ICE in a separate bill. Republicans who support this idea argue that they can pass an ICE funding bill on their own through a filibuster-proof “reconciliation” process, while excluding Democrats and denying their demands.
But President Trump’s latest demands have stalled that strategy, at least for the time being.
Katie Taylor and Scott Wong contributed reporting.
✈️ Read more: ICE agents Suzanne Gamboa, Julia Ainslie and Laura Strickler sent to airport to assist TSA as partial shutdown drags on
Conservatives on the Supreme Court appear skeptical about mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day.
Written by Lawrence Hurley
Conservative justices on the Supreme Court questioned whether states should be allowed to count ballots that were mailed on time but arrived after Election Day.
The court heard more than two hours of arguments today as President Donald Trump stepped up his opposition to mail-in voting and asked Congress to ban it in most cases.
The court is considering a Mississippi law that allows mail-in ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day, as well as measures in 13 other states.
Based on oral argument, the courts are largely divided on whether the federal law that sets Election Day prevents ballots from being received after that date. Some justices also questioned whether a ruling placing limits on late-arriving ballots would also raise questions about the legality of early voting.
California, New York, and Texas are among the states that have laws similar to Mississippi’s. Eligibility for mail-in voting varies among these states, with Mississippi restricting it to a list that includes the elderly and people with disabilities.
If the court were to strike down the Mississippi law, it would not only overturn election rules in affected states, but also potentially overturn election rules for people living overseas, including military members. A total of 29 states have granted extensions to voting deadlines for overseas voters and the military, according to briefs submitted by former national security officials.
The Constitution gives states a major role in overseeing elections, but the legal issues center on federal law that sets Election Day to be the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.
Justice Samuel Alito, one of six conservatives on the court, echoed some of Trump’s concerns that late-arriving ballots could fundamentally change the trajectory of the election during vote-counting operations and give the impression of fraud.
He asked whether the court should consider the Legislature’s decision to set election dates “for the purpose of combating fraud and fraud” when considering Mississippi’s law.
Read more →
🗞️ More top news today
➡️ Iran War: President Trump announced he would postpone a threatened military attack on Iranian power plants for at least five days, hours before a deadline for Tehran to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz shipping route. This development led to a rise in US stocks and a fall in oil prices. Follow Live Updates → 🇨🇺 Cuba Latest News: Cuba’s Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs told Meet the Press over the weekend that the country’s military is preparing for a “possible military invasion” by the United States and that it would be “naive” for Cuban leaders to ignore the possibility of conflict. Continue reading →🔎 New investigation: Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have launched a new investigation into Corey Lewandowski, a close aide to outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who allegedly solicited personal payments from contractors, as outlined in an NBC News investigation. Continue reading →🗺️ Redistricting Roundup: After putting before voters an aggressive redrawing of the state’s congressional maps, some Virginia Democrats are growing anxious about the prospects for passage with a month until the special election. Continue reading →🗳️ Vote Watch: Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican candidate for California governor, said last week that he was investigating possible fraud in last year’s election and seized more than 650,000 ballots from election officials. Continue reading →🤖 New ground: At least 15 campaign ads featuring AI-generated content have been published since November, raising concerns that the now ubiquitous technology could cause confusion or mislead voters. Continue reading →💰 Cash Dash: AIPAC’s super PAC seeded two anonymous groups that spent more than $14 million to influence the pivotal House Democratic primary in Illinois last week. Continue reading →⚫ Rest In Peace: Robert Mueller III, the longtime FBI director and later special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, has died at the age of 81. Read more →
That’s all from the political desk for now. Today’s newsletter was edited by Adam Wollner.
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