President Donald Trump gathered his Cabinet for a video-broadcasted meeting that ended without questions from reporters or comments from Homeland Security Kristi Noem or Attorney General Pam Bondi.
It seemed an opportunity to avoid commentary on the situation in Minnesota, where the recent deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal agents, and the FBI’s search of an election office in Georgia in relation to Trump’s 2020 election loss.
During the meeting, Democrats voted to block legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies as they continued to negotiate with Republicans and the White House on new restrictions for Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement. Thursday’s 45-55 test vote came as Democrats have threatened a partial government shutdown when money runs out on Friday.
Addressing the press gathered at the Cabinet meeting, just ahead of the vote, Trump said, “We don’t want a shutdown,” and that the two sides were discussing a possible agreement to separate homeland security funding from the rest of the legislation and fund it for a short time.
Other news we’re following:
Border czar suggests a possible drawdown in Minnesota: Border czar Tom Homan included the caveat that a reduction of force would only come after “cooperation” from state officials. Homan doubled down on the need for local jails to alert Immigration and Customs Enforcement of people in their custody who can be removed from the country. Homan said transferring immigrants to ICE while they’re still in jail is safer for the officers and would require fewer of them to be on the streets.Appeals court says Noem’s decision to end protections for Venezuelans in US was illegal: Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem acted illegally when she removed legal protections that allowed Venezuelans to live and work in the U.S. The decision, however, will not have any immediate practical effect after the U.S. Supreme Court in October allowed Noem’s decision to take effect pending a final decision by the justices.FBI searches election offices in Georgia over 2020 presidential race: On Wednesday, the FBI served a search warrant at the election headquarters of Fulton County as Trump pushes the federal government to back his bogus claims that widespread fraud cost him reelection in 2020. Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff says the president is wielding federal law enforcement as an “instrument of personal power and revenge.”