What to know about Trump's and Congress' activities today
- President Donald Trump delivered remarks in Las Vegas regarding his first week in office and his campaign promise to eliminate taxes on tips.
- Trump fired at least 12 inspectors general across the federal government in a late-night move. The move did not affect the inspectors general for the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security.
- The Senate voted to confirm former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in a 59-34 vote. Shortly after her confirmation, she resigned as governor.
- Pete Hegseth was sworn in as defense secretary by Vice President JD Vance after the vice president cast a tie-breaking vote yesterday to confirm Hegseth's nomination. Three Republican senators joined Democrats in voting against him following concerns about alcohol use, his treatment of women and a sexual assault allegation. Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing.
Florida Republican pleads with Trump to leave out some migrants under deportation plan
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., is asking Trump's Department of Homeland Security to spare some migrants from deportation, even though they are otherwise not protected under the new guidelines put forth by the Trump administration.
Salazar wrote in a letter to acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman that she was concerned about how the new guidance may affect "individuals in Miami," a city which according to Pew Research Center accounts for one of the three largest populations of immigrants in the U.S. It is unclear how many of the people described as immigrants by Pew are in the U.S. legally.
Salazar expressed concern over Trump's decision to end a Biden-era program that afforded some protections to Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan (CHNV) immigrants. In the letter, published yesterday, Salazar said Biden had created the program "on dubious legal ground" but that those who were "still enrolled under" the program and should be protected until their cases are resolved.
"Since many of these individuals currently reside in Miami, there are open questions on how exactly this will be implemented," Salazar wrote.
Trump departs Las Vegas for Miami
Trump has left Las Vegas en route to Miami.
Before taking off, Trump made an impromptu stop to watch a round at the craps table in the Circa Resort & Casino, greeting supporters and posing for a selfie.
Trump has call with King Abdullah II of Jordan
Trump held a call today with King Abdullah II of Jordan, according to a readout from the White House.
During the call, Abdullah congratulated Trump on his inauguration, and Trump thanked the king for his "longtime friendship."
They additionally discussed the importance of "regional peace, security and stability."
Trump concludes Las Vegas rally
Trump has concluded remarks at his Las Vegas rally after roughly 40 minutes of speaking.
Trump jokes about serving three or four terms
During his remarks in Las Vegas Trump said it "will be the greatest honor of my life to serve not once, but twice — or three times or four times. No."
"Headlines," Trump said, laughing.
"No, it will be to serve twice," he added.
Earlier this week, Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced a resolution calling for the Constitution to be amended in order for Trump to be allowed to serve a third term. There is a high bar for a Constitutional amendment, so it would face a steep uphill battle and appears unlikely to pass.
Trump says he plans to fire or reassign IRS new workers
During his speech in Nevada, Trump said he planned to halt the hiring of over 80,000 new IRS agents, many of whom were funded by the over $80 million earmarked for the IRS in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
During his speech, Trump said he planned to fire them or reassign them to the southern border.
"They hired — were trying to hire 88,000 new workers to go with you, and we’re in the process of developing a plan to either terminate all of them or maybe we move them to the border," the president said.
Trump floats rejoining the World Health Organization
During his rally in Nevada, Trump floated rejoining the World Health Organization, days after he signed an executive order announcing the U.S.' intent to leave the group.
In his speech, Trump railed against the dues the U.S. has to pay to the organization, saying, "We paid $500 million a year, and China paid $39 million a year, despite a much larger population."
He added, "Maybe we would consider doing it again. I don't know. Maybe we would have to clean it up a little bit, but China pays $39 million for 1.4 billion, and we're paying $500 million for 325 million. I don't know what the hell is wrong with these people."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Trump's intentions.
Trump says he plans to work with Congress to make his tax cuts permanent
Trump says he is working with Congress on a bill around his “no tax on tips” campaign promise and on making his administration’s 2017 tax cuts, whicha are set to expire at the end of 2025, permanent.
“In the coming few weeks, I’ll be working with Congress to get a bill on my desk that cuts taxes for workers, families, small businesses, and very importantly, keeps my promise for a thing ... no tax on tips.”
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that keeping the tax cuts would add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years.
Trump touts his Nevada win
Trump is on stage in Las Vegas bragging about his electoral victory in Nevada.
"I wanted to come to Nevada to pay my respects, because this is the only Republican win of the state in decades, and it was a very big landslide," Trump said.
‘We are all afraid’: Migrants with temporary status live in fear amid Trump’s crackdown
Reporting from Chicago
For the last two years, Carlos Carpio has created a life for himself in Chicago, a city he now loves. He works at a factory, rents an apartment and has made friends. He goes to church every Sunday and is a part of the community here.
But for Carpio, who is a Venezuelan immigrant in the country legally with temporary status, that stability shattered this week when Donald Trump became president, riding into office on a campaign promise to carry out the largest mass deportation the United States has ever seen.
“There’s so much fear over what Trump has been saying, and now what he’s doing,” said Carpio, 50. “Since the day Trump became president, I live in fear.”
Carpio is among the roughly 1 million people in this country who have what’s known as temporary protected status, or TPS, which gives them the right to stay in the U.S. temporarily due to civil unrest and natural disasters in their home country. His was set to expire this April, but the Biden administration earlier this month extended those protections for another 18 months for people from Ukraine, Sudan, Venezuela and El Salvador.
Trump storms Washington with hundreds of pardons — and he might not be done
Donald Trump granted only one pardon during his first year in office when he last served as president.
Now, just days into his second term, Trump has averaged one pardon for every few minutes he’s been back in power.
The pardons and commutations have stood out in Trump’s first week back in the White House, even as a flurry of executive orders covering everything from tech policy, diversity initiatives and the federal workforce have blanketed Washington. They have been a way for Trump, with a simple flourish of his pen, to reward groups of people who supported him.
“There were campaign promises that President Trump made,” a Trump official said. “That’s what you’re seeing now. I’m not sure you’ll see rounds of pardons throughout [his term], but what I can say is it was important for him to keep his promises.”
West Palm Beach police arrest suspect who threatened to kill Trump
West Palm Beach police on Saturday announced the arrest of a 46-year-old man who threatened to kill Trump.
In a press conference, police said they received a tip about the man's posts on Facebook on Jan. 19, one day before Trump was inaugurated to a second term.
West Palm Beach Police Chief Tony Araujo said that upon arrest, the suspect claimed to be joking.
"Folks, this is not a joke. Nothing of that sort is a joke," Araujo said before urging residents to report any similar tips to the police or the FBI.
He said the suspect's name is Shannon Depararro Atkins and he was charged with one count of written or electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, which is a second-degree felony
"Let us decide whether the action -- the information is actionable. We'll determine if there’s reason, willingness, to further an investigation," the police chief added, saying that local law enforcement worked with their partners in the federal government and in the Secret Service to investigate this tip.
Top Democrat on Judiciary Committee blasts inspector general firings
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called Trump's decision to fire multiple inspectors general part of the president's effort "to reshape the federal government without oversight or accountability—and with loyalty to Donald Trump and Donald Trump alone. It is a brazen attempt to rig these offices to look the other way when violations of law take place."
He added, "Inspectors general are vital for keeping the government honest and revealing waste, fraud, and abuse. Less than one week in office and President Trump is dismantling the checks and balances on the Executive Branch at an astounding rate.”
Some Senate Republicans fall in line behind Trump firing at least 12 inspectors general
Some Senate Republicans today were unbothered by Trump’s ousting of at least 12 inspectors general late last night without the proper notification of Congress. Several GOP senators defended Trump’s actions, arguing that the president has the power to fire whoever he would like.
“[Trump’s] the boss. I mean, they vetted every one of them. They understood—he understands what he’s doing,” Senator Tuberville, R-Ala., said, adding that he has not spoken to President Trump about this. “We need a clean house. I mean, if they’re not for this country, they need to move on down the road.”
By law, Presidents are required to give Congress a 30-day notification of their intent to fire an inspector general, and the White House must also provide substantive reasons for why the inspector general was terminated.
Senators were still not clear on who was actually fired, with several saying they had learned the news from media reports, and had not heard about it from the Trump Administration, including Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Some Republicans, like Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who has previously advocated for the protection of inspectors general, told reporters they needed time to digest the news before commenting.
“I heard it, I have not looked at it, and I don’t know what it all entails. So, I honestly would just be guessing at this point as to what it what it actually entails. So, I’ll wait and find out what that means in terms of other people stepping in. Are there deputies that step in? Was it specific to individuals? I just simply don’t have that information,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said.
“I do not know what [Trump’s] logic was on it, and I do not know the reasoning. We’ll give him an opportunity to explain that,” he added.
The only Senate Republican who seemed skeptical about Trump’s actions was Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Collins was also cosponsor of legislation passed in 2023 to protect inspectors general from undue terminations.
“I don’t understand why one would fire individuals whose mission is to root out waste, fraud and abuse. So, this leaves a gap in what I know is a priority for President Trump, so I don’t understand that.” Collins said.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the bipartisan Inspector General caucus, launched just over a week ago by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said his Republican colleagues are still grappling with how to proceed, given concerns about possible blowback from Trump.
“It’s wrong, it’s illegal. But the question is, who could enforce it?” Blumenthal said when asked what Congress can do.
“I don’t know whether members of Congress have standing or someone in the public. But the bigger point is what we will do to stop President Trump from riding roughshod over a means of scrutiny that is essential to rooting out waste and fraud, and we really need to be bipartisan in that effort,” he added.
Sen. Grassley seeks further information about inspector general firings
After Trump fired multiple inspectors general from the federal government overnight in a legally murky move, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on the president to better inform Congress about his decision.
“There may be good reason the IGs were fired. We need to know that if so. I’d like further explanation from President Trump. Regardless, the 30 day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to Congress," Grassley told NBC News.
Grassley is referring to a key part of federal legislation that prohibits the president from firing inspectors general without giving Congress a 30-day notice and a reason for the firing.
The senator led the push for that legislation to strengthen protections for inspectors general and has been outspoken about enforcing safeguards for inspectors general.
Senate sends Scott Bessent to final vote for Treasury Secretary nomination
The Senate voted 67-23 to advance Scott Bessent’s nomination to be Treasury Secretary this afternoon. Fifteen Democrats voted with all Republicans to advance him.
Bessent’s final confirmation vote is teed up for Monday at 5:30 p.m.
Trump fires at least 12 inspectors general overnight in legally murky move
President Donald Trump on Friday fired at least 12 inspectors general in the federal government, a senior White House official confirmed to NBC News.
The move did not affect the inspectors general for the Justice Department or the Department of Homeland Security.
When asked why the inspectors general were fired, the official said the move was an effort by the president to let go of parts of the past Biden administration that don’t “align” with the new Trump administration.
“We’re cleaning house of what doesn’t work for us and going forward,” the official said.
Noem resigns as governor, Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden to take over
Following the Senate's vote to confirm former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary, Noem resigned her former post, ushering former Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden into the governorship.
"In the last six years, I have had the privilege to serve as Governor of South Dakota ... Today I resign to you the position," Noem wrote in her resignation letter.
"Through my tenure, South Dakotans enjoyed a greater level of Freedom than anywhere else. Our state is safer, stronger, and Freer for our kids and our grandkids. My role as Governor was to serve the People, to honor our Constitution, to keep government limited, and to protect the American ideals of Freedom and Opportunity," she added.
Senate confirms Noem as DHS Secretary
The Senate voted 59-34 to confirm Noem to be President Donald Trump’s Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
The Senate is now taking a procedural vote on Scott Bessent’s nomination to be Treasury Secretary. His final confirmation vote is slated for 5:30 p.m. on Monday.
Earlier today, Pete Hegseth was sworn in as Defense Secretary after he was confirmed by the Senate late last night.
Senate is voting on Kristi Noem's nomination for homeland security secretary
The Senate is voting now on Noem's nomination to be the secretary of homeland security.
This comes after the Senate voted last night in a bipartisan fashion to end debate on her nomination and move forward to the final vote.
The eight Democrats who voted with Republicans to advance Noem's nomination included Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Andy Kim, D-N.J., Gary Peters, D-Mich.; Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.
Vance swears Hegseth in as Defense Secretary
About 12 hours after the Senate voted to confirm former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary, the vice president presided over Hegseth's swearing-in at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington.
"This is the Secretary of Defense who will stand up for the men and women that we send overseas to fight our nation’s wars. I think a lot of them feel that they haven’t had somebody who’s had their back. That will change, because the President of the United States nominated this guy, and we are grateful to President Trump for doing so," Vance told attendees before officially administering the oath of office to Hegseth.
In brief remarks after taking the oath, Hegseth thanked Vance for breaking the tie vote in the Senate in his favor on Friday night.
"I look forward to working with all of you and other senators to ensure the Defense Department has what it needs, that our nation has what it needs, and that we’re prepared to defend it in all moments," Hegseth added.
Schumer: Inspector general firings are 'a chilling purge'
In a speech on the Senate floor, Schumer addressed reports that overnight Trump fired multiple inspectors general, who are entrusted to investigate waste, fraud and abuse at federal agencies.
"Yesterday, in the dark of night, President Trump fired at least 12 independent inspector generals at important federal agencies across the administration. This is a chilling purge, and it’s a preview of the lawless approach Donald Trump and his administration are taking far too often as he’s becoming president," Schumer said.
He also claimed that the legality of the firings are in question, saying, "These dismissals are possibly in violation of federal law, which requires Congress to have 30 days notice of any intent to fire inspectors general.”
Schumer: Hegseth has 'no experience, terrible judgment and serious flaws of character'
In a speech on the Senate floor Saturday morning, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would vote no on Noem's nomination later today.
He also blasted Hegseth and Senate Republicans, saying that they "entrusted the most powerful military in the world to someone with no experience, terrible judgment and serious flaws of character."
"This is a deeply troubling moment," Schumer added. "Our troops deserve so much better than Pete Hegseth. Our country deserves so much better than Pete Hegseth."