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1 Senate Agrees to Fund TSA and Most of DHS, but not ICE
Senators agreed by unanimous consent early Friday morning to a proposal that funds the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other critical agencies in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The late-night Senate deal left out funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol after negotiators failed to agree on reforms demanded by Democrats after federal immigration officers fatally shot two protesters in Minneapolis in January. The deal came together swiftly after months of often-stalled negotiations and just before lawmakers were set to depart for a two-week recess — and as hours-long lines at airport TSA checkpoints put enormous pressure on them to act. The sudden action by the Senate raises questions whether Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will be able to pass the package before the weekend, when both chambers are scheduled to begin a two-week Easter recess.
2 President Trump Says He'll Sign Order Directing DHS To Pay TSA Workers
Late yesterday afternoon, President Donald Trump announced that he’d be signing an executive order that would get TSA officers paid after going over 40 days without receiving a check. That, of course, has led to massive lines at airports due to officers calling in sick and even resigning because they’re sick of being toyed with by elected officials. In Trump’s announcement, it wasn’t clear where the money would be coming from to pay the officers, and it remains to be seen how soon a positive effect will be seen in airport security wait lines. As this drama has played out, many airports, including Burlington International Airport, in Vermont, had taken to collecting donations to help out struggling TSA workers. Among items being collected for officers were “household items, personal items, non-perishable food, and gift cards.
3 Iran Conflict: Trump Extends Deadline For Attacks On Iranian Power Plants
The U.S. and Iran are talking indirectly about ending the war, but both sides are sending very different signals about how those talks are going. Special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed the U.S. has passed a 15-point peace framework to Iran through Pakistan as a go-between, saying Iran is looking for a way out. A senior Iranian official told reporters that the proposal was reviewed and rejected as one-sided, and that no realistic path to talks exists right now. Trump, meanwhile, said he is "the opposite of desperate" for a deal and that the U.S. still has targets it wants to hit before any exit. He also teased that taking Iran's oil is "an option" and revealed Iran had allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in recent days as what he called a goodwill gesture. Oil prices climbed back above $100 a barrel yesterday, stoking new inflation worries around the world.