Thank you for signing up!
Subscribe to more newsletters here
The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Morning Report newsletter SubscribeIn today’s issue:
House GOP ISO budget cohesion How Trump can broker peace in Ukraine Which Democrats star in 2028 chatter? Canada’s Carney, Trump talk trade this week at White HouseHouse Republicans aim this week to narrow substantial budget disagreements to eventually pass President Trump’s legislative agenda. It’s slow going.
GOP infighting means key policy decisions are up in the air amid debates about offsetting the cost of tax cuts, Medicaid changes, clean energy tax credits and whether to make the pesky state and local tax deduction known as “SALT” more generous, to highlight a few prominent examples.
The New York Times: Congress’s fight over Trump’s agenda runs through Alaska.
Republicans in high-tax blue states say they want to hike the SALT deduction. Deficit hawks are opposed because Democratic states are not their concern, and larger breaks for tax filers in New York, New Jersey and California siphon revenues that conservatives say are needed for other priorities.
NBC News: The growing GOP fight over the SALT tax deduction complicates the Trump agenda bill.
The budget-building process will test Trump’s hold over Republicans in both chambers, who say they’re eager to defend Congress’s power over the federal government’s purse. What is anathema in a conservative House district may be popular in a swing district, and vice versa.
The 2026 elections loom large for the GOP’s narrow majorities, and members of the president’s party are nervously measuring Trump’s sagging poll numbers on the economy, particularly tariffs and inflation. The president, interviewed last week by NBC’s “Meet the Press” for broadcast Friday and Sunday, downplayed the risks of recession.
“Look, yeah, it’s — everything’s OK. What we are — I said, this is a transition period. I think we’re going to do fantastically,” Trump said, speaking about his long-term expectations.
▪ Bloomberg News: Trump on Sunday escalated the trade war to include the entertainment sector for the first time by ordering a 100 percent tariff on movies produced overseas. "This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda," Trump wrote on social media.
▪ The Wall Street Journal: Investors have pushed back expectations for when the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates. The Fed is almost certain to leave rates on hold at its meeting this week.
Markups initially scheduled this week by the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees were postponed to give leaders more time to line up sufficient GOP support to nudge a mammoth measure, which would encompass Trump’s ambitious policies on taxes, immigration, defense spending, energy and shrinking the size and reach of the federal bureaucracy.
Trump “shows an openness” to imposing new Medicaid work requirements for adult beneficiaries, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) told “Fox News Sunday”. Congressional Republicans are considering steep cuts to Medicaid in their search for federal savings. A federal Medicaid work requirement could lead to as many as 5.2 million adults aged 19 to 55 losing eligibility, according to an analysis by the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization.
"The president has been very clear he does not want to cut benefits for individuals on Medicaid and Medicare. He wants to create efficiencies and reforms. He shows an openness to work requirements," Smith said.
Republicans eyeing Medicaid changes are considering federal “per capita caps” for the health coverage program for the poor that’s shared with the states. That change would shrink federal funding without technically “cutting” benefits, reports The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel.
Trump has vowed not to touch Medicare and Social Security benefits, adding Medicaid to his promise during his interview with NBC: “We’re not cutting Medicaid, we’re not cutting Medicare and we’re not cutting Social Security.”
Placing a cap on the federal commitment to Medicaid is controversial because it would upend the foundation of the program’s federal-state cost-sharing, expanded by a majority of states under the Affordable Care Act. Forty-one states and Washington, D.C., expanded their programs while 10 did not.
Meanwhile, the president sent Congress his own budget blueprint with guidance for the fiscal year that begins in October. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought on Friday argued proposed funding for homeland security, veterans, seniors, law enforcement and infrastructure would be protected.
▪ The Hill: Five things to know as the president backs $25 billion in new spending for a U.S. Golden Dome missile defense shield. Trump wants to hike Pentagon spending by $150 billion.
▪ Government Executive: Which agencies would see the most significant spending reductions in Trump’s proposed budget?
▪ USA Today: Meet five Republicans in Congress who defined Trump’s first 100 days.
SMART TAKE with NewsNation’s BLAKE BURMAN
The U.S. labor market remains resilient, adding 177,000 jobs in April as the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2 percent. Despite signs of resiliency, concerns persist — particularly among small business owners.
I asked Neil Bradley, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, what he’s telling small business owners who want to know how to position themselves.
“I think you can't assume anything about the future, so we can have hope about the resolution of these tariffs, but it does seem that some of the tariffs may be here to stay for a while,” Bradley said.
The White House argues the impending tax cut legislation Republicans are trying to hammer out will bring relief, but Bradley noted how much of this will be an extension of the current tax code. Will that be enough to assuage small business owners nationwide?
Burman hosts “The Hill” weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation.
3 THINGS TO KNOW TODAY
▪ Reminder: Wednesday is the deadline to have state-issued REAL ID licenses. Travelers can check the Transportation Security Administration for information or check out tips from The Hill and NewsNation.
▪ Multiple refineries say they plan to shutter Golden State operations, leaving Californians uncertain about future fuel supplies and impacts on prices at the pump.
▪ Starting Monday, student loan borrowers in default will face government-backed involuntary collections after years of pauses and delays.
LEADING THE DAY
© Associated Press | Manuel Balce Ceneta
?Alcatraz: Trump late Sunday directed the government to reopen and expand Alcatraz prison — now a tourist attraction on an island in San Francisco closed to inmates for 60 years — as a high security prison. He wrote on social media that he wants a reimagined and rebuilt facility on the site currently controlled by the National Park Service as a historic landmark to “house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.” It last saw inmates in 1963. The project is likely to require massive investments. The president told reporters he came up with the idea out of frustration with “radicalized judges” who have ruled the government must exercise due process before deporting migrants as criminals. “The President’s proposal is not a serious one,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) wrote on X. Her district includes Alcatraz, nicknamed “The Rock.”
Trump, during an NBC News interview broadcast Sunday, said, “I don’t know” when asked if he believes that under the Constitution U.S. citizens and noncitizens have rights to due process under law.
? Airport traffic and safety: The Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Defense Department are conferring about why the Pentagon ignored a DOT direction not to fly helicopters near D.C.’s Reagan National Airport because of safety restrictions. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy slammed the Pentagon on Friday after learning an Army helicopter forced two Delta commercial jets to shift course while approaching the busy airport for landings. A midair collision between a passenger jet and Army helicopter killed 67 people in January. “The incident is currently under investigation,” U.S. Army spokesperson Capt. Victoria Goldfedib told Politico over the weekend.
✈️ The Federal Aviation Administration told United Airlines that Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey “cannot handle the number of planes scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead,” United CEO Scott Kirby said. As a result, the airline announced it will cut 35 flights per day from Newark because of equipment and staffing issues. The airport experienced at least 377 delays and 82 cancellations on Saturday.
? Tracking the nation’s health is harder with administration cuts: More than a dozen data-gathering programs that track deaths and disease appear to have been eliminated in the avalanche of layoffs and proposed budget cuts during Trump’s first 100 days in office.
? Trump’s military parade and renaming of Veterans Day: Trump’s announcement that he planned to change the name of Veterans Day, Nov. 11, to “Victory Day for World War I” prompted backlash from some veterans’ groups. Meanwhile, Trump told NBC News he plans to hold several events to celebrate military victories this year, including a “big, beautiful” military parade in Washington, D.C., to commemorate Flag Day, which happens to fall on his birthday.
POLITICS: Senate Democrats are skeptical about their erstwhile colleague, former Vice President Kamala Harris, making another presidential run in 2028 after she lost all seven battleground states to Trump in November. But The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports most of them aren't ruling out the possibility that she could be a more effective general election candidate if given more runway to introduce herself to voters as there doesn't appear to be any front-runner heading into 2028. While she has flaws as a candidate, her potential rivals — California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — also have weaknesses, according to Democratic strategists.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) is positioning himself as one of Trump’s loudest critics within the Democratic Party, stirring more speculation around his own future political ambitions. Pritzker used a speech in New Hampshire last month to attack Trump and his administration, describing the president as someone “who claims to love America but who hates our military” while also calling out the “do-nothing” members of his party. The moves have only heightened Pritzker’s profile, largely seen as a 2028 contender, but they also come as the party remains divided over how to take on Trump.
WDRB: On Friday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D)said he would think about running for president.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is keeping Democrats in suspense as speculation swirls about her next career move. The star progressive launched a video last week reminiscent of a presidential pitch, stoking new questions about her political ambitions, with some sensing a 2028 bid for the White House and others wondering if she’ll challenge Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that year.
“The chatter is that she's feeling out running for president 2028 or at least, forcing the discussion to be that way,” said Democratic strategist Steven Maviglio. “2028 is light-years away in political time. She's got all kinds of time to figure out what she’s going to do, what her opportunities are going to be, how the ground has shifted.”
▪ The Associated Press: Pritzker and Ocasio-Cortez: A billionaire and a former bartender emerge as Trump resistance leaders.
▪ The New York Times: Trump told NBC News that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are potential GOP successors when he finishes his term.
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in Boston awarded its Profile in Courage award on Sunday to former Vice President Mike Pence “for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6, 2021.” Trump publicly pressured Pence to reject 2020 election results from swing states where the Republican president falsely claimed the vote was marred by fraud. When Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol amid certification of Electoral College results, Pence turned aside Secret Service advice to leave and instead remained to complete the constitutionally required process.
Florida state lawmakers ended their investigation into the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity linked to first lady Casey DeSantis’s welfare assistance program, but questions about the program and the foundation still remain as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and the first lady chart their political future.
The Democratic primary for the New Jersey governor’s race is a jump ball just more than a month before voters head to the polls. The available public and internal surveys have shown Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) with a small lead over the other five candidates running. But her leads have generally been no more than a few points, often with another candidate within the margin of error behind her.
WHERE AND WHEN
The House will meet at noon. The Senate will convene at 3 p.m. The president in the Oval Office at 1 p.m. will announce that Washington, D.C., will host the 2027 NFL draft on the National Mall. He’ll be joined by guests NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Commanders owner Josh Harris, Axios and The Washington Post report. Trump will sign executive orders at 3 p.m. The president at 3:30 p.m. in the Oval Office will welcome a freed American citizen. Trump will head from the White House to Trump National Golf Club located in Virginia to attend a fundraiser MAGA Inc. dinner. JOIN The Hill’s Energy & Environment Summit on Tuesday as leaders in government, sustainability and global energy solutions discuss how rapidly changing policies will impact the future of U.S. energy and environmental policy. Key speakers include: Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman and more.ZOOM IN
© Associated Press | Petr David Josek
WILL THE U.S. END THE WAR IN UKRAINE? Trump took office with the promise of bringing peace to Ukraine, putting all eyes on the White House as U.S. negotiators work to end Russia’s three-year full-scale invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week signed the much-anticipated U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal, which provides Kyiv with ongoing U.S. assistance. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who refused to agree to a proposed 30-day ceasefire, is calling for a three-day truce this week to coincide with Russia’s Victory Day celebrations while saying he hopes a nuclear attack “will not be required” to end the conflict.
If the U.S. continues to work toward brokering an agreement between Russia and Ukraine, the process will likely drag on for months, both Steven Pifer, an affiliate of Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation and the Brookings Institution, and Matthew Boyse, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center on Europe and Eurasia, told Morning Report’s Kristina Karisch. While Ukrainian officials have been open to making concessions to secure an end to the war, Russia has stood firm in its demands to occupy at least part of the country.
“You really saw [the Trump administration’s] effort to try to broker a solution begin in mid-February,” Pifer said. “It's been badly mishandled, and at its current course, I think it's designed to fail. [With the Russians], there's no movement at all towards the middle. … You've seen Trump complain about this several times … but he's never taken a single step to up the pressure on the Russians. … It's been all carrots for Moscow and all sticks for Ukraine.”
Pifer suggested that, among other things, Trump could have tightened the sanctions loopholes against Russia, asked Congress to budget more money for military assistance to Kyiv, or turned to the Group of Seven and European Union to "seize the Russian Central Bank assets and put them into a fund for Ukraine.”
“I'm not saying that, had they used that pressure, it would have succeeded, but it would have given them a much greater chance of succeeding, because again, you have a flexible Ukrainian partner,” Pifer said. “You've seen no such flexibility on the Russian side. While Trump publicly complains about it, he inflicts no penalties on Moscow for their recalcitrance. The Russians therefore have no incentive to negotiate in a different way.”
Boyse said that the Trump administration “does want to end this” war, but the president inherited a long-running conflict that traces back to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and ratcheted up in 2022 with Moscow’s full-scale invasion. While Boyse and Pifer acknowledge that the Biden administration provided key support to Ukraine, both said the former president and his team could have done more.
Trump’s team, Boyse said, took an important step forward with the rare minerals deal.
“There are cynics out there, but the United States and Ukraine came up with this agreement. It's more than a minerals deal. They're calling it a fully collaborative partnership, or an economic partnership,” Boyse said. “It's an important step where the United States and Ukraine are on the same page. It was difficult, presumably, to negotiate this, but it sounds like both sides compromised. And we have a commitment from this administration … for the success of Ukraine.”
Over the past few months, U.S. negotiators, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff, have met separately with Ukrainian and Russian officials to broker peace. But the appetite for further negotiations is waning. Trump said on “Meet the Press” over the weekend that “maybe it’s not possible” to reach a deal, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned the U.S. could “walk away” from talks if there is no end in sight.
Boyse said that historically, Russia drags out negotiations over a very long period of time, and he expects this conflict to be no different.
“The Russians have always insisted that this negotiation be with the United States,” he said. “This is their opportunity to shine, or to be at the table with their chief adversary, you can even argue with the enemy. And so they are obviously enjoying this attention, and it’s likely for this to continue for some time.”
Pifer warned that if Trump and the White House step away from negotiations, “that will make the fight harder for Ukraine,” even if EU countries work to make up for the loss of U.S. assistance.
“Ultimately, if Ukraine ends up losing or has to submit to a very shoddy deal, a lot of that blame is going to be attached to Trump,” Pifer said. “He'll try to evade it, but I think most people will say, ‘No, had the Americans been there, things might have turned out differently.’”
ELSEWHERE
© Associated Press | Jordan Pettitt
CANADA: Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday to discuss trade and other issues. Carney said Trump’s call to annex Canada as the 51st state would not be on the table when the two leaders talk. Trump on Sunday said he isn’t closing the door on using force to attempt to annex Greenland and Canada. But on NBC News’s “Meet The Press,” the president said the prospect of attacking Ottawa appears “highly unlikely.”
“I don’t see it with Canada,” Trump said of attacking the country. “I just don’t see it, I have to be honest with you.”
▪ BBC: How Carney's election win will change the direction of the trade war.
▪ The Guardian: Britain’s King Charles III accepted an invitation to open Canada’s Parliament on May 27, in “an historic honor that matches the weight of our times,” Carney said. The monarch is Canada’s head of state.
▪ The Telegraph: Trump’s tariff czar has accused Britain of being a “compliant servant of communist China” at risk of having its “blood sucked” dry by Beijing.
▪ The Washington Post: Australia’s Labor Party, buoyed by an anti-Trump bump, won a landslide reelection. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a major comeback after trailing in the polls.
▪ The New York Times analysis: Australia and Canada highlight a new trend in global elections: The anti-Trump bump
GAZA: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security Cabinet on Sunday to discuss the expansion of the war in Gaza and a possible resumption of aid into the enclave. Israeli Cabinet ministers approved plans today to capture the entire Gaza Strip and remain in the territory for an unspecified amount of time. The move comes after the Israeli military over the weekend started calling up tens of thousands of reservists to “intensify and expand” its operations.
▪ CNN: One of Pope Francis’s “popemobiles” is being transformed into a mobile healthcare unit for children and sent to the Gaza Strip, in one of the pontiff’s final wishes before his passing.
▪ The New York Times: The effect of Israel’s total aid siege in Gaza has become “catastrophic,” doctors said. Food, water and medicine shortages are prompting a surge of preventable illnesses, and deaths.
▪ CNN: Hamas executed six Palestinians in Gaza and shot 13 others in the legs for alleged looting as desperation grows under a three-month Israeli aid blockade.
MEXICO: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected Trump's offer to have U.S. troops fight drug cartels. She said that while the two nations will work together, she will not accept having the U.S. Army in Mexico. Tension rose toward the end of an April phone call between the two leaders when Trump pushed to have U.S. armed forces take a leading role in battling Mexican drug gangs that produce and smuggle fentanyl to the U.S., The Wall Street Journal reports.
▪ CNN: First Trump targeted Mexico’s drug cartels. Now it’s the musicians who sing about them.
▪ The New York Times: Thousands of migrants from Venezuela and other countries are stranded in southern Mexico, forbidden to travel or work, but lacking the papers or money to go back to their home countries.
OPINION
■ The GOP’s Medicaid moment of truth, by The Wall Street Journal editorial board.
■ At 66, he’s finally the husband of my dreams, by Helen Schulman,guest essayist, The New York Times.
THE CLOSER
© Associated Press | Eli Hartman, Odessa American
And finally … ? Cinco de Mayo today sets a celebratory note for Mexican culture, food and music. The history of marking an 1862 battle in which Mexico triumphed over the French has more staying power in the U.S. than south of the border. One reason may be this country’s focus on food.
Another is a fondness for parades.
▪ CBS News: Foods to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.
▪ USA Today: Get deals on food at Chipotle, Taco Bell and many other U.S. locations, and don’t forget Tequila and cocktail offers.
Stay Engaged
We want to hear from you! Email: Alexis Simendinger (asimendinger@thehill.com) and Kristina Karisch (kkarisch@thehill.com). Follow us on social media platform X (@asimendinger and @kristinakarisch) and suggest this newsletter to friends!
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Morning Report — Rifts stall House GOP budget momentum )
Also on site :