President Trump is spending much of Wednesday in Florida, but is still making waves in Washington.
Ahead of attending a Saudi investment conference in Miami, the president has traded barbs with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and posted on Truth Social that he favors the House’s budget plans over the Senate’s two-bill strategy. In the last day, he’s also tried to push executive branch control over independent agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission.
As Ukraine’s war with Russia marks three years in coming days, President Volodymyr Zelensky is using more terse rhetoric to push back against efforts to make peace without his country’s input.
On Tuesday, Trump appeared to blame Ukraine for the war. On Wednesday, Zelensky fired back, calling out Trump for living in a Russian “disinformation space,” apparently prompting Trump to call Zelensky a “dictator” doing a “terrible job.”
The Senate is nonetheless diving into its budget debate. A vote Tuesday night opened 50 hours of debate on a resolution that will fund Trump’s agenda.
Meanwhile, Trump’s Small Business Administration pick, Kelly Loeffler, was confirmed by the Senate, and his Labor nominee, former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), appeared before senators in a hearing.
Follow along all day for news on these stories and more.
DHS fires about 400 staffers
The Department of Homeland Security has fired approximately 400 probationary employees across the department, pledging to remove more.
The firings came after the Office of Personnel Management directed agencies to fire probationary employees, typically those who have been on the job for up to one year.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are making sweeping cuts and reform across the federal government to eliminate egregious waste and incompetence that has been happening for decades at the expense of the American taxpayer. Today’s Department of Homeland Security personnel action will result in roughly $50 million in savings for American taxpayers and incalculable value toward accountability and cutting red tape,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement.
Allies troll critics with references to King Trump
President Trump’s allies trolled his critics with references to him being a king after the president declared New York was “saved” from congestion pricing.
On Wednesday, Trump’s administration announced it would be rescinding the Biden-era approval of a congestion pricing plan for the busy Manhattan area.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED,” Trump posted online. “LONG LIVE THE KING!”
UK’s Starmer defends Zelensky: ‘Perfectly reasonable to suspend elections’
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated his support for Ukraine and Zelensky after the European leader’s contentious exchange with Trump.
In a statement, a spokesperson for 10 Downing Street said that Starmer “expressed his support for President Zelensky as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader”.
He also contradicted Trump’s statement on elections in Ukraine telling the Ukrainian president that “it was perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during war time as the UK did during World War II.”
The statement added that he reiterated his support for the U.S.-led efforts to get “a lasting peace in Ukraine that deterred Russia from any future aggression.”
This comes as Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are set to meet with Trump next week.
8 in 10 say Putin should not be trusted: Survey
The vast majority of American voters think the U.S. should not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a new poll, as the Trump administration attempts to broker a peace deal to end the deadly years-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday found 81 percent of respondents said Putin should not be trusted, including 73 percent of Republicans surveyed and 93 percent of Democrats.
Just 9 percent of the voters surveyed said Putin, a former KGB officer who has been in power in Russia for decades, should be trusted.
Trump has spoken directly with Putin about the peace effort, phoning him before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — a move seen as a sign that the White House favors Russia, despite the country’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbor three years ago. Trump said he views Putin as being amenable to resolution and isn’t worried that the Russian leader will continue to seek additional territory or try to harm NATO.
Senate GOP plows forward with budget plan despite Trump preference for House version
Senate Republicans say they’re moving forward with their plan to tackle President Trump’s priorities despite Trump endorsing the House’s competing strategy.
Emerging from a meeting Wednesday with Vice President Vance, Republicans said the upper chamber will press on with a budget resolution that would unlock the process they hope to use to pass large portions of Trump’s agenda without Democratic support.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters on Wednesday that Trump likes “optionality” and that the Senate would press on with its plan, which he touted addresses “the president’s top priority, which is securing the border, implementing and putting in place his immigration policies, rebuilding our military and creating energy dominance for this country.”
“The House as you know is working on a different budget resolution and we certainly wish them all the success in moving it. We will work closely with them. More power to them,” he said, noting the House is working on getting “the tax piece of this done.”
Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters the plan is for the upper chamber to move forward “tomorrow with a vote-a-rama,” or a marathon voting session that is a key next step for the Senate to move its budget plan forward.
“I’m pulling for the House to pull it together and get one big, beautiful bill, but it’s got to be consistent with President Trump’s tax agenda,” he said, “and right now, you know the tax agenda is to make the tax cuts permanent, and the House bill doesn’t do that.”
Vance huddling with Senate Republicans after Trump backed House plan
Vice President Vance has arrived at the Capitol to meet with Senate Republicans during their weekly lunch.
The huddle comes shortly after President Trump backed the House’s plan to advance his legislative agenda over the Senate. The Senate is expected to pass its own, contrasting version, this week.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said earlier Wednesday that Vance was coming to “further clarify, elaborate on the White House’s views on the subject.”
Senate confirms Kelly Loeffler to lead Small Business Administration
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA), keeping up a frantic pace to cement President Trump’s team in place.
Senators voted 52-46 on Loeffler’s nomination.
“America’s entrepreneurs are one of our greatest assets and they have a big role to play in our future prosperity. Sen. Loeffler will be their champion,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said on the floor ahead of her vote.
Collins defends Zelensky: ‘the instigator of this war was President Putin’
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Wednesday defended Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying she has “tremendous admiration” for him and that he has “courageously led his country.”
Her remarks come in the wake of President Trump’s criticism of the Ukrainian leader.
“We must remember that the instigator of this war was President Putin, who launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine,” Collins said.
Trump says ‘inflation is back’: ‘I had nothing to do with it’
Trump seeking to distance himself from a rise in inflation, arguing the uptick had “nothing to do” with his return to the Oval Office.
Trump instead placed the blame on former President Biden in an interview Tuesday, decrying what he characterized as reckless spending during the previous administration.
“Inflation is back. No, think of it: Inflation’s back,” the president told Fox News’s Sean Hannity during an interview alongside tech billionaire Elon Musk that aired Tuesday night. “And they said, ‘Oh, Trump,’ and I had nothing to do with that.”
“These people have run the country. They spent money like nobody has ever spent. … They were given $9 trillion to throw out the window — 9 trillion,” he added.
Democrats up in arms over firings of labor officials
Democrats were up in arms about firings at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which they say have effectively stopped the labor law watchdog from functioning.
“On January 27, President Trump illegally fired NLRB board member Gwynne Wilcox in direct violation of the National Labor Relations Act,” Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said, adding that “the NLRB now lacks a quorum and cannot enforce laws meant to protect working people from union busting and other illegal behavior by companies.”
Wilcox sued President Trump along with Marvin Kaplan, whom Trump appointed to chair the panel, saying her removal constituted a “blatant violation” of U.S. law.
A White House official described to the Washington Post the people fired by Trump at the NLRB and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as “far-left appointees with radical records of upending long-standing labor law.”
House to vote on budget resolution next week, Scalise says
The House is planning to vote on a budget resolution next week to get the ball rolling on its effort to pass President Trump’s legislative agenda, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s (R-La.) office confirmed to The Hill on Wednesday.
The news came shortly after Trump, in a post on Truth Social, endorsed the House GOP’s one-bill blueprint over the Senate’s two-track framework, taking a clear stance in the Republican debate over which strategy should be used to advance the president’s domestic policy priorities.
“The House and Senate are doing a SPECTACULAR job of working together as one unified, and unbeatable, TEAM, however, unlike the Lindsey Graham version of the very important Legislation currently being discussed, the House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it! We need both Chambers to pass the House Budget to ‘kickstart’ the Reconciliation process, and move all of our priorities to the concept of, ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.’ It will, without question, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote.
House GOP leaders lauded the statement from Trump, taking a victory lap after months of arguing their strategy was superior.
“.@realDonaldTrump is right!” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote on the social platform X. “House Republicans are working to deliver President Trump’s FULL agenda – not just a small part of it. Let’s get it done, @HouseGOP!”
Trump says Zelensky has done ‘terrible job,’ calls him ‘dictator’
President Trump ratcheted up his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, accusing him of taking advantage of the United States and saying he has done a “terrible job” leading his war-torn country.
Trump went after Zelensky and questioned U.S. support for Ukraine in its war against Russia a day after he appeared to blame the Ukrainian leader for starting the conflict. Zelensky responded to those earlier comments by saying Trump “lives in this disinformation space.”
“Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle,” Trump posted Wednesday on Truth Social.
Democrats grill Chavez-DeRemer on DOGE information access
Democrats pressed Chavez-DeRemer about maintaining national labor and economic data provided by the Department of Labor in the wake of moves by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to gain access to information systems within other federal agencies.
The questions from multiple senators showed that Democrats are on high alert about the federal systems accessed by DOGE that have led to the resignation of a career Treasury official, as well as lawsuits about DOGE’s potential overreach.
“Can you confirm that information under the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division on their website will remain up to date, publicly accessible and comprehensive like it is today?” Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) asked Chavez-DeRemer.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called out Elon Musk, the billionaire business tycoon and presidential adviser in charge of DOGE, about his interest in federal data in particular.
“Will you commit to denying access to Elon Musk or any of his representatives to information about labor violations?” he said.
The Labor Department is one of the primary sources along with the Census Bureau and Commerce Department for fundamental data concerning the U.S. economy, including information on prices, wages, productivity and other econometric measurements.
Dozens of Democrats denounce Trump administration actions toward USAID
Dozens of House Democrats denounced the Trump administration’s actions toward the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in a letter sent Friday.
“The repercussions of these actions will be felt in the form of increased maternal and child mortality, reduced access to education, economic hardship, and heightened vulnerabilities to gender-based violence and exploitation of women,” the Democrats said in their letter, addressed to President Trump.
“At a time when women and girls are disproportionately affected by global conflicts, climate crises, and economic instability, continued programmatic and financial support in conflict zones such as Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Haiti, and Democratic Republic of Congo amongst many others are essential to combatting global health challenges,” they added.
Chavez-DeRemer ducks question on PRO Act
Labor secretary nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer ducked a question on whether she still supports the PRO Act, legislation that gives labor unions more power and checks the power of private management when it comes to labor relations.
Asked during her confirmation hearing Wednesday by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) whether she supports the PRO Act, which she was one of only three Republicans to co-sponsor, Chavez-DeRemer didn’t offer a yes or no.
“I support the American worker,” she said.
Sanders responded by saying that he understood her answer to mean that she had withdrawn her support for the legislation.
“I’m gathering that you no longer support the PRO Act. [That’s] what I hear,” he said. “That you ‘support the American worker’ — that’s what everybody here will say.”
Trump backs House GOP reconciliation bill over Senate version
President Trump on Wednesday threw his support behind the House GOP’s strategy to pass a single bill that combines his priorities, even as Senate Republicans moved ahead with their own budget resolution.
“The House and Senate are doing a SPECTACULAR job of working together as one unified, and unbeatable, TEAM, however, unlike the Lindsey Graham version of the very important Legislation currently being discussed, the House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“We need both Chambers to pass the House Budget to ‘kickstart’ the Reconciliation process, and move all of our priorities to the concept of, ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL,’” Trump continued.
Trump had largely been noncommittal on whether he preferred congressional Republicans passing his agenda in one massive reconciliation bill or splitting it up across two bills.
Mullin says he’s put ‘differences aside’ with Teamsters chief Sean O’Brien
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) told the Senate Health, Education Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday that he and Teamsters President Sean O’Brien had put their “differences aside” after the two men exchanged fighting words over the course of the Biden administration.
“The last time Sean and I were in this room together, obviously we had our differences,” Mullin said. “But somehow we were able to put our differences aside.”
The beef between the senator and labor leader culminated in Mullins challenging O’Brien to a physical fight in 2023 over their contrasting views on labor and job creation. Mullin accused O’Brien of “running [his] mouth,” and O’Brien called Mullin “an embarrassment.”
The detente between Mullin and O’Brien occurred as Mullin introduced President Trump’s nominee for Labor Secretary, former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), one of the few Republicans lawmakers who supported the PRO Act, a Democratic-endorsed piece of legislation that makes it easier for workers to organize.
Trump, Musk talk to Fox: Takeaways
President Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk sat down for a joint interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity and defended the administration’s massive overhaul of the federal government while giving some insights into their friendship.
The interview was the latest display of Trump putting Musk in the spotlight, following an Oval Office appearance by the Tesla CEO last week in which he fielded several questions from reporters while the president sat at the Resolute Desk.
Here are 4 takeaways from their interview.