Welcome to the online edition of From The Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that provides the latest reports and analysis from the NBC News Politics team’s White House, Capitol Hill and Campaign Trail.
Today’s edition explores the next step in the shutdown war after Senate Democrats say they’ll block the GOP’s government funding bill. Additionally, Andrea Mitchell examines how the US can persuade Russia to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine.
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– Adam Walner
Senate Democrats make their move in the fight for shutdown
As I wrote yesterday, the passing of the House Republican suspension funding bill has detained Senate Democrats.
That binding was on display today as the government discussed the next move set to run out of money in more than 48 hours.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has finally taken his position by saying he will not provide the vote to pass the GOP’s six-month continuous resolution. The measure requires 60 votes to advance in the Senate, with Republicans administering only 53 seats.
“While funding the government should be a bipartisan effort, Republicans chose a partisan path and drafted a continuing resolution without input from Congressional Democrats, so Republicans don’t have the vote to evoke the coagulation of House CR in the Senate,” Schumer said.
Instead, he sought a one-month funding bill to provide more time for both sides to negotiate the deal.
“Our caucus is unified with a clean April 11 CR that gives Congress time to negotiate bipartisan laws that can keep the government open and pass,” he said. “We hope that our Republican colleagues will join us to avoid Friday’s closure.”
Schumer’s remarks on the Senator’s floor came after a luncheon between Democrats. Outside the room, reporters could hear the senator make a great assertion to his colleagues.
Sen. Tim Kane (D-Va.) said he would like to have the ability to propose changes to the bill.
“There’s no vote to give it to you right now,” Kane said. “The Democrats had nothing to do with this bill, and we want an opportunity to get an amendment vote or two, and that’s what we’re asserting.”
Still, some Democrats fear that the closure is worse than accepting the bill.
“Frankly, both outcomes are bad,” Sen. Rafael Warnock (D-Ga.” said. “There are consequences for elections, but this is an extreme bill. If it passes, it will hurt many ordinary people on the ground. If the government is shut down, it will hurt many ordinary people on the ground, and that is the dilemma we have found ourselves.”
“I’m weighing the bad options,” added Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.
Meanwhile, House Democrat leaders have urged Senate counterparts to vote for the GOP fundraising bill as they launched a three-day policy hiding.
Sahil Kapur, Ryan Nobles, Julie Tsirkin, Frank Thorp V→
Things you need to know from today’s President Trump
Trump said he felt “very bad” to the thousands of civil servants who have lost their jobs in recent weeks, but “many of them are not working at all.” Canada said it has announced its new retaliatory trade obligations on US goods worth around $21 billion, and Trump’s response to implementing universal steel and aluminum tariffs. The European Union targets a range of US products worth $28 billion, including beef, motorcycles and whiskey, along with American-made steel and aluminum. And China shows that it is preparing a response. Price growth cooled more than expected in February. This is a welcome sign of a market that is evolving US trade policy but has been surprised by the illusion of sustained inflation. The DHS also said the immigration detention centre is capable. The Trump administration is taking away the Justice Department’s troops that oversee the prosecution of civil servants accused of corruption.
Follow the live update →
What’s coming next at the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine
By Andrea Mitchell
President Donald Trump said it was “up to Russia now” to agree to a ceasefire in the month proposed by the US and accepted by Ukraine.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks to his Russian counterpart. White House envoy Steve Witkov is expected to fly from Qatar to Moscow to close his contract. There is talk of Trump’s appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last week, the administration was struck by obedience by withholding Ukrainian President Zelensky’s weapons and intelligence from Ukraine.
What leverage does the US have with Putin? Trump said today, “We can do things financially, which will be very bad for Russia.” He mentions possible sanctions, but existing sanctions against Russia have had little effect as they help China, North Korea and Iran lift Russia up.
And since returning to the White House, in almost every single Trump statement and action, he has once again shown an affinity for the Russian president. After the US suspended military aid, with Russia’s approval of Trump himself, “bombing hell from Ukraine,” Trump said he thought Putin wanted peace, saying that he was “someone else doing what he’s doing.”
Despite US assessments that Russia-based hackers are responsible for Salt-Type, a massive hack of US targets, the administration has fired top counter intelligence experts from the CIA and FBI, and welcomes Russia’s diplomatic missions, which were previously exiled from the US for spying. The United States also sided with the United Nations Russia, China and Belarus against a resolution in support of Ukraine. And this is all in Trump’s constant burning criticism of NATO and the European Union, the stunning American traditional Western allies, and the closest “Five Eyes” intelligence partners.
With Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying “The ball is in the Russian court,” it could be in Russia’s interest to accept a ceasefire and try to defeat Zelenkie at the negotiation table instead. Clearly, the winding negotiations are first in wars that used Walz’s terminology, including territory, security guarantees, reparations, and NATO memberships, which were “flesh grinders.”
So, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “We’re on the 10-yard line. The President hopes that Russians will help lead this into the end zone.”
Trump Effects go abroad
The party, which has been sharply criticised President Donald Trump’s threat to take over Greenland, secured a surprising election victory on Danish territory on Tuesday, but may have to take the US president into a much warmer view and govern with his partner, Astha Rajvanshi reports.
The central right business democratit party, which supports a progressive move towards independence from Denmark, has earned 30% of the total vote share. Instead, the party must partner with its opponents to form a coalition.
Most important of the other parties is the second-ranked opposition Narerak, who has won a quarter of the vote share, supports rapid independence and secures warm words for the Trump administration.
The victory of two political parties in favour of independence – the position from Denmark is widely popular in Greenland – could be viewed as positive in Washington, where interest in the world’s biggest island has skyrocketed since Trump launched his second term.
Read more →
today’s other top stories
⬅ Heading for Exit: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of DN.H. announced that he would not seek reelection next year, opening another Democrat seat in a competitive state. Read more from troublemakers to team players: House Freedom Caucus was once a consistent thorn on the part of GOP leadership. But in recent weeks, they have signed two spending-related measures that would have once been unimaginable for a band of far-right rebels. Please read the details. Bayou: Reports from the rural Louisiana district of Melanie Zanona and House Speaker Susan Kroll Mike Johnson. Read more → Canada: Canada: Gabe Gutierrez and Tara Prindiville are now reading reports on growing unease over Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs in a working-class Canadian city where thousands of jobs are tied to the US. Read more →
For now, it’s all from the political desk. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Bridget Bowman.
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