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President Trump Holds Cabinet Meeting

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President Donald Trump fields questions on tariffs, Ukraine, and Jeffrey Epstein during his sixth cabinet meeting, fallout continues from the Central Texas floods, and the Trump administration rejects amnesty but hints at flexibility for some illegal immigrant workers.
It’s Wednesday, July 9, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2>Trump Convenes His Cabinet</h2>
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Topline:  President Trump provided new details on tariffs, support for Ukraine, and Jeffrey Epstein during a wide-ranging cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Cabinet meetings traditionally take place behind closed doors, but on Tuesday, President Trump spent nearly two hours taking questions from reporters. While many questions addressed the recent flash flooding in Texas, the president also spent a considerable amount of time discussing his plans for new tariffs.
In April, President Trump announced a 90-day pause on his ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs to offer countries a chance to negotiate lower rates — but warned that any country that didn’t come to the table would be hit with massive tariffs on July 9. However, despite early signs of optimism from our trading partners, the reality is that we have yet to see the “90 deals in 90 days” that the White House initially promised. 
To date, the only countries with formal, finalized trade agreements are the United Kingdom and Vietnam. 
The White House insists it is approaching the finish line with the European Union, India, and Cambodia, among others, but the administration clearly needs more time. On Monday, the president signed an executive order extending the tariff deadline to August 1. In an effort to expedite negotiations in the meantime, Trump sent letters to more than a dozen countries, stating that without a deal, they would face enormous tariffs on August 1, and if they raised rates in response, the United States would increase them even further. 
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also announced that the United States government had collected “about $100 billion in tariff income thus far this year” and projected that that figure could rise to well over $300 billion by the end of the year.&#8221;
Meanwhile, since taking office and that disastrous White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Trump administration has significantly cut its military and financial support for Ukraine. Trump said that he was worried Zelensky would avoid peace talks if he knew the United States would send an endless supply of weapons, and there were those in Washington who believed Russian President Vladimir Putin would be more willing to come to the table if support was cut off.
But with Moscow stepping up its attacks on population centers in Ukraine and Putin repeatedly backing out of peace talks, Trump has reversed himself and announced that the United States would resume weapons shipments to Ukraine. Trump later added that he’s seriously considering even harsher sanctions on Moscow.
“We want to put defensive weapons because Putin is not treating human beings right,” Trump told reporters. “We get a lot of bullsh** thrown at us by Putin — you want to know the truth. He&#8217;s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.&#8221;
President Trump also turned heads with his remarks on Jeffrey Epstein – the Trump administration essentially closed its case on Epstein this week, saying there is no evidence that he was murdered, had a client list, or blackmailed powerful individuals. 
That decision has dominated the headlines, but the president seemed irritated, even <a href="https://x.com/9mm_smg/status/1942628135263989932">exasperated</a>, when asked about it.“Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable. Do you wanna waste the time… I can’t believe you’re asking a question about Epstein at a time like this.”
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<h2>Tensions High In Texas After Flash Floods Kill Over 100 People</h2>
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Topline: While rescue and recovery operations continue in Texas, some are already asking why communities were so unprepared for the natural disaster.
The tragedy that has killed more than 100 people, with many still missing, has left officials to face tough questions. Searches are underway throughout Central Texas. Rains and flash flood warnings have hindered progress, and officials have had to not only look for those missing, but also protect the emergency responders and volunteers that have joined the search crews.
“In the Kerr County area alone, there are 161 people who are known to be missing,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2yquWcGJ9g&amp;t=2938s">said</a> on Tuesday. “We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for. Know this also, there is very likely more to be added to that list.”
Press conferences have started to become testy, however, with local and national reporters pushing officials to answer increasingly pointed questions about their disaster response, including but not limited to, “Was the emergency manager awake?”
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice defended the decision not to issue an evacuation order before the flooding, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgKRuDsTEyk&amp;t=1303s">arguing</a> that “evacuation is a delicate balance, because if you evacuate too late you then risk putting busses, or cars, or vehicles, or campers on roads into low water areas trying to get them out which then can make it even more challenging, because these flash floods happen very quickly.”
Critics have claimed that recent cuts to the National Weather Service led to the organization being understaffed and less prepared. Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz characterized those allegations as “partisan finger-pointing” and claimed that the local NWS office had surged “additional manpower” in anticipation of possible flooding. The NWS union, which has generally been very critical of the recent cuts, has also said that the reductions did not impact the response.
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<h2>To Deport, Or Not To Deport</h2>
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Topline: The Trump administration is again signaling a shift in how it is addressing illegal immigration in the farming industry. 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been authorized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to continue worksite raids on farms to sweep for illegal immigrants. That directive was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/17/politics/homeland-security-immigration-raids-resume">issued</a> in June, shortly after the administration announced a pause on those raids, as well as raids at hotels and restaurants. Since then, the Trump administration has sent additional signals that it is attempting to balance its commitment to deporting all illegal aliens with more immediate economic concerns, including potential workforce shortages.
“We’re going to take care of our farmers and hotel workers, but we&#8217;re working on it right now,” President Trump said. “We have a lot of cases where ICE would go into the farm, and these are guys that are working there for 10 to 15 years, no problem. … The farmers know them. It’s called ‘farmer responsibility’ or ‘owner responsibility,’ but they&#8217;re going to be largely responsible for these people, and they know these people…They can be here legally. They can pay taxes and everything. They&#8217;re not getting citizenship, but they get other things. And the farmers need them to do the work.”
That approach has caused backlash among some of the president&#8217;s more ardent supporters, many of whom favor a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal aliens living and/or working in the United States.
In June, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins <a href="https://x.com/BrookeLRollins/status/1934240461717143696">expressed</a> her full commitment to the America First agenda, but said deportations were being “prioritized” in a way to avoid “severe disruptions to our food supply.” On Tuesday, after being questioned by Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan, Rollins elaborated that the Trump administration will offer illegal immigrants working on farms “no amnesty under any circumstances. Mass deportations continue, but in a strategic and intentional way as we move our workforce toward more automation and toward a 100% American workforce.”
Some reports, mostly out of California, said illegal immigrant farm laborers stopped showing up to work out of fear of deportation, and crops had gone unharvested. One <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/ice-raids-crops-california-farms">report</a> cited numerous farm supervisors who stated that the number of workers dropped dramatically since raids began in California; one supervisor claimed that only 80 of 300 people showed up to work, while another saw a drop from 80 workers to 17. Recent estimates by the Department of Agriculture suggest that about <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-labor#:~:text=Roughly%20Half%20of%20Hired%20Crop,unauthorized%20is%20highest%20in%20California.">40-50%</a> of crop farmworkers are either in the country illegally or lack proper work authorization.

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Morning Brief: Trump Says No Amnesty For Illegals & Texas Flood Fallout

brooke rollins

California

Farming

flooding

Floods

illegal immigrants

Jeffrey Epstein

Media

Morning Wire

Politics

Russia

Tariffs

Ted Cruz

Texas

Trade War

Ukraine

Ukraine-Russia War

weapons

On Wednesday, Elon Musk declared a &#8220;tremendous amount&#8221; has been accomplished during the first 100 days of President Donald Trump&#8217;s second term, a message the tech guru delivered as he prepares to spend less time working on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative.
Musk — who has said he plans to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-significantly-cut-back-doge-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rededicate</a> himself to his electric car and energy company, Tesla, starting next month — trumpeted the Trump administration&#8217;s achievements during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
&#8220;The American people voted for secure borders, safe cities, and sensible spending, and that&#8217;s what they have gotten. A tremendous amount has been accomplished in the first 100 days,&#8221; Musk said, adding later, &#8220;This portends very well for what happens for the rest of the administration. I think this could be the greatest administration since the founding of the country.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a>: &quot;The people voted for secure borders, safe cities, and sensible spending and that&#39;s what they&#39;ve gotten. A tremendous amount has been accomplished in the first 100 days.&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;You have been treated unfairly but the vast majority of people in this country really… <a href="https://t.co/I6X1WINZew">pic.twitter.com/I6X1WINZew</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917623036351488445?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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After helping Trump get elected last year, Musk <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/04/13/upshot/musk-doge-1-trillion-goal.html">endeavored</a> to remove $1 trillion in waste, fraud, and abuse from the federal budget via the DOGE initiative. With cuts to programs and jobs across the bureaucracy, DOGE&#8217;s website now says &#8220;estimated savings&#8221; have <a href="https://doge.gov/savings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reached</a> $160 billion.
Musk&#8217;s involvement with DOGE sparked controversy. There have been protests at Tesla locations across the United States and abroad, as well as incidents that the FBI says have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-issues-warning-over-left-wing-terrorist-attacks-against-tesla" target="_blank" rel="noopener">involved</a> vandalism, arson, and gunfire, resulting in charges being filed against some alleged perpetrators.
During the Cabinet meeting, Trump said Musk &#8220;sacrificed a lot&#8221; and has been &#8220;treated very unfairly,&#8221; to which Musk quipped that people burning his cars is &#8220;not great.&#8221; The president also insisted that the &#8220;vast majority of people in this country really respect and appreciate you,&#8221; although recent polls show public support for Musk has <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/elon-musk-approval-low-reflecting-opposition-trump-cuts/story?id=121199149" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped</a> since the DOGE effort began.
Musk <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-significantly-cut-back-doge-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> in a Tesla earnings call that he believed &#8220;starting probably in the next month, May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly&#8221; while he planned to put more focus back on Tesla, which has just <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/22/tesla-tsla-earnings-report-q1-2025.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> a 71% net income drop in the first quarter, compared to one year ago.
Trump acknowledged that Musk wanted to &#8220;get back&#8221; to his cars, but he also told Musk, &#8220;You&#8217;re invited to stay as long as you want.&#8221; The president also said &#8220;a lot of stuff is being worked on&#8221; and contended that DOGE&#8217;s $160 billion savings figure &#8220;could be doubled and even tripled&#8221; as &#8220;a lot of things are being worked on that we don&#8217;t count because it&#8217;s not quite there.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>: &quot;Elon, I love the double hat by the way.&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a>: &quot;Well, Mr. President, you know they say I wear a lot of hats. Even my hat has a hat!&quot; <a href="https://t.co/iwlSpTDQVl">pic.twitter.com/iwlSpTDQVl</a>
&mdash; Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1917622693215756416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A light-hearted moment took place when Trump first began speaking to Musk and took note of how the tech executive was wearing multiple hats on his head. The top hat was a red one that read, &#8220;GULF OF AMERICA.&#8221;
&#8220;Elon, I love the double hat, by the way,&#8221; Trump said. Laughter erupted in the room as Trump added that Musk was &#8220;the only one that can do that and get away with it.&#8221; Musk replied, &#8220;Well, Mr. President, you know they say I wear a lot of hats. That&#8217;s true. Even my hat has a hat!&#8221; More laughs ensued.

Elon Musk

Elon Salutes Trump’s First 100 Days: ‘Could Be The Greatest’ Ever

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Executive

General

Trump officials leading trade negotiations with countries around the world were bullish on the upcoming talks while updating President Donald Trump and his cabinet on Thursday afternoon.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer addressed the trade talks during the meeting as the administration says it is preparing to negotiate with more than 75 countries following Trump&#8217;s &#8220;90-day pause&#8221; on tariffs. While President Trump <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/10/china-trump-tariffs-live-updates.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acknowledged</a> during the cabinet meeting that his aggressive tariff policy would result in &#8220;a transition cost and transition problems,&#8221; he added, &#8220;We think we’re in very good shape.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s trade team agreed with his assessment, and Lutnick said he expects &#8220;historic deals&#8221; to be reached &#8220;one after the other.&#8221;
&#8220;We have so many countries to talk to. It&#8217;s incredible,&#8221; the Commerce Secretary added. &#8220;I&#8217;m not sure we could ever have enough time in the day to talk to all these countries because they want to talk and they want to talk now. They have come with offers that they never, ever, ever would&#8217;ve come with but for the moves that the president has made demanding that people treat the United States with respect.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;We have so many countries to talk to,&quot; says Secretary <a href="https://twitter.com/howardlutnick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@howardlutnick</a> on tariffs.
&quot;They have come with offers that they never, ever, ever would&#39;ve come with but for the moves that the president has made demanding that people treat the United States with respect.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/R6VNpKfnSo">pic.twitter.com/R6VNpKfnSo</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1910376855368327367?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Bessent said that negotiations will be led by the Treasury and Commerce Departments, along with the Office of the United States Trade Representative, and the trade team is currently &#8220;putting a process in place&#8221; to carry out the trade talks.
&#8220;As you said, you&#8217;re going to be a part of the negotiations too,&#8221; Bessent said to Trump. &#8220;Because I&#8217;ve had these countries call me up [saying], &#8216;Secretary Bessent, we&#8217;re happy you&#8217;re going to be negotiating.&#8217; Well, President Trump is going to be involved too, so bring your best deal.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecScottBessent</a> provides updates on trade negotiations and the budget: &quot;I gave a speech yesterday to 1400 small and community bankers, and they were so happy to hear from your administration. And I told them, Wall Street&#39;s done great&#8230; but it&#39;s Main Street&#39;s turn now.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/qq2qEDzytr">pic.twitter.com/qq2qEDzytr</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1910381067531432172?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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U.S. Trade Representative Greer argued that Trump&#8217;s &#8220;reordering of international trade&#8221; is a move that hasn&#8217;t happened &#8220;for 80 years.&#8221;
&#8220;You came into an emergency situation, where President Biden left us with a $1.2 trillion trade deficit. It&#8217;s the largest of any country in human history,&#8221; Greer said.
&#8220;There&#8217;s never been anything like what [Biden] left us,&#8221; Trump replied. &#8220;He left us a mess. His whole administration was a mess.&#8221;
Greer added that while Trump has imposed &#8220;a tariff on the world&#8221; to &#8220;protect American workers,&#8221; he has also focused on looking for negotiations with America&#8217;s trade partners.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve had countries come in over the past couple of weeks that represent more than half of global domestic GDP, more than half. That&#8217;s who&#8217;s coming in to talk to you and to your advisers about how to have reciprocal trade, how to have fair trade,&#8221; Greer said. &#8220;Wouldn&#8217;t have happened without you.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/USTradeRep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USTradeRep</a> Ambassador Greer: &quot;Last week, you started a reordering of international trade, something that hasn&#39;t happened for 80 years — something that should&#39;ve happened decades ago&#8230; You came into an emergency situation, where President Biden left us with a $1.2T trade… <a href="https://t.co/kFtonBKy4Z">pic.twitter.com/kFtonBKy4Z</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1910383750845780405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The White House is expected to meet with Japan and South Korea first, prioritizing America&#8217;s closest allies that did not retaliate after Trump imposed so-called reciprocal tariffs last week. White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said on Thursday that more than 15 countries already have “specific” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-official-says-trump-already-received-specific-trade-offers-from-over-15-countries?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=White+House+Official+Says+Trump+Already+Received+%E2%80%98Specific%E2%80%99+Trade+Offers+From+Over+15+Countries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trade deal offers</a> for Trump as they seek to avoid the president&#8217;s hefty tariffs.

Trump cabinet meeting

‘So Many Countries To Talk To’: Trump’s Trade Team Updates Cabinet On Tariff Negotiations

Economy

Free Trade

Howard Lutnick

Scott Bessent

President Donald Trump scored a majority victory on Monday evening when the Senate, led by Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), confirmed his <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-labor-secretary-lori-chavez-deremer-decd9cff41794205bd06223f939f9e7b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">union-backed</a> nominee to lead the Labor Department.
With members voting <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00111.htm#position" target="_blank" rel="noopener">67-32</a> in favor of former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (D-OR), the upper chamber has given its blessing to all secretaries in Trump&#8217;s second-term <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/the-cabinet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cabinet</a>. Trump now has 21 Cabinet-level nominees <a href="https://x.com/SRCC/status/1899231627131109453" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a>, leaving only Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who has been tapped to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations but has yet to get a floor vote as Republicans <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-republicans-slow-walk-elise-stefanik-confirmation-un-ambassador-rcna192129" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contend</a> with a slim majority in the House and New York Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul is <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/03/10/2025/hochul-expected-to-slow-walk-election-to-replace-stefanik" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> expected to slow-walk the election to replace her.
Seventeen Democrats joined with the majority of Republicans in supporting Chavez-DeRemer while Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Ted Budd (R-NC) banded together with the rest of the Democrats and independents in voting against her.
&#8220;I’m deeply honored to be confirmed as the 30th [Labor] Secretary under President [Trump],&#8221; Chavez-DeRemer <a href="https://x.com/LChavezDeRemer/status/1899232928393265221" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X. &#8220;As promised, I’ll work tirelessly to put American Workers First by fighting for good-paying jobs, safe working conditions, and secure retirement benefits. Let&#8217;s get to work.&#8221;
All 21 positions in Trump&#8217;s &#8220;formal&#8221; Cabinet have now been approved by the Senate in the seven weeks since Inauguration Day, according to Fox News&#8217; Chad Pergram, who also <a href="https://x.com/ChadPergram/status/1899211995507032212" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that former President Joe Biden did not have his Cabinet completed until March 22 of 2021 — when the Senate confirmed Marty Walsh as labor secretary.
The Trump 2.0 Cabinet includes: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and Chavez-DeRemer.
Some of the confirmation votes have been very tight while some nominees have breezed through. The closest vote happened in January when Vice President JD Vance cast a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vance-breaks-tie-to-confirm-pete-hegseth-for-pentagon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tie-breaker</a> to confirm Hegseth. Gabbard was confirmed in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-confirms-tulsi-gabbard-as-director-of-national-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">52-48</a> vote and Kennedy Jr. in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-confirms-robert-f-kennedy-jr-as-hhs-secretary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">52-48</a> vote. Rubio, himself a former U.S. senator from Florida, received the most bipartisan support among all the nominees with a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-votes-unanimously-to-confirm-marco-rubio-as-secretary-of-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">99-0</a> vote. Other top officials not in Cabinet positions have also been confirmed, including FBI Director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-confirms-kash-patel-as-fbi-director" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kash Patel</a> and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

US President Donald Trump

Senate Confirms Last Of Trump 2.0 Cabinet Secretaries

Congress

John Thune

U.S. Senate

On Monday, the GOP-led Senate confirmed Linda McMahon to become secretary of the Education Department, a federal agency that President Donald Trump has indicated he wants to dismantle in favor of giving states more power in running schools.
Senators <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00099.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> 51-45 to approve McMahon, who is now the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-republicans-go-20-0-in-confirming-trump-nominees" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20th Cabinet pick</a> to be confirmed by the upper chamber and the 21st overall nominee for a leading role; Kash Patel got the nod to become FBI Director, which is not a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/the-cabinet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cabinet-level role</a>.
&#8220;It&#8217;s an honor to serve as the 13th Secretary of Education under President Trump,&#8221; McMahon <a href="https://x.com/EDSecMcMahon/status/1896708593896026385" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on X with a photo of her being sworn in. &#8220;@POTUS pledged to make U.S. education the best in the world, return education to the states, and free students from bureaucracy through school choice. I intend to make good on those promises.&#8221;
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It&#39;s an honor to serve as the 13th Secretary of Education under President Trump.  <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> pledged to make U.S. education the best in the world, return education to the states, and free students frombureaucracy through school choice.   I intend to make good on those promises. <a href="https://t.co/KgZ6K7IuQB">pic.twitter.com/KgZ6K7IuQB</a>
&mdash; Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) <a href="https://twitter.com/EDSecMcMahon/status/1896708593896026385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
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McMahon is a former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment who served as administrator of the Small Business Administration in Trump&#8217;s first term and went on to become chair of the board at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI).
In November, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-taps-linda-mcmahon-for-education-secretary-says-she-will-fight-tirelessly-for-school-choice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tapped</a> McMahon to become his Education Secretary, saying she would &#8220;fight tirelessly&#8221; for school choice. That might seem like an odd move as Trump <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-vows-close-education-department-203439091.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signaled</a> that he wants to deconstruct the Education Department, but the president <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/1886883342114754755" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters last month that he wants McMahon to &#8220;put herself out of the job.&#8221;
McMahon appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee a couple of weeks ago. The nominee, who <a href="https://x.com/ABC/status/1890065091996844172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified</a> that she intended to help Trump reach his goal of making &#8220;American education the best in the world, return education to the states — where it belongs,&#8221; advanced through a 12-11 <a href="https://www.help.senate.gov/rep/newsroom/press/senate-help-committee-votes-to-approve-nomination-of-linda-mcmahon-for-secretary-of-education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vote</a>.
HELP Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) praised McMahon for her focus on reviving the American education system. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the ranking member, <a href="https://x.com/NewsHour/status/1890109516911452244" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised</a> concerns about diverting funds away from public schools and the nominee&#8217;s lack of experience in the field beyond roughly a year on the Connecticut State Board of Education.
&#8220;School districts and individual schools have different needs, and every student has his or her own needs and aspirations too,&#8221; Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) <a href="https://x.com/LeaderJohnThune/status/1896689756425060434" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;I’m glad that Linda McMahon plans to work in a way that empowers those closest to the student – because they are in the best position to do what’s right for those individual needs.&#8221;

Linda McMahon

Senate Confirms Linda McMahon To Lead Agency That Trump Wants To Dismantle

Department of Education

Education

Governor Doug Burgum Visits FOX Business Network’s “The Big Money Show”

Make America Beautiful Again: An Interview With Doug Burgum, Secretary Of The Interior

China

Department of Interior

Doug Burgum

Energy

interview

Nuclear

President Trump

Technology

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum pulled back the curtain on the first cabinet meeting of the new Trump administration in a Sunday edition of Morning Wire.
Burgum, the former tech CEO and governor of North Dakota, told Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley that he felt the excitement in the room on Wednesday, praising Trump for hiring a &#8220;great team&#8221; and giving agency heads a &#8220;clear direction&#8221; to fulfill the administration&#8217;s promises to the American people.
&#8220;I look around that room and a number of those folks are friends of mine, people that I&#8217;ve known, people that have had great success in the private sector, people that are making big sacrifices to come and do public service working for the government to try to solve these problems that people think are intractable, like our $2 trillion deficit. He&#8217;s empowering everybody,&#8221; Burgum said.
&#8220;I felt the energy in the room was electric. People were excited to be there, to be in the cabinet room, to be part of this historic team,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And I think the amount of talent in the room is really, really high. And I&#8217;m very excited about what everybody&#8217;s going to get done and get done working together for the American people.&#8221;
The secretary was also asked about the cabinet&#8217;s reaction to Trump&#8217;s senior adviser, Elon Musk, as critics continue to express concern over Musk&#8217;s influence on the administration. During the cabinet meeting, Trump asked if any agency leaders were &#8220;unhappy with Elon,&#8221; a question to which the cabinet members responded with laughter and then applause for Musk.
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Burgum told Morning Wire that he can&#8217;t speak for everyone in the room, but he&#8217;s excited about what Musk brings to the table as a tech executive.
&#8220;Being a tech CEO is different than other categories,&#8221; Burgum said. &#8220;In tech, there are no natural barriers. No one has a monopoly &#8230; you have to be better, faster, cheaper for your customers tomorrow than you were yesterday, or you go out of business. So competition drives innovation.&#8221;
He added that the actions taken by Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project to shake up the bureaucracy will bring a &#8220;major right-sizing of the federal government&#8221; that&#8217;s &#8220;long overdue.&#8221;
Discussing his specific priorities, Burgum said that he is focused on accomplishing the president&#8217;s goal of ramping up energy production.
&#8220;We have a chance to literally change the whole world when we change U.S. energy policy,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And that&#8217;s going to take the whole of government.&#8221;
The Department of Interior manages more than 500 million acres of public land as well as the Outer Continental Shelf, which holds roughly 68.79 billion barrels of oil and 229.03 trillion cubic feet of gas, according to federal government <a href="https://www.boem.gov/oil-and-gas-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimates</a>. Burgum said his department will also play a critical role in the Trump administration&#8217;s desire to once again tap into America&#8217;s mining and timber industries.
&#8220;Now, we&#8217;re completely dependent on our adversaries for the critical and rare earth minerals we need for technology and for defense,&#8221; he stated, adding that the United States has &#8220;a couple billion acres of offshore [resources] &#8230; that we can develop safely and securely and, and be great for our environment. So this is the balance sheet of America.&#8221;

‘We Have A Chance To Literally Change The Whole World’: Doug Burgum On The New Trump Cabinet

The Daily Wire

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to &#8220;further reign in government waste and officially implement&#8221; the Department of Government Efficiency&#8217;s &#8220;cost efficiency initiative.&#8221;
The order requires each agency head to work directly with the DOGE team to identify where government contracts and grants can be terminated or modified. The new process, which &#8220;shall commence immediately,&#8221; aims to reduce federal government spending or &#8220;reallocate spending to promote efficiency and advance the policies&#8221; of the Trump administration.
Trump signed the order after holding the first cabinet meeting of his new administration, during which his senior adviser, Elon Musk, who influences DOGE&#8217;s actions, spoke at length about the department&#8217;s goals.
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🚨 NEW: President Trump just signed an executive order to further reign in government waste and officially implement <a href="https://twitter.com/DOGE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DOGE</a>&#39;s cost efficiency initiative.
Here is the text of the order:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United…
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1894866655584420242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The overall goal here with the DOGE team is to address the enormous deficit,&#8221; Musk told a room full of Trump cabinet members on Wednesday. &#8220;We simply cannot sustain as a country two-trillion-dollar deficits. Just the interest on the debt now exceeds the Defense Department spending.&#8221;
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The SpaceX and Tesla CEO later <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-elon-musk-dominate-first-cabinet-meeting-rcna193836" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the president and his cabinet that DOGE is working as &#8220;a support function for the president and for the agencies and departments to help achieve those savings to effectively find 15% reduction in fraud and waste.&#8221; Trump&#8217;s executive order seeks to increase DOGE&#8217;s ability to slash federal spending. The order requires &#8220;Each Agency Head, in consultation with the agency&#8217;s DOGE Team Lead, [to] conduct a comprehensive review of each agency&#8217;s contracting policies, procedures, and personnel.&#8221;
According to the president&#8217;s order, the DOGE team will then give the DOGE administrator &#8220;a monthly informational report on contracting activities&#8221; that includes &#8220;all payment justifications provided pursuant to that process, to the extent consistent with law.&#8221;
Earlier this month, the White House said that Musk was not the DOGE administrator and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/26/amy-gleason-doge-administrator-musk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> on Monday that the administrator is Amy Gleason, a healthcare executive who worked for the Trump and Biden administrations. From 2018 to 2021, Gleason worked for the U.S. Digital Service (USDS), which became DOGE.
Trump&#8217;s new directive for DOGE expands on the executive order he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-gives-elon-musks-doge-more-power-to-make-the-federal-workforce-more-efficient-and-effective" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> earlier this month that required heads of federal agencies to “coordinate and consult” with DOGE in the hiring process and to “limit hiring to essential positions.”
DOGE and Musk&#8217;s increasing power and influence on the Trump administration has become concerning for some critics. Asked by a reporter on Wednesday if any members of the cabinet members were &#8220;unhappy&#8221; with Musk&#8217;s work, Trump said that some might &#8220;disagree a little bit,&#8221; but added, &#8220;For the most part, I think everyone is not only happy, but thrilled.&#8221;
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Trump White House

Trump Signs Executive Order Giving DOGE More Power

White House

The GOP-led Senate has now confirmed 20 of President Donald Trump&#8217;s nominees for leading roles during the first fives weeks of his second-term administration.
On Wednesday, Jamieson Greer received approval to become United States Trade Representative through a <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00094.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">56-43</a> vote, with Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Gary Peters (D-MI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joining with the majority of Republicans in supporting the nominee. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the sole Republican to vote against the nominee. C-SPAN&#8217;s Craig Caplan <a href="https://x.com/CraigCaplan/status/1894808854271037597" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) missed the vote as he is recovering after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-senator-suffers-brain-bleed-after-falling-on-ice-during-seizure" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fall</a>.
&#8220;The Senate Republicans are now 20-0 on confirmations,&#8221; Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), who has been using his X account to keep the public apprised of the Senate&#8217;s work, in a <a href="https://x.com/SenMullin/status/1894807397434073246" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> to the social media platform that acknowledged how none of Trump&#8217;s nominees have failed so far in final votes.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/were-so-far-ahead-senator-reveals-how-republicans-have-quickly-confirmed-trumps-cabinet-picks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: How Republicans Quickly Confirmed Trump’s Cabinet: ‘Kept That Clock Running 24/7’</a>
Greer is the 19th Cabinet-level pick to be confirmed in a process that includes confirmation hearings and multiple procedural votes for each nominee.
Other Cabinet members include: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, and Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
The Senate, which is led by Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), has also confirmed Kash Patel to become FBI Director. However, that position is not a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/the-cabinet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cabinet-level role</a>.
A simple majority is needed for success in a final confirmation vote. Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning GOP leadership can afford to lose only a couple party members for votes in which Democrats and the independents who caucus with them unite in opposition.
Some of the confirmation votes have been very tight while some nominees have breezed through. The closest vote happened last month when Vice President JD Vance cast a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vance-breaks-tie-to-confirm-pete-hegseth-for-pentagon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tie-breaker</a> to confirm Hegseth. Patel was confirmed in a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-confirms-kash-patel-as-fbi-director" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> 51-49</a> vote, Gabbard in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-confirms-tulsi-gabbard-as-director-of-national-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">52-48</a> vote, and Kennedy Jr. in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-confirms-robert-f-kennedy-jr-as-hhs-secretary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">52-48</a> vote. Rubio, himself a former U.S. senator from Florida, received the most bipartisan support among all the nominees with a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-votes-unanimously-to-confirm-marco-rubio-as-secretary-of-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">99-0</a> vote.
In a post on X, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) shared a graphic showing that Senate Republicans have confirmed 19 Cabinet nominees in 38 days, surpassing the 18 confirmed under President Barack Obama and the 10 under President Joe Biden.
https://x.com/SenJohnBarrasso/status/1894850712984789332
Now just three Cabinet-level nominees remain: Labor Secretary nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer; Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon; and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), nominee to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Other nominees are making their way through the Senate confirmation process. Among them is Harmeet Dhillon, the nominee to become Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/confirmation-hearing-for-harmeet-dhillon-live-updates" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified</a> before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
Trump held his first Cabinet meeting of his second term at the White House on Wednesday. Elon Musk, an adviser to the president who is overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort, delivered remarks in which he <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/1894796597923357142" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Trump &#8220;has put together, I think, the best Cabinet ever, literally.&#8221;
A small number of Trump&#8217;s second-term nominees have withdrawn from consideration, albeit before they ever got any votes. They include: the president&#8217;s initial choice for U.S. Attorney General, former Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-matt-gaetz-withdraws-name-from-ag-consideration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Gaetz</a> (R-FL); and Hillsborough County Sheriff <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-dea-nominee-withdraws-from-consideration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chad Chronister</a>, who had been selected to become administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

President Donald Trump Meets French President Macron At White House

Senate Republicans Go ’20-0′ In Confirming Trump Nominees

Presidential nomination

U.S.

President Donald Trump&#8217;s senior adviser and billionaire, Elon Musk, will be in the room when Trump meets with his cabinet on Wednesday at the White House.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed reports that Musk will attend the president&#8217;s first cabinet meeting, saying the SpaceX and Tesla CEO would be present to discuss the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project &#8220;and how all of the cabinet secretaries are identifying waste, fraud, and abuse at their respective agencies.&#8221;
&#8220;We look forward to the meeting tomorrow, and I think you&#8217;ll be hearing from the president and his cabinet when they&#8217;re on campus tomorrow,&#8221; Leavitt added.
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<a href="https://t.co/Vak5Rsi9Xb">pic.twitter.com/Vak5Rsi9Xb</a>
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1894465714603659301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In the first month of the new Trump administration, the president has set Musk loose on multiple government agencies, seeking ways to drastically cut back on spending. Over the weekend, Musk stirred the pot in Washington, D.C., sending an email to federal employees through the Office of Personnel Management that instructed workers to respond with five things they had accomplished in the past week.
Senior Trump officials in multiple departments, including the State Department, Defense Department, and FBI told their employees to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-officials-tell-employees-not-to-respond-to-musks-productivity-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ignore</a> the OPM email. The DoD and FBI said that they have their own &#8220;review processes,&#8221; and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard cited “the inherently sensitive and classified nature of our work” as the reason her staff “should not respond to the OPM email.”
In remarks to reporters on Monday, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-approves-of-elons-productivity-email-were-trying-to-find-out-if-people-are-working" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> of Musk&#8217;s tactic, saying, &#8220;I thought it was great because we have people that don’t show up to work and nobody even knows if they work for the government.&#8221;
“So by asking the question, ‘Tell us what you did this week,’ what he’s doing is saying, ‘Are you actually working?’ And then if you don’t answer, you’re sort of semi-fired or you’re fired,&#8221; Trump added.
Musk initially set a deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Monday for federal workers to respond to the email or be terminated, but he then said he would give government employees &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/musk-gives-federal-workers-another-chance-to-justify-employment-or-be-fired" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another chance</a>&#8221; to reply without setting a specific deadline.
“Subject to the discretion of the President, they will be given another chance,” Musk wrote on X. “Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.”
Musk&#8217;s cost-cutting efforts have riled up Democrats and the legacy media who claim that the actions taken by Musk and DOGE are putting Americans&#8217; financial and medical stability at risk. Musk <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/musk-waves-chainsaw-at-cpac-the-is-the-chainsaw-for-bureaucracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> to those attacks, saying last week, &#8220;The actions that we’re taking, with the support of the president and the support of the agencies, is what will save Medicare, what will save Social Security. … That’s the reason I’m doing this. Because I was looking at the big picture here and it’s like, man, it’s getting out of control.”

Elon Musk, Donald Trump

Elon Musk To Attend Trump’s First Cabinet Meeting

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