The push to end the filibuster is intensifying in Washington, especially as the president has said he wants to see the rule nuked as a way to possibly fully fund the Department of Homeland Security and pass the SAVE America Act.
However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and some Senate Republicans have repeatedly cautioned against ending it over concerns that it would enable Democrats to pass certain parts of their agenda with just a few Republicans in support, or that it could help them easily pass bills if they retake the Senate.
Still, Trump is encouraging Thune to find the votes in order to get rid of the rule, which creates a 60-vote threshold for most legislation to move forward in the chamber.
“But that’s part of being a leader, you have to get the votes,” Trump said of Thune while on <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2038575004388880416?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Air Force One</a> on Sunday, saying he’s a “high quality person” that’s only a couple votes short needed to successfully end the filibuster.
“Those people will not be able to withstand the onslaught because Republicans and the country wants it,” he added.
There are some exceptions to the filibuster rule — meaning they don&#8217;t require a 60 vote majority — like reconciliation bills such as the &#8220;One Big Beautiful Bill Act,&#8221; which was signed by Trump last year and included everything from tax cuts to border security funding.
On Saturday night in a post on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116309106577650785" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Truth Social</a>, the president took a stronger tone toward Republicans who do not back the change.
“It is time for the Senate Filibuster to END. Those weak and ineffective Republicans Senators that stand in the way of this should be exposed to the public. The Democrats are CRAZY!” he wrote.
Democrats were close to ending the filibuster in 2022 in order to pass voting-related proposals, but then-Sens. Krysten Sinema and Joe Manchin voted against their caucus to keep the rule in place.
“The filibuster exists to make both sides work together and produce good legislation that can withstand the test of time,” Manchin posted to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DVygUZ9DnAk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a> earlier this month following Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-TX) <a href="https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-op-ed-why-the-save-act-matters-more-than-the-filibuster/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a> op-ed expressing his own change of heart on the filibuster.
“Eliminating the filibuster would consolidate even more power into the hands of the majority party’s leadership — and take power away from the minority and everyday Americans,” the former West Virginia senator added.
Cornyn faces political pressure in the Texas Senate Republican primary, as Attorney General <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-fight-over-proof-of-citizenship-to-vote-reaches-boiling-point" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ken Paxton</a> said he would even consider dropping out of the race if the SAVE America Act was passed. The act continues to be the top legislative priority of the president, as it would require voter identification at the ballot box and documentary proof  of citizenship. The president also wants it to include transgender-related measures.
It&#8217;s unlikely that there will be much movement in Congress at all in the next couple of weeks, as both chambers went on an Easter-Passover break after each passing different solutions to the DHS shutdown — neither of which went on to pass in the other chamber. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing on Monday afternoon, however, that the president would prefer to see Capitol Hill get back to business sooner.

USA Elections Democrats and Republicans chess concept

Fight Heats Up Over Rule That Stops One Party From Running The Show

Congress

Filibuster

Senate

Nine years ago today, then-North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed a bill that repealed a law meant to keep gender-confused men out of women’s bathrooms, a policy he called “mean spirited” and “a stain” on the state’s reputation. 
While Cooper, currently running for U.S. Senate, now <a href="https://x.com/townhallcom/status/1949831222382715262?s=20">dodges</a> questions about his positions on transgender ideology, a new ad from the National Republican Senatorial Committee wants to make sure voters don’t forget how passionately he fought to allow transgender-identifying men in women’s bathrooms back in 2017. The ad, first shared with The Daily Wire, compiles Cooper’s numerous comments attacking North Carolina House Bill 2, a GOP-backed measure that required people to use the bathroom corresponding with their birth certificate at government buildings and public schools.  
“It&#8217;s important that we remove this horrible requirement that transgender people had to go to the restroom of their birth certificate,” Cooper previously said, as highlighted in the ad. “It is a stain on our great state&#8217;s reputation, and it&#8217;s got to be wiped out.” 
Cooper also called the provision “one of the most discriminatory laws in the country, and it is wrong, period” and that it “created a misguided, unworkable, and unnecessary requirement that individuals use the bathroom that matched the gender on their birth certificate.”
The Senate hopeful campaigned on repealing the measure, saying that he could “not tolerate it” being the law of the land in North Carolina. 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rv8-EFPesss?si=5RksHCwmiYHAyMZg" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
&#8220;For nearly 40 years, Roy Cooper has fought to transition North Carolina to Democrats&#8217; woke agenda,&#8221; NRSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Cooper promised the radical left he would ensure men could use women&#8217;s bathrooms, and he delivered for they/them.&#8221;  
The North Carolina bathroom bill, which was signed by GOP Governor Pat McCrory in 2016, ignited a firestorm after major corporations like Salesforce started <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/salesforces-marc-benioff-has-kicked-off-new-era-of-corporate-social-activism-1462201172">pressuring</a> the state over the law. Cooper’s gubernatorial deputy campaign manager told The Wall Street Journal that he “looked to Salesforce because he wanted them to know that this is not who North Carolina is, and that we are fighting against this discriminatory law.”
In response to the law, the NBA yanked the 2017 All-Star game out of Charlotte, because of “the climate created” by the legislation. 
After he was elected governor, Cooper signed a bill to repeal the bathroom bill, <a href="https://governor.nc.gov/documents/files/house-bill-2-repeal-fact-sheet/download">saying</a> that it “immediately removes mean-spirited restrictions on public facilities that mandate North Carolinians use the public facility matching the gender on their birth certificate.”
During his second term in office, Cooper would <a href="https://www.acluofnorthcarolina.org/press-releases/governor-cooper-vetoes-anti-transgender-legislation/">veto bills</a> to shield kids from transgender procedures on minors and keep boys of girls sports teams. 
Cooper is looking to succeed outgoing GOP Senator Thom Tillis. The GOP candidate is former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley. 
While he campaigned on the bathroom issue heavily while running for Congress, Cooper has rarely touched on transgender issues while on the Senate campaign trail. In August, he <a href="https://www.nrsc.org/uncategorized/wapo-he-became-governor-supporting-trans-rights-now-its-seen-as-a-liability-2025-08-18/">declined</a> an interview with the Washington Post on transgender issues.

MixCollage-28-Mar-2026-08-55-AM-2082

Brutal Ad Hits Dem Senate Hopeful Over Defense Of Men In Women’s Bathrooms

2026 Midterms

Michael Whatley

North Carolina

Roy Cooper

WASHINGTON—If you&#8217;re looking for Bernie Sanders, you won&#8217;t find him here.
Vermont&#8217;s socialist senator was <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2026/03/27/sen-bernie-sanders-catches-first-class-flight-after-funding-bill-fails/?adid=social-tw">spotted</a> in first class on a 2:49 p.m. flight out of Reagan National Airport Friday afternoon — minutes after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) vowed to reject the partial Department of Homeland Security funding bill Sanders and his colleagues in the upper chamber had passed around 2:00 a.m.
About an hour after Sanders&#8217;s flight took off, President Donald Trump entered the fray on Johnson&#8217;s side, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-kills-senate-bill-to-re-open-dhs-without-ice-funding?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+Kills+Senate+Bill+To+Re-Open+DHS+Without+ICE+Funding">saying</a> the Senate bill — which carved ICE and Border Patrol out of DHS funding — &#8220;wasn&#8217;t appropriate.&#8221; Emboldened by the president, the House late Friday night rejected the Senate&#8217;s bill, instead passing a separate measure that would fund the entire Department of Homeland Security for 60 days.
What happens next is unclear, as Sanders wasn&#8217;t the only senator to skip town after the final vote. The Senate adjourned Friday for a two-week recess, and has no plans to reconvene before its planned April 13 return. As of Saturday morning, the partial shutdown of DHS has become the longest funding lapse in American history, surpassing 2025&#8217;s record-breaking government shutdown.
Sanders&#8217;s first-class escape makes him the latest lawmaker to be dinged for aerial hypocrisy amid the ongoing shutdown. As Americans waited up to four hours in TSA lines, members of Congress were often able to skip the lines entirely, making use of a perk exclusive to lawmakers. Delta Air Lines earned praise for suspending its special &#8220;congressional desk,&#8221; but as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/did-delta-stop-vip-treatment-for-congress-its-complicated?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Did+Delta+Stop+VIP+Treatment+For+Congress%3F+It%E2%80%99s+Complicated.">reported</a>, lawmakers were still able to skip the security lines.
About 20 minutes before his flight departed, <a href="https://x.com/BernieSanders/status/2037594741273989383?s=20">Sanders took to X</a> to slam Elon Musk and &#8220;the wealthiest people in the world&#8221; for their views on AI. The senator is often criticized for railing against the wealthy, considering he himself is a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bloomberg-nails-socialist-bernie-youre-a-millionaire-with-3-houses">millionaire</a> who owns three homes.
On Saturday, Sanders will attend a &#8220;No Kings&#8221; rally in St. Paul, Minnesota — an event organized to protest Trump, an elected official.

Untitled design – 2026-03-28T100612.158

See How Bernie Sanders Bails On DHS Fight In Rules For Thee Not For Me Move

Airports

Bernie Sanders

Department of Homeland Security

Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives voted late Friday to fund the Department of Homeland Security for 60 days, rejecting a compromise the Senate passed earlier in the day.
The vote was largely along party lines, with three Democrats crossing the aisle to fully fund the department through May 22. The final tally was 213—203.
The vote was a rebuke of the Senate, which early Friday morning passed a bill that carved ICE and Border Patrol out from the rest of the funding. While House Democrats fought to take up the Senate&#8217;s proposal, the measure seemed dead on arrival after President Donald Trump expressed his disapproval of the measure.
“You can’t have a bill that’s not going to fund any form of law enforcement,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-kills-senate-bill-to-re-open-dhs-without-ice-funding?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+Kills+Senate+Bill+To+Re-Open+DHS+Without+ICE+Funding">said</a> Friday. &#8220;This whole thing is about the Democrats wanting to have open borders, no ICE, no Border Patrol. These people are crazy.&#8221;
Trump’s comments came after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and other House Republicans trashed the Senate proposal and the subsequent departure of senators for a two-week Easter recess.
“They’ve gone half the fiscal year without a regular paycheck; we cannot ask that of anyone,” Johnson said in reference to TSA agents, who have dealt with the brunt of both the full federal government shutdown last fall and the current shutdown. “Republicans will do the responsible and honorable thing, and Democrats will continue to play politics.&#8221;
With both chambers heading out for Easter without a deal, the shutdown is on track to become the longest in history, now in its 42nd day.
Trump signed an executive order on Friday to pay TSA agents, as travelers have faced long wait times at airports nationwide due to officer callouts and resignations.
The House&#8217;s 60-day funding bill is unlikely to gain traction in the Senate, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) calling the bill &#8220;dead on arrival.&#8221;
“Democrats will fund critical Homeland Security functions,&#8221; Schumer said. &#8220;But we will not give a blank check to Trump’s lawless and deadly immigration militia without reforms.”

Mike Johnson 9/10/25

House Forces Senate’s Hand On DHS Funding As Shutdown Nears Record Territory

homeland security

House of Representatives

<div>
President Donald Trump voiced his opposition to the bipartisan Senate deal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/congress-erupts-as-house-poised-to-reject-senate-deal-to-end-dhs-shutdown?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Congress+Erupts+As+House+Poised+To+Reject+Senate+Deal+To+End+DHS+Shutdown">passed</a> early Friday morning to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
Trump told <a href="https://x.com/JacquiHeinrich/status/2037615753868833269?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a> on Friday afternoon that “it wasn&#8217;t good. It wasn&#8217;t appropriate,” specifically mentioning how the proposal does not fund ICE and Border Patrol as part of the agreement.
“You can&#8217;t have a bill that&#8217;s not going to fund any form of law enforcement &#8230; This whole thing is about the Democrats wanting to have open borders, no ICE, no border patrol. These people are crazy,” he said, according to the outlet.
The president has repeatedly called for an end to the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster rule to move legislation forward, including DHS appropriations and the SAVE America Act, which is a voter identification bill.
Trump’s comments come after Speaker Mike Johnson and many other House Republicans trashed the Senate proposal and the subsequent departure of senators for a two-week recess for Easter.
Johnson will instead push for a continuing resolution until May 22, which would temporarily fund all of DHS while a longer-term solution for the remainder of the fiscal year is negotiated.
“They’ve gone half the fiscal year without a regular paycheck; we cannot ask that of anyone,” Johnson said in reference to TSA officers, who have dealt with the brunt of both the full federal government shutdown last fall and the current shutdown.
Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-signs-executive-order-to-pay-tsa-agents?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Signs+Executive+Order+To+Pay+TSA+Agents">signed</a> an order on Friday to pay TSA agents, as travelers have faced long wait times at airports nationwide due to officer callouts and resignations.
“Republicans will do the responsible and honorable thing, and Democrats will continue to play politics,” Johnson told reporters on Friday.
However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has already called the possibility of a continuing resolution “dead on arrival.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said his caucus plans to back the bipartisan Senate proposal, saying Republicans have sought to &#8220;create chaos&#8221; at airports nationwide.
</div>
&#8220;House Democrats are prepared to support the bill to end the Trump-Republican shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security,&#8221; Jeffries said at a press conference on Friday afternoon.
<div>
If the House of Representatives passes anything other than the Senate deal without additional amendments, it would have to return to the Senate before it could go to the president&#8217;s desk for his signature or veto.
</div>

Donald Trump

Trump Kills Senate Bill To Re-Open DHS Without ICE Funding

Immigration

John Thune

Mike Johnson

House Republican leaders seem poised to kill the Department of Homeland Security shutdown deal passed by the Senate early on Friday morning.
The Senate bill would fund all elements of DHS except for ICE and Border Patrol, with no immigration reforms made. However, many House Republicans have strongly opposed the deal passed by the Senate, arguing it caves to the Democrats.
“We are not playing their games. These people want open borders, and they want criminal illegal aliens in the country,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said of Democrats while addressing reporters on Friday.
Johnson said Trump “supports” the plan, noting that this will be the fourth time the House has voted to fund DHS. The Daily Wire reached out to the White House for comment.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that a continuing resolution proposal would not succeed in the Senate, calling it “dead on arrival.”
“Senate Democrats worked with Senate Republicans to reach a UNANIMOUS agreement to fund vital functions at DHS, including TSA, FEMA, CISA, and secure our ports of entry,” Schumer said in a <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/2037581253365412224?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
“We&#8217;ve been clear from day one: Democrats will fund critical Homeland Security functions — but we will not give a blank check to Trump&#8217;s lawless and deadly immigration militia without reforms,” the Democrat added.
Some members, like Rep. <a href="https://x.com/RepOgles/status/2037508704786952385?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andy Ogles</a> (R-TN), want to see voter identification added to a DHS funding bill, as the Senate struggles to pass the SAVE America Act, which is considered the top legislative priority of the president.
Rep. <a href="https://x.com/RepMarkHarrisNC/status/2037552402992169048?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Harris</a> (R-NC) even explicitly blamed Senate Republicans for backing the deal made.
“I am done with Senate Republicans. Their failure to fully fund DHS is not just disappointing — it’s a disgrace,” Harris posted to X. “They refused to fund ICE units that target sex traffickers. They refused to fund Border Patrol agents. And where is the SAVE America Act?”
“Once again, they have failed the American people. They have made one thing clear: Americans’ safety is not their priority,” he added.
Meanwhile, some Republicans in the House, like Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) and Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-FL), argued that the House pursuing an alternative solution would only delay funding the department, according to the <a href="https://x.com/Olivia_Beavers/status/2037572638474661936?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wall Street Journal</a>.
On the Senate side, Senate Majority Leader <a href="https://x.com/LeaderJohnThune/status/2037562792153137425?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Thune</a> posted to X on Friday that “Dems got ZERO restrictions that would prevent ICE and CBP agents from doing their jobs safely.”
“Dem leadership has proven once again they can’t be trusted to make a deal,” Thune continued. “Which begs the question if you’re a Dem senator or one of their left-wing supporters: What was this really all about?”

Congress Erupts As House Poised To Reject Senate Deal To End DHS Shutdown

Congress Erupts As House Seems Poised To Reject Senate Deal To End DHS Shutdown

WASHINGTON—The Senate voted to fund portions of the Department of Homeland Security early Friday morning, bringing a partial resolution to the funding lapse that began in February.
The bill now heads to the House of Representatives, which will scramble to pass the bill before the weekend.
Lawmakers spent Friday morning reacting to the long-awaited action from the Senate, which omits funding for ICE and Border Patrol agents. Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles suggested the House should attach a voter ID provision to the bill, a response to the Senate&#8217;s inability to pass President Donald Trump&#8217;s favored SAVE America Act.
&#8220;WE in the HOUSE should AMEND the Senate Bill, ADD VOTER ID AND FORCE A VOTE IN THE SENATE,&#8221; Ogles<a href="https://x.com/RepOgles/status/2037508704786952385?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> posted</a> to X on Friday morning.
However, the Senate departed for its two-week long Easter recess, which could make any amendments to the proposal difficult without prolonging the shutdown even further.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is touting the deal as a victory. Democrats triggered the shutdown in mid-February in hopes of seeking major immigration enforcement reforms, even though none are included in this current funding deal.
&#8220;This long-overdue agreement funds TSA, the Coast Guard, FEMA, CISA; strengthens security at the border and at ports of entry; and keeps Americans safe. This could’ve been accomplished weeks ago if Republicans hadn’t stood in the way,&#8221; Schumer said on the Senate floor.
&#8220;Democrats held firm in our opposition that Donald Trump’s rogue and deadly militia should not get more funding without serious reforms, and we will continue to fight for those reforms,&#8221; he added. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only member of the caucus consistently opposed to the shutdown strategy.
Meanwhile, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) slammed Democrats&#8217; approach to the shutdown.
&#8220;Real profiles in courage. They created this mess, couldn’t define victory, refused to take yes for an answer, and now get nothing. Their leadership is a disaster —and [Jeffries] shut down the government twice and got nothing for it, twice. Heckuva job!&#8221;
However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (SD) said that Democrats were not cooperative in the negotiation process.
&#8220;We could be standing here right now, passing a funding bill with a list of reforms if Democrats had made the smallest effort to actually reach an agreement,&#8221; Thune said on the Senate floor. &#8220;But they didn&#8217;t. Because as is now clear to everyone, Democrats didn&#8217;t actually want a solution. They wanted an issue. Politics over policy. Self-interest, just over reform. Pandering to their base over actually solving a problem.&#8221;
Conservatives were not happy that the funding bill omits ICE funding.
&#8220;Total Senate GOP capitulation to Chuck Schumer. DHS funded EXCEPT FOR ICE,&#8221; Jim Pfaff, president of The Conservative Caucus,<a href="https://x.com/jimpfaff/status/2037511832605241355?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> posted</a>. &#8220;All this because Senators want to go on a two week, paid vacation.&#8221;
&#8220;Thune didn’t do anyone any favors with this bill.  The battle now turns to the Border Patrol and ICE.  That’s the Democrats’ goal. So, they punished the TSA and now they’ll punish Border Patrol and ICE.   In the end, the Democrats are blackmailing we, the American people,&#8221; conservative commentator Mark Levin<a href="https://x.com/marklevinshow/status/2037502661751116040?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> wrote</a>.
The state of talks appeared to change Thursday after President Donald Trump declared an emergency in order to allow for TSA officers to get paid, as airport security lines continued to be a top concern, even as ICE agents have begun assisting at some airports.
“Therefore, I am going to sign an Order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, to immediately pay our TSA Agents in order to address this Emergency Situation, and to quickly stop the Democrat Chaos at the Airports,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Thursday night.
“It is not an easy thing to do, but I am going to do it! I want to thank our hardworking TSA Agents and also, ICE, for the incredible help they have given us at the Airports. I will not allow the Radical Left Democrats to hold our Country hostage any longer,” he added.
Much of Trump’s immigration agenda was already funded last July through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” including major components of ICE and CBP, which has left the shutdown mostly impacting agencies like TSA, the Coast Guard, and FEMA.
The move to fund the department, with the exception of the immigration-related agencies, is what some Democrats have been seeking as negotiations continued, according to<a href="https://x.com/JakeSherman/status/2037336946658173369?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Punchbowl News</a>, but they have also requested a laundry list of federal immigration enforcement reforms ranging from an end to masking for agents to the use of judicial warrants for most arrests.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-dhs-funding-negotiations-are-falling-apart?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Why+DHS+Funding+Negotiations+Are+Falling+Apart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported that talks on Wednesday were deteriorating as Democrats continued to push for reforms that were repeatedly rejected.
After Trump made the TSA announcement on Thursday, Sen.<a href="https://x.com/SenRonJohnson/status/2037307305323003946?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Ron Johnson</a> (R-WI) said it was a clear indicator that the negotiation process was not going anywhere with Democrats.
“Time to recognize reality — Democrats will never take yes for an answer. Stop trying to negotiate with them, and begin the Reconciliation Appropriation Process to fund [DHS] for multiple years,” Johnson wrote. “And do not fund ANY Democrat priorities!!!!”
On the flip side, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member<a href="https://x.com/rosadelauro/status/2037332319808156152?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Rosa DeLauro</a> (D-CT) tweeted that she is “very glad that these workers are finally being paid.”
“It is shameful the Trump administration chose not to pay them for 41 days,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Why couldn’t it have been done sooner?”

House_TSA_Funding (1)

DHS Deal Funding TSA Clears First Hurdle — Now The Real Battle Begins

Negotiations on Capitol Hill appear to be at a standstill after both Republicans and Democrats have rejected each other&#8217;s offers to break the stalemate, fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, and put an end to the ongoing partial government shutdown.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Thursday that Democrats are “now in possession of what I think is our last and final” offer, according to <a href="https://x.com/AlexMillerFox1/status/2037200897663508587?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>, after the Republican told reporters on Wednesday he did not intend on sending another offer.
“It&#8217;s not even close to being real. They know better. They&#8217;re asking for things that have already been turned down. So it just seems like they&#8217;re going in circles,” Thune told reporters on Wednesday regarding the Democrats most recent counteroffer.
He added that there are disagreements over funding for specific parts of ICE, like Enforcement and Removal Operations. In addition, there are continued disputes over the Democrats&#8217; push for an end to masking of agents and their desire to use judicial warrants for most immigration arrests.
“I mean, warrants and masks have never been on the table, and they know that,” Thune said.
The White House also slammed the counteroffer from Democrats, although few details are publicly known about the current proposal.
“It’s laughable that Democrats are now demanding more reforms to an agency they still refuse to fund,” a White House official told The Daily Wire on background on Wednesday evening.
“The Administration has repeatedly tried to work in good faith with the Democrats while always remaining consistent: we want the Department funded and we will continue to enforce the law. This latest stunt from the Democrats proves they are not interested in a serious conversation and they don’t care [that] their shutdown is hurting Americans,” the official added.
As for Schumer, he told <a href="https://x.com/LauraEWeiss16/status/2037184367928250848?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Punchbowl News</a> on Thursday morning that “people are talking” regarding funding, as Democrats in Congress continue to want federal immigration policy reforms made.
&#8220;ICE needs to leave the airports NOW. Trump needs to pay TSA workers NOW, and push Republicans to reach a deal. No intimidation forces at our airports. No more chaos at checkpoints. Enough is enough,&#8221; Schumer <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/2036530272858955898?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on Tuesday in opposition to the president&#8217;s decision to send ICE agents to airports amid a high number of TSA officer callouts.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-how-senate-republicans-can-end-the-democrat-shutdown-and-still-fund-ice?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Here%E2%80%99s+How+Senate+Republicans+Can+End+The+Democrat+Shutdown+%E2%80%94+And+Still+Fund+ICE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported earlier this week that White House Border Czar Tom Homan was part of bipartisan talks starting last week, and that judicial warrants and masking were expected to be concessions made by Democrats from the list of requests they made regarding immigration enforcement reforms.
President Donald Trump responded to the gridlock by rebooting his calls to end the Senate filibuster rule.
In multiple Truth Social posts on Thursday, the president said that scrapping the filibuster would be the best way to end the wait-time issues at airports and to pass the SAVE America Act, as it would get rid of the 60-vote threshold needed to procedurally move most legislation forward.
“When is ‘enough, enough’ for our Republican Senators,” he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116295094711655881" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>, telling the lawmakers to “Go for the Gold!!!”
&#8220;There comes a time when you must do what should have been done a long time ago, and something which the Lunatic Democrats will do on day one, if they ever get the chance. TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, and get our airports, and everything else, moving again. Also, add the complete, all five items, SAVE AMERICA ACT items,&#8221; the president added.
In another <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116295216341236902" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>, he expressed his belief that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer “will make a deal now because he thinks that if he doesn’t, Republicans will TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, something which they should do whether he makes a deal or not!!!&#8221;

President Trump Delivers The State Of The Union Address

Why DHS Funding Negotiations Are Falling Apart

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan on Wednesday that President Donald Trump is urging Republican and Democratic lawmakers to move at &#8220;Trump speed&#8221; and send the SAVE America Act to his desk.
Leavitt&#8217;s comment was in response to Olohan&#8217;s question during a press briefing on whether the White House has been satisfied with the effort from Republican leadership to pass the SAVE America Act.
&#8220;I think the president has made it very clear that he wants everyone on Capitol Hill to move as quickly as possible to get the SAVE America Act passed,&#8221; Leavitt said. &#8220;And he wants to see that legislation on his desk as soon as Republicans and Democrats can move to pass it.&#8221;
Olohan pressed, &#8220;But are there any lawmakers in Congress that the president is frustrated with on this matter and feels could be doing a better job?&#8221;
&#8220;I think the president wants to see everybody on Capitol Hill move faster all the time,&#8221; Leavitt replied. &#8220;He wants everyone in this town to work at Trump speed like we do here at the White House.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> tells <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MaryMargOlohan</a> that President Trump wants everyone on Capitol Hill to move &#8220;as quickly as possible&#8221; to pass the SAVE America Act:
&#8220;He wants everyone in this town to work at &#8216;Trump Speed&#8217; like we do here at the White House.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/c747W2wtiM">pic.twitter.com/c747W2wtiM</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/2036868027912724840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The legislation, which passed the House last month, has been caught up in the Senate as Democrats remain united in their opposition to the bill, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, mandate voter ID, and impose restrictions on mail-in voting. On Tuesday night, the SAVE America Act <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-save-america-act-just-cleared-a-huge-legislative-hurdle-despite-full-dem-opposition?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump%E2%80%99s+SAVE+America+Act+Just+Cleared+A+Huge+Legislative+Hurdle+Despite+Full+Dem+Opposition">cleared</a> a legislative hurdle and advanced to debate, but the 60-vote filibuster threshold remains in the way of the bill&#8217;s final passage.
Earlier this month, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/be-a-leader-trump-challenges-john-thune-as-save-america-act-faces-uncertainty?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Be+A+Leader%E2%80%99%3A+Trump+Challenges+John+Thune+As+Save+America+Act+Faces+Uncertainty">called</a> on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to &#8220;be a leader&#8221; and &#8220;get [the votes].”
“It’s the most popular bill put before Congress,” Trump added.
Democrats appear unwilling to compromise on their opposition to the SAVE America Act as it currently stands, and at least one Republican senator — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — has come out against the bill. Around half of Republican senators have said they would support a talking filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, which would force Democrats to speak nonstop on the Senate floor if they want to block a vote.
A large group of Republican senators, however, oppose changing filibuster rules to use the talking filibuster, and Thune argues that the move would be &#8220;complicated and risky&#8221; as it would allow Democrats to control the Senate floor and propose an unlimited number of amendments that could be tacked onto the SAVE America Act.
President Trump has said that he will not sign any legislation until the SAVE America Act is sent to his desk, adding on Sunday night that he does not want Republicans to make a deal with Democrats to fund the Department of Homeland Security unless Democrats &#8220;Vote with Republicans to pass ‘THE SAVE AMERICA ACT.'&#8221;

Press Secretary Leavitt Holds Briefing At The White House

Daily Wire Presses Trump Team On Lawmakers Dropping The Ball

Leavitt Pressed On Whether White House Is Satisfied With GOP Efforts On SAVE America Act

Democrats

Karoline Leavitt

Republicans

SAVE America Act

This piece is part of MI x DW, a collaboration that brings Daily Wire readers exclusive commentary and research from the Manhattan Institute’s world-class team of scholars.
In this piece, Manhattan Institute Vice President of External Affairs Jesse Arm warns Michigan voters not to trust a rising generation of radical lawmakers masquerading as traditional Democrats — most especially &#8220;far-left podcaster-physician Abdul El-Sayed.&#8221;
***
Michigan&#8217;s U.S. Senate race is viewed as one of the most consequential and contentious elections of the 2026 cycle. The three-way Democratic primary contest to replace retiring incumbent Gary Peters — between moderate Congresswoman Haley Stevens, progressive state senator Mallory McMorrow, and far-left podcaster-physician Abdul El-Sayed — has emerged as a proxy war over the soul of the Democratic Party. As Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/01/michigan-senate-mcmorrow-stevens-el-sayed-00758408">noted</a> last month, the race is a &#8220;catch-all for every question and problem plaguing Democrats politically and tactically.&#8221; Democrats need to flip four Republican-held seats to win a Senate majority. Michigan is not optional.
But two weeks ago, the national spotlight on the Great Lakes state got a little brighter. Ayman Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Lebanon living in Dearborn Heights, collected arms and drove an explosive-laden truck into the preschool at Temple Israel in my hometown of <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/temple-israel-west-bloomfield-michigan-synagogue-shooting-attack">West Bloomfield</a> — the nation&#8217;s largest Reform synagogue in the heart of Michigan&#8217;s Jewish community. By some miracle, security guards engaged him and stopped the violent rampage before he could kill the nearly 140 children and their caretakers inside.
The attack was an act of Islamic terrorism, possibly carried out as revenge for a conflict between combatants on the other side of the globe. Ghazali’s brother was a commander in the Hezbollah terrorist organization, killed in a recent Israel Defense Forces airstrike. But Ghazali’s desire to sow terror could’ve also been incubated in Michigan. He lived next to “<a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/welcome-to-dearborn-americas-jihad-capital-pro-hamas-michigan-counterterrorism-a99dba38?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqeUTMNFjSRKEfwkYQ0IjPbfnp66S4OqNvk1IFXeBo3o5BCIKVDFzY0uvS1V54k=&amp;gaa_ts=69b39d4b&amp;gaa_sig=bX6tBUfC_GFHlVuLaQyJG3NhliIh5ORaMzQfDJqHkUzN9aDIqrza94PpOtdWtvInqzoQmCbcVWGKkEYS3tNfQw==">America’s jihad capital</a>,” a community where, in the days after October 7th, 2023, thousands marched through the streets celebrating Hamas&#8217;s slaughter of more than 1,200 innocent men, women, and children — including 46 Americans.
In the week following the West Bloomfield attack, one might expect a Michigan Senate candidate to take pains to lower the temperature. El-Sayed chose differently. Six days after the near-massacre at Temple Israel, he <a href="https://x.com/AbdulElSayed/status/2034360293116067859">posted</a> a smiling photo of himself appealing to fans of Hasan Piker. Shortly thereafter, his campaign <a href="https://x.com/AbdulElSayed/status/2036431020233293934">announced</a> joint appearances with Piker at rallies on the trail.
For those unfamiliar: Piker is a <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/the-handsome-face-of-terror-apologia">Twitch streamer</a> and self-described <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/free-expression/democrats-are-too-cozy-with-hasan-piker-2ecee4cc?st=R2ZQfB&amp;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">Marxist</a> with three million followers who has built his brand on antisemitism, terror apologia, misogyny, and anti-Americanism. He has called Jews &#8220;inbred&#8221; and declared that property owners who don&#8217;t rent out their homes should be <a href="https://x.com/Rightanglenews/status/1966264506486853810">killed</a> while letting &#8220;the streets soak in their red capitalist blood.&#8221; He has compared supporters of Israel&#8217;s existence to being a &#8220;rabid neo-Nazi&#8221; and <a href="https://freebeacon.com/media/from-defending-rape-to-excusing-9-11-10-statements-that-define-mainstream-media-darling-hasan-piker/">said</a> he doesn&#8217;t “have an issue with” the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah. He has offered justifications for Hamas&#8217;s October 7th massacre and stated that &#8220;it doesn&#8217;t matter if rapes happened on October 7th.&#8221; He has claimed &#8220;America deserved 9/11,&#8221; praised the Chinese Communist Party, and gleefully shared Houthi terrorist recruitment videos with his audience.
El-Sayed is only a slightly more polished version of the <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/michigan-senate-candidate-abdul-el-sayed-compared-an-oklahoma-ban-on-sharia-law-to-the-trail-of-tears/">same thing</a>. He has appeared at Islamist conferences alongside speakers who praised the October 7th attackers. He has raised money from an Arab-American PAC whose leader called for Israeli Jews to be sent &#8220;back to Poland.&#8221; And while speaking before a chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations — which has been designated a terrorist organization by both <a href="https://x.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1998156452377293228">Florida</a> and <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-designates-muslim-brotherhood-cair-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations">Texas</a> — he once compared an Oklahoma ballot measure restricting the application of Sharia law to the Trail of Tears.
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What makes much of this increasingly normalized radicalism especially maddening is how unrepresentative it all is, even of most Democratic voters. The median Michigander who tends to vote Democrat is not any sort of Hasan Piker acolyte. New Manhattan Institute <a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/do-democrats-want-to-be-normal-survey-analysis-of-todays-democratic-coalition">polling</a> of nearly 2,600 Democratic voters found that most Democrats affirm Israel&#8217;s right to exist, that a plurality want their party to move toward the ideological center, and that an overwhelming majority believe political violence is never justified. The faction demanding maximalist anti-Western positioning as the price of progressive authenticity represents a small, loud, hyper-online minority.
So why does the radical left seem to continue gaining traction? As I’ve written previously in <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/democrats-party-voters-manhattan-institute-poll">City Journal</a>, the answer lies in examining who controls the actual machinery of Democratic politics. Over the past two decades, a network of progressive advocacy groups, ideological nonprofits, activist donors, and aligned unions has accumulated enormous influence over candidate recruitment, messaging, and policy prioritization. In election cycles without a presidential contest and thus lower voter turnout, that influence is magnified. Hit the right notes on all the crazy woke stuff, and the George Soros-types will make it worth your while. If not, it will go to your primary challenger. Many of these entities are deploying resources to achieve total ideological fealty to their extreme ideas, rather than to help Democrats win elections. After all, were ideological moderation to prove consistently successful at the ballot box, it would be economically threatening to the progressive groups&#8217; ecosystem itself.
Look at El-Sayed’s relationship with the Pod Save America network. Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Ben Rhodes — the former Obama aides turned podcast hosts — organized a <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/former-obama-speechwriters-to-fundraise-for-progressive-dem-senate-candidate-abdul-el-sayed/">fundraiser</a> for El-Sayed. Rhodes, notably, earned the <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/12/05/huckleberry-capone-turd-blossom-white-house-nicknames-523723">nickname</a> &#8220;Hamas&#8221; during his White House years, bestowed by senior White House staffers for his relentlessly hostile stance toward Israel even then. That same crew has now attached itself to El-Sayed&#8217;s campaign as part of a broader attempt to nationalize the lesson they took from Zohran Mamdani&#8217;s mayoral victory in New York City: that the path forward for Democrats is to move left, not toward the center.
Mamdani won a Democratic primary in one of the bluest cities in America, under highly unique circumstances and against a uniquely unpalatable field. Attempting to run that same play in a dark purple Midwestern state and expecting the same result is what you do if you are chiefly focused on advancing a radical agenda and only secondarily on optimizing for victory. But all that won&#8217;t stop a large group of well-paid consultants coasting on Mamdani’s win from trying to sell that blueprint everywhere. And it won&#8217;t stop left-wing donors eager to believe it from buying it.
Meanwhile, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/michigan-us-senate-election-polls-2026.html">polling</a> is clear. Stevens held an early lead in the primary. While the race has tightened considerably, she has consistently posted the strongest numbers against expected Republican nominee Mike Rogers — a former longtime congressman and well-known Michigan political figure who has run statewide before — in every publicly available general election survey to date.
Republican voters tempted to root for El-Sayed’s nomination — or operatives considering meddling on his behalf, as Democrats <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-democratic-group-meddles-michigan-republican-congressional-primary">did</a> in Michigan&#8217;s 3rd Congressional District Republican primary in 2022 when the DCCC spent big bucks boosting election-denier John Gibbs against moderate GOP incumbent Peter Meijer — should think carefully. Democrats successfully flipped that seat after helping Gibbs win his primary. But primary meddling remains a highly risky and unreliable instrument, especially in an election cycle where the fundamentals do favor the Democrats. In this case, the downside risk is particularly severe: Abdul El-Sayed in the United States Senate.
We already have a pair of bigoted, America-hostile Islamic terror sympathizers in the House in Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. That is two too many. Patriotic Americans of all political persuasions should be unified in their desire to ensure that a third does not join them in the Senate — especially in the weeks following the resurgence of jihadist violence, not just in Michigan, but in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/03/12/shooting-old-dominion-university">Virginia</a>, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/suspect-in-texas-bar-shooting-wore-property-of-allah-clothing-and-iranian-flag-emblem-according-to-ap-source">Texas</a>, and <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-isis-supporters-charged-attempting-detonate-explosive-devices-during-protests-outside">New York</a> as well.
***
Jesse Arm is the vice president of external affairs at the Manhattan Institute, where he oversees communications, government relations, and polling.

Abdul El-Sayed Campaigns for U.S. Senate Seat

Michigan Voters, Don’t Let Radicals Fool You Into Thinking They’re Normal

Democratic Party

Islam

Michigan

Long lines and delays at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have become a flashpoint in the competitive United States Senate race in Georgia.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) faced immediate criticism from Republican primary candidates in his state for voting against funding the Department of Homeland Security, which has resulted in TSA agents and other essential DHS personnel working without pay. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the lone Democrat who voted to fund the DHS.
“Jon Ossoff and Democrats caused this to protect illegal aliens. That’s it,” Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) posted to X in response to a <a href="https://x.com/MikeCollinsGA/status/2035727466375905481?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> showing the lines. The airport had informed travelers to arrive four hours early for their flights on Monday.
Former NCAA football coach and Republican Senate hopeful Derek Dooley pointed out the contrast between Fetterman and Ossoff on the shutdown in a video he posted from the airport on Sunday.
“It&#8217;s ridiculous. That&#8217;s exactly why we need new leadership in D.C. This is nothing about the people. We need leaders who are gonna put their people first,” <a href="https://x.com/DerekDooleyGA/status/2035810012681920769?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dooley</a> said.
“Just a bunch of politics. Come on, Ossoff. Fetterman agrees. He&#8217;s not for this. He&#8217;s a Democrat. And listen, where&#8217;s the rest of Congress?” he said, calling for a solution to resolve the shutdown, which started over disagreements about federal immigration enforcement policies.
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) dubbed it the “Schumer-Ossoff Shutdown” in one <a href="https://x.com/RepBuddyCarter/status/2036100550035411339?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a>, and plainly stated in another <a href="https://x.com/RepBuddyCarter/status/2036111733102661690?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> that the six-hour lines at TSA in Atlanta are “because Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff voted to SHUT DOWN the Department of Homeland Security.”
As negotiations continue in Washington, Senate Democrats have argued that Republicans are not interested in funding TSA. Republicans voted against a move by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to fund federal airport employees, though it would leave out other agencies within DHS.
“Donald Trump’s obstruction is denying TSA workers pay and creating havoc at airports. While negotiations continue over ICE, there is no reason TSA should be held hostage. Republicans must stop blocking TSA funding immediately,” Ossoff said in a <a href="https://www.ossoff.senate.gov/press-releases/new-senate-republicans-block-tsa-funding-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> on March 21.
When his campaign was contacted by The Daily Wire for comment on the Republican criticism, they deferred to a comment from the Democratic Party of Georgia.
“Senate Democrats have called for funding TSA for weeks, and Republicans have blocked it every step of the way because they are taking orders from Donald Trump,” DPG Chair Charlie Bailey said in a statement. “We could pay TSA agents and end the chaos at airports across the country if Republicans like Buddy Carter, Mike Collins, and Derek Dooley told their Party to quit standing in the way and get it done.”
A 2017 <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/04/jon-ossoff-race-first-real-battle-millennials-vs-trump-1/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mother Jones</a> story noted that Ossoff has had a pilot&#8217;s license since he was a teen, and described his plans at the time to rent a Cessna plane for a short hiking trip in the Appalachian Mountains with his friends. <a href="https://freebeacon.com/elections/ossoff-whose-father-took-1-mil-from-govt-relief-fund-slams-greedy-business-owners-for-raiding-ppp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Free Beacon</a> reported in 2020 that Ossoff’s businessman father bought a private plane in 2014.
As for the Republicans in the race, President Donald Trump has yet to make an endorsement ahead of May 19. Whoever wins the race will be in one of the most competitive elections in the country in 2026. Ossoff is the only incumbent Democrat in a “toss-up” race, according to the <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cook Political Report</a>.
“Jon Ossoff cares more about protecting illegals like Laken Riley&#8217;s killer than standing with hardworking Georgians,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia stated. “Ossoff never refuses a chance to use Georgians as political pawns. Ossoff must stop putting illegals first and end his DHS shutdown.”
ICE agents were sent to assist at airports across the nation on Monday, including Hartsfield-Jackson, as hundreds of TSA agents have called out or quit. The Atlanta airport alone had a callout rate of 41.5% on Sunday, according to <a href="https://x.com/krisvancleave/status/2036100167695507499?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News</a>.

One In Ten Airport Screeners Skip Work As Funding Fight Drags On

Travel Headaches Take On Political Weight — With A Critical Vote In Focus

Battleground Democrat Senator Slammed For Airport Fiasco In His State: 'Ridiculous'

2026 election

Georgia

Jon Ossoff

Transportation

Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt announced on Tuesday that longtime energy executive Alan Armstrong will replace Markwayne Mullin in the Senate following Mullin&#8217;s confirmation as Homeland Security Secretary.
Armstrong is a political outsider who has spent his career at Williams Companies, a major oil and gas company based in Tulsa. After introducing Armstrong at a <a href="https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1mxPaLjkLQYKN">press conference</a>, Stitt said that Oklahoma&#8217;s new senator &#8220;is strongly aligned with President Trump on energy policy,&#8221; adding that &#8220;few people have done more to champion [the] America First agenda to keep Oklahoma at the center of domestic production.&#8221;
The Tulsa oil and gas executive will only serve in the Senate for the remainder of Mullin&#8217;s term, which ends in January 2027. Oklahoma law requires Senate appointees to sign an affidavit vowing not to run for a full term, and Trump has endorsed Congressman Kevin Hern to run for the seat in November.
Armstrong said he is entering the Senate at a &#8220;critical&#8221; time in American history, especially regarding energy and infrastructure.
&#8220;You travel around the world these days and you realize we are falling behind on being the leaders in infrastructure,&#8221; Armstrong said, adding, &#8220;The truth is, it&#8217;s gotten very, very hard to build large-scale infrastructure, and it is so critical to our country&#8217;s competitiveness in the long-term.&#8221;
Armstrong <a href="https://www.constellationenergy.com/about/leadership/alan-armstrong.html">began</a> working at Williams Companies nearly 40 years ago as an engineer and worked his way to the top, becoming the energy company&#8217;s president and CEO in 2011. He retired from the CEO role in 2025 and became the executive chairman of the board of directors at Williams Companies.
Armstrong&#8217;s decades of expertise leading one of America&#8217;s largest oil and gas companies and focus on U.S. energy independence fits neatly with President Trump&#8217;s goals to rejuvenate the country&#8217;s energy sector. The oil and gas executive said the issue he wants to address the most in the Senate is permitting reform.
&#8220;What&#8217;s caught my attention is it&#8217;s hard for any kind of infrastructure to get built, and that really is holding our country back,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And I really want to make sure that we really have meaningful permitting reform.&#8221;
Along with focusing on energy, Armstrong told reporters that &#8220;there are a lot of important policy issues&#8221; in the Republican Party agenda and vowed that he &#8220;will be there to support that.&#8221; Armstrong recently met with Trump and said the president showed support for his appointment to the Senate. Armstrong has also worked on energy issues with Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, which he said &#8220;was pretty important&#8221; in gaining Trump&#8217;s support.
Oklahoma has been one of the most pro-Trump states in the country and was the only state where Trump won every county in the 2024 election. Trump, however, recently expressed frustration with Stitt, the chair of the National Governors Association, over a dispute about whether Democratic governors would be invited to the National Governors Association gathering at the White House in February.
Stitt suggested that Trump would be excluding Democratic governors from the meeting, but Trump shot back, calling Stitt a &#8220;RINO&#8221; and a &#8220;wise guy&#8221; who &#8220;incorrectly stated my position&#8221; on which governors were invited to the White House. The Oklahoma governor <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/13/stitt-and-trump-patch-things-up-00828775">reportedly</a> met with Trump earlier this month and cleared the air over the dispute.

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