Nikole Killion

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

House @SpeakerJohnson tells me he’ll gather his members to “decide next steps” after the Senate passed #DHS funding without ICE & CBP. He called Democratic efforts to “defund” immigration enforcement “detestable.”.

On Friday, the Senate unanimously voted to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security. TSA workers and other federal workers within DHS would receive paychecks again, but funding for ICE is not included in the package. The agreement came hours after President Trump said he would sign an executive order to immediately pay TSA officers. The bill now heads to the House.

“We will see,” Leader Thune tells me when asked if a deal is still possible tonight after POTUS announcement to sign executive order to pay #TSA. “I'll have more to say about that later. But you know, obviously we want to fund everything, as you know, within the DHS department.”

“My bank account is empty. I’m lost. I’m drowning.” Angela Grana, a TSA officer in Colorado, says she feels “demoralized” and “un-valued” amid the ongoing DHS shutdown, and tells CBS News’ @NikolenDC her co-workers are also sleeping in the cars or at the airport, and some are selling their plasma to get by without pay. Her message to lawmakers: “We don’t have a red line and blue line for passengers. We are Americans…We need to be paid. We shouldn’t be letting security be at risk.”

THUNE: "The Dems are now in possession of what I think is our last and final. So let's hope this gets it done." @LeaderJohnThune said he thinks talks are starting to make progress again on ending partial shutdown. via @NikolenDC @alanhe

Senate Minority Leader Schumer says Democrats have sent a DHS counter offer to Republicans .@NikolenDC reported a huddle inside his office this morning with lawmakers including House Minority Leader Jeffries, Representatives Debbie Dingell, Maxwell Frost, Senators Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker and Brian Schatz.

BREAKING: The Senate has confirmed Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security, replacing Kristi Noem. cbsn.ws/3PEOhcC

President Trump urged Republicans not to make a deal to end the partial government shutdown unless Democrats back his voter ID bill, the SAVE America Act. Markets surged on Monday after Trump postponed a threatened strike on Iranian energy infrastructure.

We just published my swan song for The Post: Congress nears tipping point of irrelevance. It’s been an amazing 19-plus-year run, especially last decade of this @PKCapitol column. The Post has been family, giving me this perch to cover Congress. So lucky … washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/…

"Look, we need to get the government back open," WH Border Czar Tom Homan tells me after emerging from a meeting this afternoon with a group of bipartisan Senators on #DHSShutdown. "We'll continue having discussions."

Attorney General Pam Bondi tells me she is “looking forward” to addressing the House Oversight Committee and may talk afterwards when asked if she’ll comply with the panel’s subpoena. #Epstein

The Justice Department says a subpoena ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify under oath about the release of documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein is “completely unnecessary” since the Trump Cabinet member is set to brief lawmakers on Wednesday on matters related to the convicted sex offender.

Sen. Britt confirmed that Chairman Paul informed her that she would not be allowed to introduce Sen. Mullin. She told @NikolenDC she plans to submit her statement for the record.

"I will run a very vigorous campaign,"@RepJamesClyburn says he'll run again for Congress. "If I were not up to it, I would not do it." The South Carolina Democrat says he made his decision after consulting his daughters and a long talk with Leader Jeffries who asked him to stay.

Voters in Georgia's 14th Congressional District are heading to the polls on Tuesday to elect a replacement for former Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned in November. Greene, who declined to endorse in the race, said she hopes someone that “will keep their focus on the district” is elected. When asked in an interview with CBS News’ @NikolenDC in December whether she had any regrets about her tenure in Congress, Greene replied, “None.”

President Trump says he had “a very good call” with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Monday, telling CBS News’ @NikolenDC the two leaders discussed the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. “He wants to be helpful. I said, you could be more helpful by getting the Ukraine-Russia war over with, that would be more helpful,” Trump said. “But we had a very good talk, and he wants to be very constructive.”

President Trump says he is not ruling out sending American ground troops to Iran as the war enters a second week. The White House says there are no current plans to put boots on the ground in Iran. CBS News’ @NikolenDC reports.

President Trump approved a new $151 million arms sale to Israel on Friday. The deal bypassed congressional approval after Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an emergency waiver.

BREAKING: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is out, and will be replaced by GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, President Trump announced on Truth Social Thursday. cbsn.ws/47dMaCw

BREAKING: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is presumed dead after a massive U.S. and Israeli military operation Saturday, multiple Israeli official sources told CBS News. cbsn.ws/4qYV9yJ