HomeNews White House blames Democrats for record-breaking DHS shutdown after House Republicans reject Senate’s compromise bill – live | Trump administration
White House blames Democrats for record-breaking DHS shutdown after House Republicans reject Senate’s compromise bill – live | Trump administration
March 31, 2026:
Here’s a recap of the day so far
Senate Republicans did not use the pro forma session today to try to pass a stopgap funding bill advanced by House GOP leaders on Friday. John Hoeven, the Republican senator from North Dakota, told reporters that the continuing resolution could not pass by unanimous consent because Democratic senator Chris Coons objected. This comes amid a record-breaking partial government shutdown that has lasted 45 days.
Karoline Leavitt continued to blame Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing funding lapse, after both chambers of Congress remain at an impasse on passing a bill to reopen a portion of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Congress is now on a scheduled two-week recess, and many members have left Washington for their districts. The press secretary said today that the president is encouraging lawmakers to return to Capitol Hill and secure a deal, after negotiations broke down last week.
While Donald Trump has signed an executive order to pay TSA employees as the shutdown continues,Leavitt offered no more information as to how they administration is securing these funds to issue paychecks. Airport security officers are expected to see their first full paycheck today, after the president directed the DHS secretary, Markwayne Mullin, to issue payments immediately on Friday.
The Department of Justice sued Minnesota’s education department and the state’s school athletics body for allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports. In a lawsuit, the DoJ claims that by making against female student athletes compete against transgender girls, as well as share locker rooms and bathrooms with them, Minnesota is violating Title IX – the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination for any programs that receive federal funding.
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the US is about to hit $4, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). This is up 33% from a month ago, when the average price was $2.98 per gallon, andis the highest national average since 2022, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The spike in the price at the pump is the most tangible hit Americans have felt since the US‑Israel war on Iran began almost five weeks ago.
Key events
José Guadalupe Ramos, a Mexican national, dies in ICE detention in LA
Roque Planas
A Mexican immigrant has died at a detention center outside Los Angeles, marking at least the 14th death in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since the year began.
Security staff at the Adelanto detention center found José Guadalupe Ramos unconscious and unresponsive in his bunk on 25 March, according to an ICE press release. Staff attempted to carry out life-saving procedures, including CPR, then called emergency services, who took Ramos to Victory Valley Global medical center in nearby Victorville. He was pronounced dead there at 9.29pm.
At his medical screening on 24 February, ICE found that Ramos suffered from diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. He received “daily medication to treat his illness”, according to ICE.
It was not clear whether he received medication for a single illness or all three. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.
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A protest statue has appeared on the National Mall in Washington DC: a baroque-styled marble and gold toilet. It’s built like a throne, where anyone can sit on the commode as if it were a chair.
A protest sculpture of a golden toilet has been erected at the Lincoln Memorial. Photograph: Andrew Leyden/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
“A Throne Fit for a King,” reads a plaque attached to the statue. “In a time of unprecedented division, escalating conflict, and economic turmoil, President Trump focused on what truly mattered: remodeling the Lincoln bathroom in the White House.”
Giant gold toilet scThe art installation depicts a faux gold plated toilet to criticize renovations President Trump has made to the Lincoln Bathroom of the White House. Photograph: Will Oliver/EPA
The throne comes as Donald Trump is remaking the White House in his image. Along with renovating the Lincoln bathroom, he’s had gilded doilies attached to the walls of the Oval Office and had the East Wing of the building torn down to build a massive ballroom. The president is long-rumored to own a gold toilet.
The statue comes after another protest piece appeared on the Mall depicting Trump and the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein holding hands. The roll of toilet paper with the toilet throne reads “The Secret Handshake”, which is the name of the group that claimed responsibility for the hand-holding statue.
A roll of toilet paper with “The Secret Handshake” written on it. Photograph: Oliver Contreras/AFP/Getty Images
Lindsey Graham appears to have spent last weekend at Disney World, riding Space Mountain in the theme park’s Magic Kingdom, according to TMZ. The Republican senator from South Carolina’s Florida vacation comes amid a more than six-week partial government shutdown over funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
Photos captured by TMZ show Graham waiting in line for rides, eating at a breakfast buffet and strolling through Disney World with what looks like a bubble wand in his hand. The gossip news site said Graham spent three days at the theme park.
The partial government shutdown, which is now the longest in US history, has left thousands of federal workers without pay checks and travelers stuck in long TSA lines at airports. Graham told TMZ he was in Florida to meet with Trump officials, and then went to Orlando afterwards.
On Monday, Graham blamed the democrats for the shutdown in a post on X and referenced working on a “new deal” for DHS: “Threats to our country are through the roof and it’s well past time to pay all workers. Schumer and gang are playing a dangerous game with our homeland security.”
Army investigates after two helicopters hovered by Kid Rock’s pool
The army is investigating what appears to be a detour taken by two Apache helicopters on a training run on Saturday. The helicopters under question visited and hovered alongside Kid Rock’s hillside swimming pool in Tennessee.
Kid Rock, an outspoken Donald Trump supporter and rock musician, posted a video to X showing him salute the choppers as they flew by.
“This is a level of respect that shit for brains Governor of California will never know. God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her,” Kid Rock wrote on his post, along with an American Flag and prayer hands emoji.
According to the Associated Press, there was no official request from Kid Rock to have the helicopters fly by, which is what triggered the administrative review.
“Army aviators must adhere to strict safety standards, professionalism, and established flight regulations… Appropriate action will be taken if any violations are found,” the army said in a written statement.
Two-year-old detained by ICE is not receiving adequate help, Democratic lawmaker alleges
A two-year-old detained in a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, is sick and not getting adequate help, said Joaquin Castro, a Democratic congressman from San Antonio. The boy, Kaleth, has a fever and is not eating the food served at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, which Castro said detainees have complained of having mold and worms.
“When his mother asked for help, the staff said it was all ‘mental,’” Castro wrote in a post on X. “A vulnerable child at the Dilley trailer prison was suffering and ICE denied their reality and their needs. It’s shameful and must stop.”
Dilley has been criticized for not providing adequate care and food for families. In February, the detention center reported two measles cases. It’s the same facility where five-year-old asylum seeker Liam Conejo Ramos and his father were kept for a week after being detained in Minneapolis.
Castro has been calling for the detention center to be “shut down immediately” and has long said Donald Trump’s immigration agenda is inhumane.
The congressman has sought to get several immigrants released from Dilley. Castro said: “I am calling for ICE to provide proper medical care to Kaleth and to release him and his mother Joani immediately.”
Here’s a recap of the day so far
Senate Republicans did not use the pro forma session today to try to pass a stopgap funding bill advanced by House GOP leaders on Friday. John Hoeven, the Republican senator from North Dakota, told reporters that the continuing resolution could not pass by unanimous consent because Democratic senator Chris Coons objected. This comes amid a record-breaking partial government shutdown that has lasted 45 days.
Karoline Leavitt continued to blame Democratic lawmakers for the ongoing funding lapse, after both chambers of Congress remain at an impasse on passing a bill to reopen a portion of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Congress is now on a scheduled two-week recess, and many members have left Washington for their districts. The press secretary said today that the president is encouraging lawmakers to return to Capitol Hill and secure a deal, after negotiations broke down last week.
While Donald Trump has signed an executive order to pay TSA employees as the shutdown continues,Leavitt offered no more information as to how they administration is securing these funds to issue paychecks. Airport security officers are expected to see their first full paycheck today, after the president directed the DHS secretary, Markwayne Mullin, to issue payments immediately on Friday.
The Department of Justice sued Minnesota’s education department and the state’s school athletics body for allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports. In a lawsuit, the DoJ claims that by making against female student athletes compete against transgender girls, as well as share locker rooms and bathrooms with them, Minnesota is violating Title IX – the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination for any programs that receive federal funding.
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the US is about to hit $4, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). This is up 33% from a month ago, when the average price was $2.98 per gallon, andis the highest national average since 2022, after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The spike in the price at the pump is the most tangible hit Americans have felt since the US‑Israel war on Iran began almost five weeks ago.
Trump justice department sues Minnesota for allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports
The Department of Justice sued Minnesota’s education department and the state’s school athletics body for allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports.
In a lawsuit, the DoJ claims that by making against female student athletes compete against transgender girls, as well as share locker rooms and bathrooms with them, Minnesota is violating Title IX – the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination for any programs that receive federal funding.
“Minnesota’s policies and practices create unfair competition, deny girls equal educational opportunities, and expose girls to a hostile educational environment with heightened risks of physical injury and psychological harm,” the justice department argues in the suit filed on Monday.
There are currently 27 states which restrict transgender athletes from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity, according to the Williams Institute.
Senate Republicans forgo trying to pass stopgap House GOP spending bill to end DHS shutdown
Senate Republicans did not use the pro forma session today to try to pass a stopgap funding bill advanced by House GOP leaders on Friday.
John Hoeven, the Republican senator from North Dakota, told reporters that the continuing resolution could not pass by unanimous consent because Democratic senator Chris Coons objected.
Hoeven said Republicans now plan to move a DHS funding bill for the remainder of Trump’s time in office through reconciliation, which requires only a simple majority in the Senate and is not subject to the filibuster.
He argued that doing so would prevent another funding standoff. “We’re taking this off the table, that that’s enough of this with the Democrats,” he said.
Reconciliation is the same process Republicans used last year to pass Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Senator John Hoeven speaks at a National Agriculture Day event in Washington DC on 24 March 2026. Photograph: Annabelle Gordon/Reuters
Leavitt was also asked about the “massive complex” being built by the military underneath Trump’s ballroom. He referenced the plans on Air Force One on Sunday.
The press secretary noted that she was not authorized to comment about the plans; however, she noted that the military is “making some upgrades to their facilities here at the White House”.
On Cuba, the press secretary said that the Trump administration allowed a Russian oil tanker to the island amid a worsening energy crisis and consistent blackouts, but noted that this is not a “formal change” to the US’s sanction policy.
“These decisions are being made on a case by case basis,” Leavitt added. “Cuba’s non-functional economy cannot be fixed unless they undergo dramatic political and leadership change.”
Trump interested in calling on Arab states to help pay for Iran war, White House says
Lucy Campbell
Donald Trump would be interested in calling on Arab countries to pay for the cost of his war on Iran, Leavitt says, adding that she thinks Trump would have more to say on the issue.
Asked whether Arab countries would step up to help pay for the war, Leavitt said she would not get ahead of the president but that Trump has had this idea.
I think it’s something the president would be quite interested in calling them to do. It’s an idea that I know that he has and something that I think you’ll hear more from him on.
When asked why Donald Trump did not step in to issue emergency payments for TSA agents amid the ongoing partial government shutdown earlier than Friday, the press secretary blamed Senate Democrats for failing to pass a funding bill to reopen the entirety of the DHS.
Lawmakers failed to advance a GOP-backed measure seven times, before eventually passing a bill that only funded the TSA, the US Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa), and withholding funds for ICE and the border patrol. Ultimately, the House rejected the Senate-passed bill, instead passing a continuing resolution to fund the DHS for two months. Democrats in the upper chamber remain adamant they won’t take that up.
