Trump 2nd term updates: Trump excludes low-value shipments from looming tariffs

Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday the House is “looking to” pass a short-term and "clean" government funding bill to avert a shutdown ahead of the March 14 deadline.

“We're looking to pass a clean CR to freeze funding at current levels to make sure that the government can stay open while we begin to incorporate all these savings that we're finding through the [Department of Government Efficiency] effort and these other sources of revenue that President Trump's policies are make bringing to the table,” Johnson said on NBC’s "Meet the Press."

At least one House Republican so far has voiced opposition to the speaker’s plan, which Trump endorsed last week.

“I am a NO on the CR. Congress needs to do its job and pass a conservative budget! CR’s are code for Continued Rubberstamp of fraud, waste, and abuse,” Texas GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales posted on X.

Nebraska GOP Rep. Don Bacon raised concern about a clean measure since military funding would be held flat.

“A continuing resolution (CR) is bad for our military and weakens our national security. A CR means new weapons programs cannot get started. A year-long CR means we are not serious about building a military that will deter China, Russia and Iran,” Bacon said.

Johnson said funding for fiscal year 2026 will be a “very different process,” suggesting that DOGE cuts may be in the spending bills.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

A federal judge overnight blocked the Trump administration from firing the head of a federal watchdog agency without cause, finding the move was unlawful and likely triggering a lengthy appeal that could potentially end at the Supreme Court.

U.S. District Justice Amy Berman Jackson issued a permanent injunction that nullified the administration's attempt to remove special counsel Hampton Dellinger, reinstated him into his position and determined the attempted removal was unlawful.

“The Special Counsel’s job is to look into and expose unethical or unlawful practices directed at federal civil servants, and to help ensure that whistleblowers who disclose fraud, waste, and abuse on the part of government agencies can do so without suffering reprisals. It would be ironic, to say the least, and inimical to the ends furthered by the statute if the Special Counsel himself could be chilled in his work by fear of arbitrary or partisan removal,” Jackson wrote.

While the judge agreed that Trump has the authority to remove Dellinger for reasons related to “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office,” she disagreed with the government's position that Trump had “unfettered authority to fire him for no reason at all.”

Shortly after the decision came down Saturday night, the Department of Justice filed paperwork to appeal the ruling to the D.C. Circuit, beginning a process that is expected to make its way to the Supreme Court as one of the earliest tests of Trump’s executive power.

-ABC News' Peter Charalambous

House Speaker Mike Johnson -- who risked his speakership to pass roughly $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine last year -- is siding with Trump after Friday's fiery Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Johnson sharply criticized Zelenskyy for his actions in the meeting and even suggested a different leader might be necessary to lead the country.

“What President Zelenskyy did in the White House was effectively signaled to us that he's not ready for that [peace] yet, and I think that's a grave disappointment," Johnson said on NBC’s "Meet the Press." "We have to get this settled, and we stand with our allies… I certainly hope that he will, he will come back to his senses. President Trump has been very clear about this, that if he is ready for peace, then we can negotiate a deal."

Johnson said Zelenskyy had been "rather stiff-necked in the Oval Office instead of being gracious and saying thank you and looking for a way out of this mess."

“Well, something has to change. Either he [Zelensky] needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else needs to lead the country to do that," Johnson said, suggesting Zelensky may need to resign. "I mean, it's up to the Ukrainians to figure that out, but I can tell you that we are we are re-exerting peace through strength."

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

The Social Security Administration says it plans to cut 7,000 jobs as part of “significant workforce reductions” amid the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to slash the size of the federal workforce.

The SSA also said it’s reducing its regional offices from 10 to four, arguing that these moves “reduce non-mission critical work.”

The agency is also offering workers early retirement and voluntary payouts, if eligible, that range from $15,000 to $25,000. Workers who want to voluntarily separate must decide by March 14.

It’s unclear how these moves could impact the tens of millions of Social Security beneficiaries, but some Democratic lawmakers are raising alarm bells.

“Trump’s promises to protect Social Security are a sham, just like the rest of his actions since taking office. A plan like this will result in field office closures that will hit seniors in rural communities the hardest,” Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden said, reacting to earlier reports that the SSA could cut 50% of its staff.

“The goal of this effort is to hollow out an agency that currently delivers retirement benefits with a 99.7% accuracy rate, and hand over the keys to private equity and grifters who want to pillage Social Security for all it’s worth,” he said.

Trump has insisted that Social Security “won’t be touched” as he tries to cut government spending.

-ABC News’ Selina Wang