Trump hosts Cabinet meeting as Democrats threaten partial government shutdown

President Donald Trump has gathered his Cabinet for a video broadcast meeting that’s expected to be another lengthy, praise-heavy affair. Since returning to office, the president has used these meetings to review his administration’s accomplishments and provide Cabinet members with an opportunity to shower him with superlatives.

During the meeting, Democrats voted to block legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and several other agencies as they continued to negotiate with Republicans and the White House on new restrictions for Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement. Thursday’s 45-55 test vote came as Democrats have threatened a partial government shutdown when money runs out on Friday.

Addressing the press gathered at the Cabinet meeting, just ahead of the vote, Trump said, “We don’t want a shutdown,” and that the two sides were discussing a possible agreement to separate homeland security funding from the rest of the legislation and fund it for a short time.

WA Senator Cantwell threatens to vote against spending package

Washington Senator Maria Cantwell is one of a group of lawmakers who are refusing to vote for the spending package if the DHS funding is included.

“I’ve talked to many Washingtonians, and they’re worried about what’s transpired in Minnesota,” Cantwell said. “They’re worried about what’s transpired in Minnesota because they think someone has lost their life. They didn’t need to lose their life.”

If a deal isn’t reached, a partial shutdown could begin at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.

Trump takes no questions at Cabinet meeting

It was an unusual sight: The president didn’t entertain questions at his Cabinet meeting today.

During other appearances with Cabinet officials — and many other events with reporters present — Trump is apt to take a slew of questions on the news of the day and other topics.

Thursday was an exception. Trump, who had repeatedly implored Cabinet officials to keep the meeting short, let Vice President JD Vance have the brief final word.

Then Trump closed the meeting, prompting White House handlers to usher the press out despite reporters yelling out questions.

Trump’s team paints a misleading picture on housing

At Trump’s cabinet meeting, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner said that home sales in December “rose sharply to their strongest pace in three years” — but that’s not quite what appears to be happening in the housing market that has been a persistent source of frustration for U.S. consumers.

The National Association of Realtors did report that the seasonally adjusted annual rate of home sales in December rose to 4.35 million units, “nearly” the highest in three years as the trade association noted. But the sum was just a 1.4% year over year increase.

More importantly, it could have been a monthly blip as the Realtors separately said that pending home sales in December had fallen 3% from a year ago.

Trump has said that he wants to keep home prices high to increase people’s net worth, but doing so will likely keep construction levels low and price out possible first-time buyers.

Washington faith leaders condemn Trump’s immigration crackdown

Religious leaders in Washington called the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers “a profound moral failure” and condemned the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.

“We affirm the sacred worth of every human life,” they said in a joint statement Thursday, adding they “stand with immigrants” and “condemn … the use of indiscriminate and lethal force against civilians.”

The administration’s operations, they said, flout “our nation’s deepest moral commitments” and “values of human dignity.”

The group includes Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop Robert McElroy; Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde; Rabbi Abbi Sharofsky of the Jewish Community Relations Council; and Zoroastrian Head Priest Berham Panthaki, among others.

McElroy is the latest U.S. Catholic cardinal to pan Trump’s approach, and some Catholic media have specifically slammed Catholic Vice President JD Vance. Budde drew Trump’s ire after she asked at his inaugural prayer service to “show mercy” on migrants and LGBTQ+ people.