Iran war: Clock ticking on Trump’s power plant threat

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▪ Trump’s deadline on Strait of Hormuz

▪ Mullin poised for confirmation

▪ Supreme Court to hear ballot case

▪ House GOP attendance concerns

Time is almost up on President Trump’s threat to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it doesn’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of the passage being largely closed.

Trump made his warning Saturday evening, giving Iran 48 hours from the time he made his post to allow ships to pass through the strait, which Tehran has declared closed since the U.S.-Israeli strikes began on the country on Feb. 28. Iran has said it would attack any ships attempting to come through, essentially stopping a fifth of the world’s oil transports.

“If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!” Trump said on Truth Social.

Israel appears to have already started targeting Iran’s infrastructure. Tehran residents reported power outages across the city after Israel conducted heavy airstrikes, The New York Times reported. Israel said it would target Tehran’s infrastructure but didn’t provide additional details.

Iran’s moves concerning the Strait of Hormuz have sent oil and gas prices soaring, with the average national cost of gas approaching $4 per gallon as of Sunday, according to AAA.

Some of the U.S.’s allies have started to signal willingness to help reopen the strait after a strong push from Trump. The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands said in a letter last week that they would help in “appropriate efforts” to secure the strait, condemning recent attacks by Iran on the Gulf states.

But they have not said they would send war ships in to protect oil tankers through the area, which Trump had initially called for. And Trump’s threat on Iranian power plants appears to be a signal that he’s losing his patience as prices continue to rise.

“We are seeing our allies come around as they should, but at the same time, the president is not going to stand for this regime, as it has threatened and tried for five decades to hold the world’s energy supplies hostage under its genocidal intent,” Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

The president is also under pressure to try to wrap up operations against Iran as prices rise and polls show many Americans questioning the effort. He said in a social media post Friday, the day before making his power plant threat, that the U.S. is getting “very close” to meeting its objectives and could soon be “winding down” the offensive.

While Trump has at times said the U.S. was close to accomplishing its goals, he has also said he’s not ready for a ceasefire with Iran. One of the biggest questions concerning Iran remains whether Trump will send ground troops in to accomplish any military objectives

Trump told reporters last week he wouldn’t be sending troops “anywhere” but added, “If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you.”

A unit of 2,200 Marines is on its way from San Diego to the Middle East to add to the U.S. military buildup.

The Hill’s Filip Timotija reports the potential for Trump to put boots on the ground in Iran puts Republicans in a tough spot between supporting the president’s goals and expressing concern about an increasingly unpopular war.

The resignation last week of National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent in protest of the war is also shining a spotlight on a small but vocal group of figures on the right who oppose the conflict, The Hill’s Emily Brooks reports.

▪ The Hill: Infrastructure strikes escalate energy crisis.

▪ The Hill: Inspector says war has had minor impact on Iranian nuclear program.

3 Things to Know Today

Two pilots were killed and dozens others injured after an Air Canada regional jet struck a firetruck at LaGuardia Airport in New York late Sunday, officials said. The airport has been closed until at least 2 p.m. today for officials to conduct an investigation.

Cuba’s military is preparing for the “possibility” of aggression from the Trump administration, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío said Sunday. The comments come as Trump has ramped up his threats against the island.

Trump has installed a statue of Christopher Columbus on the White House grounds. Placed outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the statue is a reconstruction of one from Baltimore that was thrown in the city’s harbor by protesters in 2020.

CUED UP: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) is set to be confirmed as the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as soon as today after the Senate advanced his nomination Sunday.

The president’s nomination of Mullin to succeed outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem passed mostly along party lines in a 54-37 vote. Sens. John Fetterman (Pa.) and Martin Heinrich (N.M.) were the only Democrats to vote in favor.

Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), the only Republican who has come out against Mullin’s nomination, wasn’t present for the procedural vote, while eight Democrats also missed it.

A final vote on Mullin’s nomination is expected Monday or Tuesday, putting him in place to take over for Noem.

DHS MANEUVERING: Mullin will likely inherit leadership of DHS in the midst of a shutdown as a wider debate over the administration’s immigration enforcement policies continues to play out.

Mullin did agree during his confirmation hearing last week to change some controversial policies from Noem’s tenure.

But The Hill’s Mike Lillis reports Democrats are holding out for more substantial reforms under pressure from their base, chiefly that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) follow the same rules as other federal law enforcement agencies.

But Lillis notes the strategy has risks as DHS workers have now gone without pay for more than a month.

The impacts are particularly being felt at airports with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) dealing with increasing absences among staff. CNN reported half of the country’s busiest airports had more than a third of their TSA agents call out Saturday.

Trump said Sunday that ICE officers will start assisting TSA at airports Monday to make up for the staffing shortfalls. White House border czar Tom Homan, who is in charge of the operation, said ICE officers wouldn’t be directly involved in security scanning measures as they don’t have the training for it.

Homan said ICE should prioritize the airports with the longest wait times.

Trump told NewsNation in an interview that ICE officers would remain at airports “for as long as it takes.” He said Democrats are more interested in reaching a deal since he announced the move but suggested he wouldn’t approve an agreement that doesn’t include passing the SAVE America Act, a key voting requirements bill he has been pushing.

“Now that I did this, the Democrats want to make a deal,” Trump said. “And I don’t think any deal should be made on this until they approve Save America.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he expects long security wait times to get “much worse” with more TSA agents quitting or not coming to work.

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports several Senate Republicans are getting behind an idea to reopen TSA and other agencies and then address funding for ICE and CBP through the budget reconciliation process.

The partial shutdown will set a new record for length in U.S. history if it persists through this coming weekend.

▪ The Hill: What else we’re watching this week on Capitol Hill.

▪ The Hill: Senate Republican says ‘no end in sight’ for shutdown.

MAIL-IN BALLOT CASE: The Supreme Court will hear a case Monday with potentially critical implications for the midterm elections this year.

The court will hear arguments about whether states should be allowed to count ballots postmarked by Election Day but received after polls close. The case is over a Mississippi law that allows for a five-day grace period for certain mail-in ballots.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) and Mississippi Libertarian Party sued the state and convinced a lower court that federal law sets just one Election Day on the first Tuesday in November, trumping state law. Mississippi is pushing the high court to overturn that ruling, pitting state GOP officials against the RNC.

Trump has targeted mail-in voting for years, including as part of his unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election that he lost, and he has repeatedly called for the practice to be banned.

The administration will also make an argument to the justices Monday, with Solicitor General D. John Sauer making the case. Read more about it from The Hill’s Ella Lee here.

▪ The Hill: Officials ask to dismiss case against ex-officers in Breonna Taylor’s death.

FISA REAUTHORIZATION: The president’s push for Congress to reauthorize the federal government’s warrantless spy powers is facing a significant hurdle from both sides of the political aisle.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows the U.S. government to spy on foreigners located abroad without a warrant, is set to expire on April 20. House Republican leaders had hoped to bring up a vote to reauthorize it this week, but that vote has been delayed until next month amid pushback from critics in both parties.

The tool is facing opposition from the right wing of the GOP and liberals who argue the intelligence community should get a warrant before reviewing information on Americans collected in surveillance efforts, The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch reports.

Some hard-line opponents calling for a warrant requirement have softened in recent days. That includes House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who said he would support the president’s request for reauthorization.

Trump himself has also reversed course on FISA after calling on Republicans to eliminate it in 2024.

Still, a reauthorization won’t be easy, and the vote has been punted a few weeks.

▪ The Hill: Jordan subpoenas prosecutor over case involving protest.

MORE MUELLER ATTACKS: The president continued to rail throughout the weekend against former special counsel Robert Mueller following his death Friday.

Trump on Sunday shared a link on Truth Social to an article posted by his ally Roger Stone titled, “The lies of Robert Mueller and his criminal gang.” That post came a day after Trump’s initial reaction to Mueller’s death.

“Robert Mueller just died,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!”

Mueller, who died at the age of 81, served as FBI director for more than a decade under former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He came back to prominence in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election when he was appointed as special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the race.

Trump repeatedly denounced Mueller’s investigation as a hoax, but the probe led to a series of arrests and charges filed against key figures in Trump’s orbit, including Stone, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and his former campaign chair Paul Manafort.

Mueller’s team ultimately didn’t find evidence that Trump’s campaign coordinated with the Russian government to interfere in the election but said it couldn’t reach a conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed justice.

Trump’s comments aren’t the first time he has railed against a high-profile figure following their death. He faced widespread backlash in December after he suggested director Rob Reiner and his wife, who were stabbed to death, died from “Trump derangement syndrome.”

▪ The Hill: Treasury secretary defends Trump after Mueller post.

CREDENTIALS RETURNED: The New York Times will receive press credentials Monday from the Pentagon after a federal judge ordered seven journalists at the outlet to receive them, Status reported.

The judge ruled the Pentagon’s press policy restricting access violates the First Amendment. The Defense Department has signaled it plans to appeal the ruling.

ARSON ATTACK: Police in London are investigating after four ambulances belonging to a Jewish community ambulatory service were set on fire early Monday.

No one was injured, and the fires have been extinguished. Officials said they are investigating the attack as an antisemitic hate crime, ABC News reported.

The president will participate in executive time at 8 a.m. He will travel from Palm Beach, Fla., to Memphis to participate in the Memphis Safe Task Force Roundtable at 1 p.m. before returning to Washington.

The Senate will meet at 3 p.m.

The House won’t convene today.

NUMBERS CRUNCH: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing attendance issues as he tries to navigate a narrow House majority and members turn more of their attention to the midterms.

The Hill’s Sudiksha Kochi reports attendance issues were on full display this past week, with 22 Republicans not voting for any bills Tuesday, followed by seven on Wednesday and five on Thursday. There were 21 Democrats who didn’t vote for any bills Tuesday, followed by six Wednesday and nine Thursday.

Last week was complicated by reports of a strong storm Monday that delayed travel back to Washington, D.C., but some lawmakers expressed concerns that the absences could spill over into future weeks.

“It’s like herding cats, and it’s a hard problem,” Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) said.

“Members who are kind of having to weigh, it’s campaign year, so they’re having to weigh the opportunity costs of being in their district to some of these votes, and some of these votes are not exactly top priority as much as some of the other ones are,” he said.

Every vote is key for Johnson, as the GOP only can afford to lose one member on party-line votes, assuming full attendance.

And attendance is likely only to become a greater problem as members face competitive primaries and general elections. Those who aren’t seeking reelection or are defeated in their primaries might also start disengaging, Kochi notes.

▪ The Wall Street Journal: Who could lead House GOP if Johnson goes.

TOP OF MIND: Taiwan’s representative to the U.S. is trying to keep China as a top focus in the MAGA movement’s foreign policy, warning at the Heritage Foundation’s Miami Security Forum that the “threat is active.”

U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that China isn’t planning an invasion of Taiwan in 2027, but Taiwanese Representative Alexander Tah-Ray Yui told The Hill’s Laura Kelly that doesn’t mean China isn’t increasing its capabilities.

“The threat is active. It’s real. And Taiwan will do all it can, to have the best deterrence possible,” he said.

The national security conference was the first such one hosted by the Heritage Foundation, taking place at Trump’s golf resort in Miami. It focused on two key topics — the president’s security strategy in the Western Hemisphere and boxing out China.

Yui said the energy crisis surrounding the Strait of Hormuz underscores Taiwan’s vulnerability. A third of the island’s natural gas imports come from Qatar.

“We will be trying to diversify our source of where we get our energy, again part of the resiliency issue,” Yui said.

The year 2027 was seen as key by an American admiral who in 2021 suggested Chinese President Xi Jinping might want to act in line with the 100th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army, Kelly noted.

▪ The Hill: NATO head asks for Trump’s ‘understanding’ on members’ hesitancy.

The case against the Senate filibuster no Republican can make, Jason Willick writes in The Washington Post.

Trump has made a fundamental miscalculation about Iran, Phil Klay writes in The New York Times.

And finally … The U.K. edition of “Saturday Night Live” kicked off this weekend with an opening jab at the relationship between Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The first episode of the show, created by SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels, was hosted by SNL alumna Tina Fey.

In the opening sketch, a visibly nervous Starmer, played by George Fouracres, calls Trump. As the phone rings, he wonders, “What if Donald shouts at me?” Once a fictional Trump picks up, Starmer shrieks and hangs up.

Starmer then receives help from a “Gen Z adviser” and sends Trump a voice memo. At the end of the skit, the actors shout, “Live from London, it’s Saturday Night.”

Trump himself promoted the sketch, posting a clip from it on Truth Social on Sunday morning.

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