Lindsey Graham Ties Reelection to Trump and Iran War Support

• Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) is President Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, inheriting issues like immigration enforcement disputes, disaster response backlash, and a monthlong DHS funding lapse due to Democratic demands for ICE reforms. • Democrats seek bans on masks for deportation officers, end to roving patrols, and judicial warrants for home entries, while Republicans resist; Mullin must balance mass deportation pressures versus targeted enforcement on criminals, per former ICE acting director John Sandweg. • Mullin's congressional ties to Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader John Thune position him to ease funding battles, with Thune calling it the 'change Democrats wanted,' though Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) insists reforms go beyond leadership swaps.

• President Donald Trump launched a series of social media posts on Sunday night criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court as having 'RANSACKED' the country after it rejected his tariffs decision. • Trump acknowledged potential backlash, stating 'This statement about the United States Supreme Court will cause me nothing but problems in the future, but I feel it is my obligation to speak the TRUTH,' amid broader losses including failed prosecutions and coalition splits over Iran war. • The outbursts highlight Trump's frustration with judicial setbacks, such as U.S. District Judge James Boasberg tossing a grand jury subpoena against Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Friday.

• The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear arguments over the Trump administration's effort to terminate temporary protected status (TPS) for migrants from Haiti, Syria, and other nations fleeing war and disasters. • Lower courts had blocked the end of protections allowing TPS holders to live and work legally in the U.S., prompting a Justice Department appeal. • The justices declined to immediately lift the protections, delaying action until hearings in coming weeks, following their prior ruling exposing 600,000 Venezuelans to deportation.

• Senate Judiciary Committee convenes hearing on March 17, 2026, titled 'Stealth Stealing: China's Ongoing Theft of U.S. Innovation,' examining intellectual property threats. • The session addresses national security risks from Chinese espionage, amid escalating U.S.-China tensions over trade and technology. • This hearing underscores bipartisan concerns about protecting American innovation, potentially influencing future legislation on tech exports and sanctions.

• Tricky negotiations to renew the USMCA trade pact begin Monday, March 16, 2026, involving U.S., Mexico, and Canada amid 50% steel tariffs and 17% on Mexican tomatoes. • Trump shows waning enthusiasm, calling the effort 'irrelevant,' while Mexico's Marcelo Ebrard seeks stronger dispute resolution. • Pact faces expiration risks by 2036 unless improved; could reshape North American economic bloc versus China.

• The Senate passed a major bipartisan housing bill on March 12, 2026, with an 89-10 vote, marking the largest housing legislation in 36 years, co-sponsored by Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). • The bill implements a hard cap preventing institutional investors from purchasing additional single-family homes once they own 350 properties, and requires build-to-rent homes to be sold within 7 years, triggering depreciation recapture. • The legislation expands manufactured housing definitions to allow factory-built homes without steel chassis, broadens multifamily lending standards, and accelerates permitting timelines to increase overall housing supply.

• Senate Republicans are preparing to advance the SAVE America Act, a voting overhaul that is a key priority for President Trump. • The legislation represents a significant voting system reform effort being led by the GOP-controlled chamber. • The measure is considered controversial, suggesting it will face Democratic opposition and potential legal challenges.

• Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced on national TV that Havana has held secret negotiations with the Trump administration due to a U.S. energy blockade causing power outages exceeding 30 hours in some areas. • The talks, confirmed Friday, stem from Cuba's economic collapse amid Trump's oil restrictions, pressuring the regime's 67-year command system. • Secretary of State Marco Rubio leads U.S. efforts, blaming Cuba's leadership while Florida's Cuban American community demands multiparty elections and prisoner releases.

• Senate Republicans are preparing to vote on the SAVE America Act, President Trump's key priority for overhauling voting procedures, as Congress returns from recess. • The legislation aims to implement stricter voter ID requirements and other election integrity measures pushed by Trump. • The vote comes amid broader congressional challenges including the ongoing DHS shutdown and Middle East tensions, heightening political stakes.

• Congress reconvenes Monday amid multiple crises: ongoing DHS shutdown, Middle East war impacts, and an impending East Coast storm. • Republicans prioritize the SAVE Act vote while DHS funding debates, linked to H.R. 7147, raise immigration service risks. • The session's timing on the Ides of March underscores high-stakes challenges for lawmakers returning from recess.

• President Trump is suggesting he may delay his planned visit to China at month's end unless Beijing helps reopen the Strait of Hormuz and address soaring oil prices from the Iran war. • U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Monday in Paris with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng for trade talks intended to pave the way for Trump's Beijing trip, with a U.S.-China tariff truce currently in place. • Trump's administration is seeking international assistance with naval escort efforts in the strait after initial unilateral approaches proved insufficient as oil prices escalated.