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Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
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In today’s edition, Sahil Kapur previews the road ahead for congressional Republicans’ next reconciliation bill. Plus, Andrea Mitchell dives into the skepticism President Donald Trump’s acting director of national intelligence is confronting.
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— Adam Wollner
Senate Republicans move forward with their big immigration bill after internal clashes
By Sahil Kapur
The Senate voted along party lines this afternoon to proceed with the Republican-only reconciliation bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol, two weeks after it was frozen by internal GOP clashes over funding for President Donald Trump’s ballroom and his “anti-weaponization” fund.
But now, after stripping out taxpayer funding for the White House ballroom and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche saying the administration won’t proceed with the fund, Republican leaders believe they have a path forward. A “vote-a-rama” on the bill is slated to begin tomorrow.
Democrats, who are allowed to offer unlimited amendments, are plotting a series of measures aimed at putting Republicans in politically uncomfortable positions ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Republicans, too, are not fully satisfied with the administration’s assurances and at least some are interested in codifying the prohibition on reviving the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has shopped around an amendment with colleagues to do just that.
“When you’re explaining, you’re losing. There’s no way to explain the $1.776 [billion] fund. So, the only way you can explain it is explain that you got rid of it. It’s that simple,” Tillis told reporters.
He said fellow GOP senators should join him, warning of the potency of the issue for those facing re-election.
“I think that the Republicans should do the stump speech test on this issue, particularly the ones who are in cycle. ‘I stand solidly behind an administration that wants to potentially provide compensation to people who assaulted Capitol police officers. I stand fully behind that.’ Test that on the stump and see how it works out for you,” Tillis told NBC News.
At least one Republican appeared interested and said she has spoken to Tillis about legislatively prohibiting the administration from reviving the fund.
“I’m in the camp that wants to see it dead, dead, dead,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed to force votes on amendments against Trump’s weaponization “slush fund” and to block a settlement with the IRS under his own administration that contains audit immunity on his taxes.
“I will personally push to permanently ban both the slush fund and the blank check Trump cut to himself and his family that would allow them to cheat on their taxes when this Republican reconciliation bill comes to the floor,” Schumer said.
🏛️ More from Capitol Hill: The House offered a rare rebuke to Trump, passing a Democrat-led measure to end the war with Iran over objections from GOP leadership. Four Republicans joined all Democrats in voting for it. Read more →
For subscribers: How a Trump-backed candidate’s home turf contributed to his surprise primary loss
By Jonathan Allen and Henry J. Gomez
Rep. Randy Feenstra was seen as the GOP favorite for Iowa governor. But NBC News analysis of election data from 2026 and 2020 shows how Zach Lahn exposed a weakness in his district, making Feenstra the first Trump-endorsed candidate to lose a primary for governor, House or Senate this election cycle.
Keep reading →
🗳️More for subscribers: The Supreme Court could invalidate laws in 14 states that allow ballots that arrive after Election Day to be counted. An NBC News Decision Desk analysis shows how many votes could be at stake.
Trump’s pick to replace Gabbard as DNI faces skepticism
Analysis by Andrea Mitchell
President Donald Trump has found a way to make many members of the intelligence community and their congressional advocates regret the impending departure of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Trump’s choice to replace Gabbard as acting DNI is his controversial housing regulator, Bill Pulte. Pulte will take on oversight of the nation’s 18 spy agencies, as he remains director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. That itself is a full-time job, described by Trump yesterday as responsible for the “safety and soundness of the markets and over $10 trillion at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.”
Although the 2004 law establishing the Cabinet-level DNI position requires a nominee to have “extensive national security expertise,” Pulte has none. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called Pulte’s selection “an insult,” pointing out he has “no time in the military. No time in Congress. No time in the diplomatic corps. No time in law enforcement.”
Pulte also has been criticized for using mortgage records to make criminal referrals to the Justice Department against Trump’s perceived enemies. Asked if he is concerned about Pulte’s access to the highest level of national secrets, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said, “We don’t need a weaponized DNI. We need professionals there.”
As housing regulator, Pulte also appointed himself the chairman of both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and fired dozens of employees, including watchdogs. He is known to be a MAGA loyalist and close Trump confidante.
Gabbard, meanwhile, was never a Trump favorite. She also was criticized for going to Fulton County, Georgia, to witness an FBI seizure of election records, helping revive conspiracy theories about the accuracy of the 2020 election. The concern now among critics is that with even less national security qualifications, Pulte will be more willing to try to misuse classified information against Trump critics and interfere in domestic politics.
The law creating the office of DNI was one of the major so-called reforms recommended by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. It was supposed to eliminate the barriers preventing critical intelligence from being shared among agencies so that the president had access to all the most up-to-date warnings of national security threats.
Another reason to appoint an experienced intelligence professional is to oversee highly technical signals intelligence gathered by the National Security Agency. Nothing in Pulte’s background prepares him for those technical challenges. Among the other intelligence agencies, the DNI also oversees the CIA, which runs spy operations overseas. The DNI has no troops. But by law, the DNI is responsible for the final editing of the president’s daily intelligence brief, getting the last word on how facts are interpreted and presented to the commander in chief.
Pulte’s lack of qualifications would make getting confirmed by the Senate challenging. By naming him “acting” DNI, he can serve for 210 days, or 7 months, without his name being submitted to the Senate for confirmation.
The Office of Director of National Intelligence has been criticized over the years for being the wrong solution for the problems it was created to address. Putting Pulte in charge of all the intelligence agencies may give weight to that argument.
🗞️ Today’s other top stories
- ➡️ Iran war: Iran launched a deadly new set of attacks in the Persian Gulf as it traded strikes with the United States, the latest exchange to threaten the fragile ceasefire and stalled peace talks between the two countries. Read more →
- 🗺️ Redistricting roundup: The Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use a congressional map that eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black districts. Ten states will have new district lines in place for the midterms, putting Republicans in position to gain up to 16 seats, compared to six for the Democrats.
- 📱Blame game: Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., deleted a homophobic comment he posted from his official X account and blamed a staffer for posting it following bipartisan backlash. Read more →
- ❓What’s in a name: Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan’s re-election campaign is accusing one of his opponents in Alaska and Democrats in Washington of recruiting a candidate with the same name. Read more →
- 💲Back in the spotlight: Progressive politicians are sharpening their attacks against Elon Musk, zeroing in on his soon-to-be-trillionaire status days before his company SpaceX’s record-setting initial public offering. Read more →
- 📈 Back in the spotlight, cont. Betting activity by former Rep. George Santos on the prediction market Kalshi has been flagged to federal authorities, according to a source familiar with the investigation. Read more →
That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.
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