NTD News Today

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House may not vote on Tuesday on a budget framework that would be a first step toward enacting President Donald Trump's tax-cut and border agenda.

The House Committee on Financial Services held a hearing on Tuesday titled “Examining Policies to Counter China.” The hearing highlights the challenges posed by China's communist regime across a range of policy issues, including China’s dominance as an official creditor and its influence on international financial institutions, energy security, the development of cutting-edge technologies, and illicit fentanyl trafficking. The hearing will examine policy tools the United States can use to outcompete China through growth, innovation, and cooperation with U.S. allies.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs the media at 1 p.m. ET, while Trump is expected to sign more executive orders in the afternoon.

President Donald Trump welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to the White House for talks on Monday amid uncertainty about the future of transatlantic relations.

A group of federal unions are challenging Elon Musk's email asking government employees about their accomplishments. This is believed to be the first court case to address the email -- which was sent by the office of personnel management over the weekend. In the email, federal employees were told to list five accomplishments they had last week by monday at midnight. On social media, Musk wrote not responding to the email would be taken as a resignation.

Western leaders attended events in Ukraine to mark the third anniversary of the start of the Russia–Ukraine war.

The Senate passed a bill early on Friday morning that forms a template for a plan to fund President Donald Trump's immigration, energy, and defense policy initiatives. Trump, however, preferred a House of Representatives version of the bill that would include trillions of dollars in tax cuts.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would make Hamas pay for failing to release the body of hostage Shiri Bibas as agreed. Israeli specialists said one of four bodies handed over by Hamas on Thursday was an as-yet unidentified woman and not Bibas.

Vice President JD Vance joined other Republicans in kicking off the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) with a speech in National Harbor, Maryland. He addressed issues such as the border, spending cuts, the budget bill and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The Senate is set for a vote on Thursday to confirm Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director.

The State Department has changed references to China on its website, emphasising the trade deficit in an expanded section on economic ties, while dropping talk of working with allies and assistance to China on cultural and environmental issues.

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he supports the House of Representatives’s budget bill that would fund several of his policy initiatives, instead of a two-bill plan proffered by the Senate.

Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, the first stop in her confirmation process. During her one term as a congresswoman, Chavez-DeRemer’s voting record earned her strong union support.

The senate voted to confirm Kelly Loeffler as head of the Small Business Administration. The final vote count was 52 to 46. This marks the 18th member of president trump's cabinet to get confirmed. only four nominees are left.

The United States and Russia said on Tuesday they had agreed to press ahead with efforts to end the war in Ukraine after holding talks in the Saudi capital at which Kyiv was not represented.

President Donald Trump has replaced the head of the Social Security Administratioan (SSA), the White House said on Feb. 18. “The agency will be led by a career Social Security anti-fraud expert as the acting commissioner,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields told The Epoch Times in an email.

Israel and Hamas will begin indirect negotiations on a second stage of the Gaza ceasefire deal, officials said on Tuesday. Hamas terrorists said they will release the bodies of four hostages on Thursday, while another six hostages still alive will be released on Saturday.

Senior U.S. and Russian officials, including the countries’ top diplomats, will hold talks on negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Monday on a previously planned trip. U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who were set to arrive later on Monday, will join him at the talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

At least 11 people have died in Kentucky in the most recent round of harsh weather to pummel the United States.

President Trump approved the state's request for a disaster declaration, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate relief efforts throughout the state.

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Munich on Friday. Vance earlier told the Munich Security Conference that he was worried about restrictions European allies have made on freedom of expression and common democratic values.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has terminated more than 1,000 workers. The department said this is part of an effort to cut costs and make the agency more efficient.

Hamas terrorists released the names of three hostages to be released on Saturday under the ceasefire agreement that began last month.

Former representative Tulsi Gabbard was confirmed as the Director of National Intelligence. The Senate voted along party lines on Wednesday. Sen. Mitch McConnell was the only GOP lawmaker who voted against her.

Eight inspectors general sued Trump and his administration over his decision to fire them from their role as independent checks on abuse and mismanagement, according to a court filing.

Trump says he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to start 'talks' on ending the war in Ukraine. In a social media post, the president said he spoke with Putin on the phone and that the two sides would work closely together.

President Donald Trump hosts Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza.

The Federal Reserve is in no rush to cut its short-term interest rate again given an economy that is "strong overall," with low unemployment and inflation that remains above the Fed's 2% target, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in opening remarks prepared for delivery at a Senate Banking Committee hearing.

Steve Bannon pleaded guilty in New York state court to a fraud charge related to his fundraising campaign for the U.S.-Mexico border wall.