During his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to "drain the swamp." Now that he's in his second term, how have his efforts to shrink the federal workforce played out?

This podcast: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, labor and workplace correspondent Andrea Hsu, and senior political editor & correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

This podcast was produced by Bria Suggs, and edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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Legislation working its way through Congress to codify President Trump's tax cuts would also make big cuts to Medicaid if it is passed. We look into what the bill proposes, and what the impacts would be.

This podcast: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and health policy correspondent Selena Simmons-Duffin.

This podcast was produced by Bria Suggs, and edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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From allocating more money to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, to changing provisions on what public services legal immigrants can use, the budget reconciliation bill working its way through Congress would change federal immigration policy in a number of ways. We take a look.

This podcast: White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram, immigration policy reporter Ximena Bustillo, and senior national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

This podcast was produced by Bria Suggs, and edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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It's been six months since President Trump first announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency initiative, which has dramatically shrunk parts of the federal government. And with so many individual stories about federal workers losing their jobs around the country, the big picture can sometimes look blurry.

From Consider This: A team of NPR reporters has been looking at agencies — from food inspectors to nuclear scientists to firefighters and more — and today, we'll connect some of the dots on how DOGE cuts have impacted workers, and hear how Americans far beyond Washington may feel the effects of these cuts.

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President Trump announced plans to levy 50 percent tariffs on goods imported from the European Union, and on iPhones not made in the U.S., causing stock markets to tumble. We look at the impact of the president's shifting trade policies on the market.

Then, the challenges of bringing some manufacturing jobs to the U.S., and we bid farewell to a podcast stalwart.

This podcast: voting correspondent Miles Parks, chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley, senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and political correspondent Susan Davis.

This podcast was produced by Lexie Schapitl & Casey Morell, and edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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Democratic governors in California and Minnesota are proposing to roll back health insurance coverage for immigrants without legal status that they signed into law. We look at what's going on.

This podcast: voting correspondent Miles Parks, Minnesota Public Radio senior politics reporter Dana Ferguson, and CapRadio statehouse & politics reporter Laura Fitzgerald.

This podcast was produced and edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the White House Wednesday ostensibly to talk about trade policies and the upcoming G20 Summit. But the Oval Office meeting with President Trump quickly devolved into accusations of a genocide against white farmers in South Africa.

This podcast: voting correspondent Miles Parks, immigration reporter Ximena Bustillo, and senior national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

This podcast was produced by Bria Suggs and edited by Lexie Schapitl. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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House Republicans are working to advance a massive bill that essentially wraps up all of President Trump's legislative goals. The conference is largely, but not entirely, unified, and just a few Republican defectors could derail the whole thing. So President Trump stopped by Capitol Hill to make his pitch to the skeptics.

This podcast: voting correspondent Miles Parks, Congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt, and White House correspondent Tamara Keith.

This podcast was produced by Bria Suggs and edited by Lexie Schapitl. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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Ballot initiatives are one way for voters to get issues that matter to them enshrined in law, especially if lawmakers aren't interested in taking them on in local legislatures. But, efforts in several Republican-led states are trying to make it harder for people to get initiatives on ballots in the first place.

This podcast: voting correspondent Miles Parks, political correspondent Ashley Lopez, and senior national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

The podcast is produced by Bria Suggs and edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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President Trump took his first major trip abroad this week, visiting the Middle East and signing business deals. We talk about what happened.

Then, the Department of Justice is pursuing charges against non-citizens alleged to have voted illegally in the 2024 election. It comes as President Trump tries to change national policies concerning voter identification.

This podcast: political correspondent Sarah McCammon, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, voting correspondent Miles Parks, and senior political editor & correspondent Domenico Montanaro.

The podcast is produced by Bria Suggs and edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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