Today in one sentence: House Republicans narrowly passed a budget resolution advancing Trump’s domestic agenda in a 217-215 vote; the Trump administration ordered federal agencies to submit plans for large-scale layoffs; Trump’s first Cabinet meeting started with Elon Musk defending the Department of Government Efficiency; Trump plans to sell a $5 million “gold card” visa granting U.S. residency and a path to citizenship; and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin urged the White House to repeal the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which classifies greenhouse gases as a threat to public health.

1/ House Republicans narrowly passed a budget resolution advancing Trump’s domestic agenda in a 217-215 vote. Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans leaders successfully flipped three of four Republican holdouts after Trump personally lobbied them to pass his “big, beautiful bill.” The resolution includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, $2 trillion in spending reductions, and increased border security and military funding. The budget sets a target of at least $880 billion in federal spending cuts, including from health programs. While the plan does not explicitly mention Medicaid, it instructs committees to find savings in areas that include entitlement spending. Republicans say the cuts will target inefficiencies, while Democrats warn they will reduce Medicaid benefits. The Senate, which passed a competing budget plan, must now negotiate with House Republicans to reconcile differences, including Medicaid cuts and tax policy. Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned that the House budget is “a first step in what will be a long process.” (Politico / New York Times / ABC News / Washington Post / Politico / NBC News / CNN / CNBC)

2/ The Trump administration ordered federal agencies to submit plans for large-scale layoffs. The directive follows earlier firings of thousands of probationary workers and is expected to target career civil servants next. A memo from White House officials called the federal workforce “costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt” and instructed agencies to identify non-essential positions for elimination. Lawsuits from federal worker unions are already challenging the administration’s actions. (New York Times / Associated Press / Axios / Bloomberg / ABC News / NBC News / Politico)

3/ Trump’s first Cabinet meeting started with Elon Musk defending the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk justified his directive requiring federal employees to list their weekly accomplishments, saying it was meant to see “if you have a pulse and two neurons and you can reply to an email.” Trump backed him, saying: “Those people are on the bubble […] maybe they’re going to be gone,” and baselessly suggested some non-responders might be “dead” or “don’t exist.” When asked about potential dissent, Trump told the room, “Is anyone unhappy with Elon? If you are, we’ll throw him out of here,” before saying, “Some disagree a little bit, but I will tell you, for the most part, I think everyone’s not only happy, they’re thrilled.” Some Cabinet secretaries and congressional Republicans have pushed back, with Sen. Thom Tillis saying, “As we get more Senate-confirmed leadership, they have to take the reins.” (Politico / NBC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal / CNN / Washington Post / Politico / Washington Post)

4/ Trump plans to sell a $5 million “gold card” visa granting U.S. residency and a path to citizenship. The program would replace the EB-5 investor visa, which is available to eligible foreign investors who spend about $1 million on a company that creates at least 10 full-time jobs. Trump claimed his administration doesn’t need congressional approval, though immigration experts dispute that. Trump estimated the program could generate significant revenue, saying, “We’ll be able to sell maybe a million of these cards.” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said applicants would be vetted as “world-class global citizens” and suggested corporations could also purchase gold cards for skilled employees. Trump added: “They’ll be wealthy, and they’ll be successful. And they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people.” (Bloomberg / Politico / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / NPR / Washington Post / NBC News)

5/ EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin urged the White House to repeal the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which classifies greenhouse gases as a threat to public health. The endangerment finding forms the legal basis for climate regulations. Reversing the declaration that greenhouse gases endanger human health and welfare would lead to weakened regulations on emissions from power plants, vehicles, and other industries. The repeal process could take years and would likely face significant court battles. (Washington Post / Bloomberg / Politico)

The midterm elections are in 615 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. The U.S. and Ukraine agreed on a framework for a minerals deal, granting the U.S. partial access to Ukraine’s natural resources. President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to visit the White House on Friday to sign the agreement with Trump, who has demanded the deal as “payback” for U.S. military aid. The deal, however, no longer includes Trump’s initial demand that Ukraine contribute $500 billion but establishes a joint fund to manage revenues from mineral extraction. However, the agreement lacks security guarantees for Ukraine, a key concern for Zelensky. Trump said the U.S. would not offer major security assurances and suggested that Europe should handle that role. (Washington Post / New York Times / Bloomberg / Axios / Associated Press / ABC News / Wall Street Journal)

  2. Trump posted an AI-generated video envisioning Gaza as a luxury resort, complete with skyscrapers, beaches, and a “Trump Gaza” building. The 30-second clip, featuring Elon Musk and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, depicted bearded Hamas militants belly dancing, golden Trump statues, and a nightclub scene with Trump. Palestinian leaders and Arab nations rejected Trump’s earlier proposal for the U.S. to take control of Gaza, which the UN called “tantamount to ethnic cleansing.” (Axios / The Guardian / Politico / NPR / New Republic)

  3. A child in West Texas died from measles – the first U.S. measles death since 2015. The outbreak, now at 124 cases in Texas and nine in New Mexico, is concentrated in an undervaccinated Mennonite community where nearly 14% of schoolchildren have vaccine exemptions. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine conspiracy theorist, downplayed the outbreak, calling it “not unusual.” (The Guardian / Associated Press / New York Times / NPR / Wall Street Journal)

Last year today: Day 1133: "Clarifying."
Four years ago today: Day 38: "Too complicated."
Six years ago today: Day 768: Lawless.
Seven years ago today: Day 403: They're on our side.
Eight years ago today: Day 38: Crackdown.