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Trump admin live updates: Trump strikes deals with law firms totaling $600M

The agreements were with five law firms for pro bono work.

Last Updated: April 13, 2025, 11:58 PM EDT

President Donald Trump held a Cabinet meeting with his top officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as Elon Musk, on Thursday.

It follows Trump on Wednesday changing course on his tariff policy, instituting a 90-day pause in higher taxes for most countries while ramping up the rate against China to 145%.

On Capitol Hill, Republican leaders pushed through a budget blueprint to fund Trump's domestic agenda despite some GOP hard-liner opposition.

Apr 08, 2025, 11:29 PM EDT

Acting IRS head to resign following data-sharing agreement with DHS

The acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service is planning to resign following the agency's data-sharing agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to support the Trump administration's efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, three sources familiar with her plans told ABC News.

Melanie Krause is the third leader of the agency to resign this year. Senate-confirmed Commissioner Danny Werfel resigned from his role on Inauguration Day, less than two years into his five-year term.

One month later, acting Commissioner Doug O'Donnell, who spent nearly four decades at the IRS, retired amid concerns about the Trump administration's management of the agency.

PHOTO: The Internal Revenue Service Headquarters In Washington, DC
A sign for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is seen outside its building on February 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. Members of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) arrived at the Internal Revenue Service to begin examining the agency's operations.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

A Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed Krause's plans to leave the agency in a statement to ABC News.

“Melanie Krause has been leading the IRS through a time of extraordinary change. As we focus on IT modernization and re-organize the agency to better serve the taxpayer, we are also in the midst of breaking down data silos that for too long have stood in the way of identifying waste, fraud, and abuse and bringing criminals to justice. We believe these goals are critical to a more efficient government and safer country. We wish Melanie well on her next endeavor," the spokesperson said.

Krause did not respond to a request to comment from ABC News.

Other senior agency officials are considering leaving the agency following the new data sharing agreement and are concerned about its legality.

Some officials found out about its finalization, after weeks of negotiations, only after it was reported by Fox News Tuesday morning, sources told ABC News.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signed the agreement with DHS on behalf of the IRS, according to the redacted copy of the deal included in a court filing.

-ABC News' Ben Siegel

Apr 08, 2025, 7:33 PM EDT

Democrats plan ‘days of action’ against Trump policies

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declared on Tuesday their members were “unified” against the agenda of the Trump administration, announcing “days of action” to target White House policies next week during their recesses.

Flanked by a number of their Democratic colleagues, the leaders said a day of action would occur next Tuesday, which will be focused on Social Security. They'll then host one on Thursday centered around Medicaid. Finally, they’re planning a subsequent “week of action” on the cost of living in America.

“We believe that Medicaid should not be cut. We believe they're going after Social Security. We're fighting to defend it tooth and nail,” Schumer said. “We also believe that the costs that Republicans are imposing on the American people is hurting them badly, and it's going to get worse and worse and worse. These tariffs are just lunacy.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is interviewed at the Capitol in Washington, Mar. 14, 2025.
Ben Curtis/AP

Jeffries said, “Bottom line is, Donald Trump is betraying the American people, breaking his promises, and Republican Congress members and senators are going along with that betrayal.”

Schumer lauded Democrats’ unity, saying that congressional Republicans and even GOP members of the White House are stuck fighting amongst themselves.

“I've never quite seen anything like this -- the Republican leader of the House and the Republican leader of the Senate are at loggerheads. And why is that? Because they're defending such unpopular programs. One wing of their caucus doesn't like the Medicaid cuts. Another wing of their caucus doesn't like the tax cuts on the billionaires … and the right wing wants to cut Medicaid even further dividing all of them,” Schumer said.

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

Apr 08, 2025, 7:11 PM EDT

Jeffries challenges Johnson to floor debate on budget plan

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries challenged Speaker Mike Johnson to a debate on the Republican budget blueprint on the House floor Wednesday.

In a letter sent to Johnson, Jeffries said "I write to request a one-on-one debate, formally known as a colloquy, on the House floor tomorrow."

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, April 7, 2025, in Washington.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

"The American people deserve to know the truth. I look forward to the one-on-one debate on the House floor," Jeffries said.

Speaker Johnson told reporters Tuesday that he is "happy to debate him anytime."

-ABC News’ Lauren Peller

Apr 08, 2025, 5:38 PM EDT

House kills proxy voting measure for new-parent lawmakers

The House’s feud over proxy voting for new parents that paralyzed the chamber is on the back burner after Republicans voted to effectively kill GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s measure and formalize “vote-pairing.”

Republicans passed a rule -- a procedure to advance legislation -- Tuesday afternoon by a vote of 213-211 that included language to formalize vote-pairing and make Luna’s original measure moot.

Speaker Mike Johnson and Luna cut a deal over the weekend to formalize vote pairing, which is a procedure that allows a member who is absent during a vote to coordinate with a present member on the other side of the matter to offset the absence. It’s certainly not an equivalent to remote voting but allows for an absence to be offset.

Luna's bipartisan discharge petition would have allowed proxy voting for new parent lawmakers -- both mothers and fathers -- up to 12 weeks after giving birth.

PHOTO: 119th Congress Begins Its Term On Capitol Hill
U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) (L) participates in a ceremonial swearing-in with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) (R), her husband Andrew Gamberzky and her son at the U.S. Capitol on January 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. The 119th Congress begins its term on Capitol Hill today. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Alex Wong/Getty Images

But House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar said Democrats “won’t participate” in vote-pairing.

“This is a fake and phony effort … we won’t be engaging in this pairing effort,” he said at a news conference Tuesday at the Capitol.

-ABC News’ Lauren Peller

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