March 5

OPM proposes RIF retention rule replacing seniority with job performance as primary ranking factor

The Office of Personnel Management publishes a proposed rule in the Federal Register (document 2026-04377) overhauling reduction-in-force retention criteria. Under the proposal, performance ratings determine RIF order within tenure groups using a points scale, 7 points for a Level 5 rating, 5 for Level 4, 3 for Level 3, while veterans preference converts to bonus points and length of service serves only as a final tiebreaker.

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Vance receives border security briefing from CBP and military in San Diego

Vice President JD Vance traveled to San Diego on March 5, 2026, for a border security briefing with Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security officials, and military personnel deployed under the administration's border mission. The briefing reviewed migrant apprehension data and military construction progress along the California-Mexico border; CBP statistics showed apprehensions at the southern border had fallen more than 90 percent from January 2025 levels.

Mullin named DHS secretary, but Incompatibility Clause bars serving while in Senate

Trump named Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as DHS Secretary on March 5, but the Constitution's Incompatibility Clause and the Federal Vacancies Reform Act created immediate legal obstacles: a sitting senator cannot hold an executive office simultaneously, and the Vacancies Act bars senators from serving as acting department heads without first leaving the Senate. Mullin could not serve in an acting capacity until confirmed, and Oklahoma's governor would need to appoint a replacement senator. The Senate confirmed Mullin 54-45 on March 23, resolving both legal bars.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard launch bilateral trade talks without Canada

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard formally launch bilateral trade talks to begin the 2026 USMCA review process without Canada at the table. Both signal that the review will be "more bilateral than trilateral," with certain issues potentially handled trilaterally only when necessary. The move follows months of Trump administration tariffs on Canadian goods and open hostility toward Canadian trade policy.

Rep. Tony Gonzales admits affair with staffer who later died by suicide

Rep. Tony Gonzales publicly admitted on March 5, 2026 that he had an extramarital affair with a congressional staffer who later died by suicide. Gonzales also faced separate allegations of sending lewd texts to a former campaign staffer. The admissions triggered a House Ethics Committee investigation and increased pressure on the Texas Republican, who resigned six weeks later.

House rejects Iran War Powers resolution, 219-212, as four Democrats side with Trump

The House voted 219-212 to defeat a War Powers Resolution requiring Congress to authorize continued military operations in Iran, falling one vote short of passage. Four Democrats — Henry Cuellar, Jared Golden, Greg Landsman, and Juan Vargas — voted with Republicans to defeat the measure. The resolution, introduced by Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, was the first House vote on the constitutionality of Operation Epic Fury, launched without congressional approval on February 28.

Trump demands role in picking Iran's next supreme leader and calls Mojtaba "unacceptable"

President Trump told Axios he "has to be involved" in selecting Iran's next supreme leader following Ali Khamenei's death on February 28, saying Mojtaba Khamenei — the late leader's son — was "unacceptable" and "a lightweight." Trump compared the intervention to his earlier role in Venezuela's leadership transition after Maduro's capture. Trump warned that any leader chosen without Washington's approval "is not going to last long."

Trump fires Noem and names Mullin DHS secretary after $220M ad controversy

President Trump fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on March 5, 2026, one day after she testified before the Senate that he had approved a $220 million ICE and CBP advertising campaign — directly contradicting his public denial. Trump immediately named Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as her replacement. Mullin served as acting secretary under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act while awaiting Senate confirmation, which the Senate granted in a 54-45 vote on March 23, 2026.

CPAC Chair Schlapp says Iranian schoolgirls killed in airstrike are better off dead

Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union and CPAC, appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored and suggested that Iranian schoolgirls killed in a U.S. airstrike on a girls school — which killed an estimated 175 people, nearly all children — were better off dead than alive under the Islamic Republic. When challenged, Schlapp said the girls would have lived "a life in a barbaric, unequal society behind a burqa." Critics immediately noted that schoolgirls in Iran wear headscarves and school uniforms, not burqas, and Schlapp was fact-checked on air.

VP Vance tours southern border at Eagle Pass, TX

VP Vance conducts aerial tour of the U.S.-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, holds roundtable with local, state, and federal officials, tours detention facility, and holds press conference with Hegseth and Gabbard.

Department of Energy removes all climate-related content from its website and research summaries

The Department of Energy removed from its website extensive content related to climate change, clean energy research, and the social cost of carbon, including summaries of completed research programs, educational materials, and policy analysis. Entire sections of the DOE's website covering clean energy innovation, climate modeling, and energy efficiency research disappeared. Career DOE staff described being directed to take down content that had been produced and vetted through normal government publishing processes, including research summaries that represented the public reporting requirement for federally funded work. Scientists whose research summaries were removed from the site lost access to the official record of their funded work. The content removal was part of a broader government-wide effort to eliminate climate-related information from federal websites.

DOJ sues California over truck emissions standards after Congress kills waivers

The Justice Department filed suit against California, arguing the state's truck emissions standards were preempted after Congress used the Congressional Review Act to rescind EPA waivers that had permitted California to set stricter vehicle emissions rules. California Attorney General Rob Bonta countered that the CRA cannot be used to revoke Clean Air Act waivers and that the state's authority under Section 209 remained intact. The case set up a direct constitutional conflict over whether Congress or the EPA holds final authority over state emissions derogations.

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Georgia House passes school safety bills without safe storage or weapon limits

On the anniversary of the Apalachee High School shooting's legislative response window, the Georgia House of Representatives passed two school safety bills in March 2025. One bill created a statewide database for student academic and disciplinary records accessible to schools and law enforcement. A second offered tax incentives up to $300 for Georgians purchasing firearms training courses or gun locks. Neither bill addressed safe storage mandates or restricted assault weapon access.

CFPB finalizes rule slashing credit card late fees from $32 to $8 saves Americans $10 billion

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalizes a rule reducing the maximum credit card late fee from an average of $32 to $8, saving approximately 45 million Americans who pay late fees an estimated $10 billion per year, about $220 per year per affected cardholder. CFPB Director Rohit Chopra calls the old fees a "junk fee" business model that preys on consumers. The rule is announced alongside Biden's launch of a new "Strike Force on Unfair and Illegal Pricing" at the FTC and DOJ. The credit card industry immediately sues to block the rule. A federal court in Texas issues a preliminary injunction halting it pending litigation. The administration estimates junk fee elimination efforts broadly would save Americans over $20 billion annually.

Biden delivers voting rights address at Selma calling for restoring Voting Rights Act

President Biden delivers a major address at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when state troopers attacked civil rights marchers in 1965, catalyzing the Voting Rights Act. Biden calls on Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act, gutted by the Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder (2013) and Brnovich v. DNC (2021). Biden issues an executive order expanding access to voter registration and making it easier for federal agencies to assist eligible Americans in registering to vote. The appearance is one of multiple Biden visits to Selma, which he frames as embodying the unfinished work of civil rights.

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California enacts SB 54, the California Values Act, prohibiting statewide law enforcement cooperation with ICE

California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 54, the California Values Act, prohibiting state law enforcement from using state resources to investigate, detain, or arrest people for immigration enforcement, and barring jails from sharing inmate release dates with ICE without a judicial warrant. The legislature passed the bill 27-12 in the Senate and 50-25 in the Assembly. California became the first state to legislate sanctuary protections statewide, moving the legal model from city executive orders to state statute.

Bush imposes 8-30% steel tariffs under Section 201 safeguard

President George W. Bush announced on March 5, 2002, that the United States would impose tariffs of 8 to 30% on most imported steel products, citing a Section 201 International Trade Commission finding of serious injury to domestic producers. Commerce Secretary Donald Evans and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick recommended the action after steel imports surged following industry restructuring. The tariffs took effect March 20 and were projected to remain until 2005. Eight trading partners, including the European Union, Japan, China, Brazil, South Korea, Norway, New Zealand, and Switzerland, immediately challenged the tariffs at the World Trade Organization.

Iran ratifies the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Iran formally ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty on March 5, 1970, the same day the treaty entered into force internationally. As a non-nuclear-weapon state signatory, Iran accepted IAEA safeguards and committed not to develop nuclear weapons. Article IV of the treaty simultaneously guaranteed Iran an inalienable right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes — the same clause Tehran would cite more than five decades later to resist U.S. demands during ceasefire negotiations.

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