March 5

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.

Rand Paul excoriates congressional leaders as "resigned to their own irrelevance" after the House fails to pass a War Powers resolution, saying members want plausible deniability on the Iran war

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.

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.