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Congress Takes Two-week Recess as DHS Shutdown Drags on; Airport Security Lines Beginning to Ease as TSA Collects Back Pay; White House Holds Briefing as Iran War Stretches Into Fifth Week. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired March 30, 2026 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[13:30:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": -- that shutdown at an impasse. There are growing questions about when exactly the stalemate is going to end. Today, though, TSA employees are finally collecting some of that back pay that they're owed after working for weeks without getting checks. But the partial government shutdown still shows no signs of ending.

CNN Congressional Correspondent, Lauren Fox joins us now. Lauren, where do things go from here?

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, there's a couple of dynamics at play. One is with TSA workers starting to get paychecks, does that change the dynamic? Does that take some of the pressure off of Congress and specifically, Senate Majority Leader, John Thune?

Because what you saw transpire over the course of the last several days is, on Friday, in the early hours of the morning, the Senate passed their proposal. Then it was rejected by the House Republicans. Speaker Mike Johnson took to the mics, arguing that there was no way that lawmakers had even read what was in the proposal if they were going to pass it.

And then they passed their own proposal that kept all of the Department of Homeland Security funded. That was a non-starter with Senate Democrats. And as we saw just a couple of hours ago, there was a Senate pro forma session where lawmakers simply gaveled in. There wasn't any attempt to actually pass the House's proposal.

Does that start to change in the upcoming days? I think that remains a big question. But there is no proof that there's some broader negotiation happening behind the scenes right now to really unstick this, to get Senators back to Washington.

If anything, this is really going to be a game of Republicans showing that they're trying to catch Democrats on their back foot. I think right now, though, no real negotiations are taking place other than the fact that lawmakers are away from Washington for a bit. If a deal came together, of course, they would come back.

But given the fact that they couldn't find one over the last several days right before this recess, I think a lot of people just aren't that optimistic, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, Lauren Fox, thank you so much for that. Let's actually go straight to the White House now. Karoline Leavitt is taking questions. Let's listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- border enforcement, possibly asylum policies, should Americans that are somewhat concerned that the shift has happened?

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Sure. Well, while there has of course change in leadership at the Department of Homeland Security with former Senator, now Secretary Mullin joining the president's cabinet, I can assure the American people there has not been a change in policy. It has always been the policy of this president and this administration to deport the worst of the worst illegal alien criminals from our communities. That's something I know Secretary Mullin remains wholeheartedly committed to doing, and it is something that is overwhelmingly popular with the American people.

And it's something that is necessary to protect our homeland and to prevent deaths of Americans in our country. Just last week, Sheridan Gorman, a young woman in Chicago, was shot and killed on the street, walking with her friends outside of her university by an illegal alien from Venezuela who had no right to be here in the first place. And it's despicable that Democrats are currently defunding the department that's responsible for removing illegal aliens like that.

And I would also add it's despicable that the lack of coverage of this young woman's case, of her life and the way that it was tragically cut short. I saw a survey over the weekend that I'd like to bring to all of your attention. This is the media coverage of the case of Sheridan Gorman.

You have ABC News has spent one minute and 19 seconds between two days when this case was first alerted. You have CBS, two minutes and one second. You have NBC, 23 seconds spent on the life of a young, beautiful American woman whose life was taken short by an illegal alien who should have never been here in the first place. When we are in the middle of a battle on Capitol Hill with a major political party, the Democrat Party, who wants to defund the agency that is responsible for protecting Americans, I think her life was worth more than 23 seconds on cable television.

And I think the people in this room have a responsibility to report on cases like this because it just exemplifies why the president believes so strongly in deporting illegal aliens from our communities. And thank you for the question.

Dasha (ph), go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Karoline, I have two questions, one on Iran and one on DHS funding. On Iran, the president has said that the administration is talking to a new and more reasonable regime. How confident are you that they are legitimate and have enough grip on power? Marco Rubio said earlier that he's not sure and it's not clear whether they will be in power. So, are you also talking to other factions? As the president is trying to make a deal, how do you ensure that you're making a deal with the people who can actually implement it?

LEAVITT: Well, that's part of the ongoing process that's taking place and the ongoing negotiations. Of course, anything that they say to us privately will be tested and we will ensure that they are being held accountable to their word. And if they are not, the president has laid out the military consequences that the Iranian regime will see if they don't hold true to the words that we are hearing privately behind the scenes.

When the president says more reasonable, again, these folks are appearing more reasonable behind the scenes privately in these conversations than perhaps some of the previous leaders who are now no longer on planet Earth because they lied to the United States and they strung us along in negotiations and that was unacceptable to the president, which is why many of the previous leaders were killed.

[13:35:00]

So again, this is another historic opportunity for Iran to do the right thing, to rid themselves of their nuclear ambitions, and to come to a deal with this president and the administration. Or again, they will see the grave consequences of the United States Armed Forces, which they are continuing to see every day throughout this operation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On DHS, how long can the administration keep paying TSA without action from Congress? And not to be hyperbolic, but given the airports were really the pain point that was pushing both sides to talk to each other, do you see a way for DHS to reopen? Is it possible this keeps going through the midterms?

LEAVITT: Well, we certainly hope so. I mean, of course, the president just can't keep signing presidential memorandums and proclamations every time Congress fails to do its job, and every time Democrats are holding our entire country hostage, picking and choosing which programs and agencies they want to fund just because they don't like this administration's policies. That's not how it's supposed to work.

They voted seven times against funding DHS over partisan and political reasons. And so, again, the president has stepped in to do the right thing at this moment in time. But the president is also encouraging Congress to come back to Washington to permanently fix this problem, and to fund and reopen the Department of Homeland Security entirely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Karoline?

LEAVITT: Steven (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Karoline. Two questions, one on TSA, one on Iran.

On TSA, for ordinary Americans watching the briefing, how long until everything goes back to normal at airports after the president's action? And then on Iran, on the timeframe, President Trump initially said about four weeks. Secretary of State Rubio on Friday reportedly said it might be another two to four. Is two to four the current ballpark that the administration is thinking?

LEAVITT: With respect to the timeline, again, the president, commander-in-chief, the Pentagon has always stated four to six weeks estimated timeline for Operation Epic Fury. We're on Day 30 today. So, again, you do the math on how much longer we -- the Pentagon needs to fully achieve the objectives of Operation Epic Fury, which I will reiterate, destroy the Iranian Navy, destroy their ballistic missiles, dismantle their missile and drone production infrastructure, significantly weaken their proxies throughout the course of this operation, and then, of course, preventing Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.

To your first question, Steven (ph), about TSA and airports, nothing will be truly normal again until Democrats do the right thing to fund this agency fully. Again, the president has stepped in, in the meantime, to do what's right, to end this crisis that we've had at air travel and at airports across the country in the meantime. But, again, Congress needs to come back. Democrats need to fund the Department of Homeland Security, so we can formally and fully get these great employees paid long into the future.

Jonathan (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks a lot, Karoline. Two questions regarding the financial costs of the war. During the Persian Gulf War, 1990- 1991, Arab countries paid for the vast majority of the costs of the war, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE. Who's paying for the costs of this war? Will those Arab countries step up to do just that?

LEAVITT: Well, I think it's something the president would be quite interested in calling them to do. I won't get ahead of him on that, but certainly it's an idea that I know that he has and something that I think you'll hear more from him on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then, secondly, the cost of diesel is averaging at $5.38 a gallon right now. What's the message from the Trump administration to truck drivers who are dealing with those high fuel costs right now?

LEAVITT: Again, we understand. We hear you. We see you. We are fully tracking this short-term fluctuation in oil and in diesel prices. And that's why the president and the administration have continually announced robust actions to provide stability in the global energy market.

As you know, political risk insurance, one of those actions, allowing countries to purchase sanctioned oil just to increase the supply in the meantime. We've worked to release 400 billion barrels of oil in refined products as well. We issued the 60-Day Jones Act waiver. All of this has -- with the goal of increasing supply to create stabilization in the market in the meantime. But the overall message, as we've repeatedly stated, is, again, these are short-term actions and short-term price fluctuations for the long- term benefit of ending the threat that Iran poses to the United States of America, our troops, and our allies in the region. And ensuring that this regime can no longer control the world's free flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz, which is something the administration continues to tackle day-by-day as well.

Jennifer (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just two questions.

LEAVITT: Jennifer. I'll go to both. Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So two questions. One on China and one on Iran.

On China, ahead of the President's trip to Beijing, will there be a working-level meeting with Secretary Bessent, Jamieson Greer, et cetera, and when will that be?

[13:40:00]

LEAVITT: I do expect Cabinet officials to travel to China ahead of time. I don't have a read-out on their schedules for you, but this is something we typically do with international travel, as you know. So I'll talk to the Treasury Department and the Cabinet myself, and we'll get you that answer. But we do expect them to move ahead of time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, and thank you.

And on Iran, if Iran is kind of cherry-picking what tankers get to go through the Strait now and contemplating big tolls on those tankers, is that consistent, or how is that consistent, really, with the president's message about really wanting the Strait to be fully open? Does the administration support a regime or system where Iran is effectively charging tolls on these vessels to access?

LEAVITT: That's not something we support. And I would reject that they are cherry-picking. In fact, as you know, these tankers that are moving through, the 10 that were previously announced and now, the new 20, the announcement of 20 additional tankers, which we expect to see over the coming days, are a result of the direct and indirect talks that are taking place between the United States and Iran.

So you wouldn't have seen those tankers if not for the president's diplomacy and his team engaging on this matter, which we expect that compliance moving forward. And it's, again, something that we're working on very closely.

(CROSSTALK)

LEAVITT: And behind me, in the back right there, you put up your hand very excitingly. Go ahead.

HANNAH BRANDT, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, NEWSNATION: Hannah from NewsNation, thank you. Thanks for taking my question. I have two for you real quick.

There are reports that Republicans are weighing cuts to health care in order to make way for that $200 billion for the Pentagon and Operation Epic Fury. Is that a trade-off that President Trump supports?

LEAVITT: I've seen these reports. I haven't spoken to the President about it, nor have I heard this being discussed in any high-level meetings here at the White House.

I don't want to weigh in definitively, because I just haven't heard that being discussed here in the West Wing.

BRANDT: And then secondly, I know President Trump says we're ahead of schedule in achieving his military objectives in Iran. He laid out that four- to six-week timetable for this conflict. And we're now within Week 5. So how do you square kind of those two?

LEAVITT: Well, four- to six-weeks estimated timeline. Again, you just said we're on Day 30 of the operation. I just provided you with some of the updates from the Pentagon directly in achieving the objectives. And the military has been enormously successful. I think we should all be very proud of our armed forces for what they have done over the past 30 days.

The mission will continue until the objectives are achieved. And that four- to six-week timeline does remain. Right now, I don't have any updates for you on that.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like others, one on TSA, one on Iran. On Iran, I know it's tough to engage in hypotheticals, but I feel like this is one that you could engage in.

LEAVITT: Probably not, but we'll see.

(LAUGH)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the president does seek or the United States seeks a ground war, does he intend to get congressional authorization of that much?

LEAVITT: Look, the president has been asked about boots on the ground or alleged ground operations various times. He's obviously declined to rule them out. It's the Pentagon's job to provide maximum optionality to the president.

It does not mean he's made a decision, nor would he ever notify the media of such decision as not to tip off our enemy. With respect to abiding by Congress and the rule of law, that's something the administration will, of course, always do. And it's something that we have great respect for Congress, the president does with military operations.

In fact, prior to the launch of Operation Epic Fury, as you know, the administration gave a courtesy notice to Congress in the Gang of Eight. And top-level administration officials and cabinet secretaries have gone to Congress multiple times over the past 30 days to provide those courtesy briefings to Congress when requested.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On TSA quickly, I've been asked by multiple Trump supporters that have said, given the fact that the president, on Friday, gave that memorandum informing DHS to pay TSA workers, I know there's a lot of negotiations involved in a shutdown of this size. Why did the president not sooner issue that payment to TSA workers?

LEAVITT: Well, it's because of the Democrats voting seven times against reopening the Department of Homeland Security that we came to a place of an existential crisis. I mean, you saw the lines at various major airports across the country, American travelers really paying the price for Democrats' partisan games.

And so, the president worked with his legal team here at the White House and the Office of Management and Budget to find a solution to take care of the emergency that we were seeing in air travel across the country.

And it's because of the president that TSA agents are being paid. But again, he's calling on Congress to do the right thing, to come back to Washington, and to fund and reopen the Department of Homeland Security fully.

(CROSSTALK)

LEAVITT: Sure.

LINDSAY ELLIS, REPORTER, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Hi, Lindsay Ellis from The Wall Street Journal. I'm trying to square the four objectives laid out by the administration with the goal of reopening fully the Strait of Hormuz. Would President Trump declare victory and wind down military operations if the four objectives are met, but still passage remains quite slow through the Strait?

LEAVITT: Look, as I've said repeatedly, and as the president has laid out, the objectives of Operation Epic Fury are as follows.

[13:45:00]

Destroying the Iranian Navy, destroying their ballistic missiles, dismantling their defense industrial infrastructure that produces those weapons that have long threatened the United States and our allies, and then of course, preventing Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The full reopening of the Strait is something the administration is working towards, but the core objectives of the operation have been clearly defined for the American people by the commander-in-chief.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President posted this morning about, you know, his threat (inaudible) on leaving Iran, he said we might be blowing up and completely obliterating all of their electric generating plants, oil wells, Kharg Island, and possibly all desalinization plants.

Under international law, striking civilian infrastructure like that is generally prohibited. Why is the president threatening what would amount to potentially a war crime with the U.S. military? And how do you square that with the administration repeatedly saying that the U.S. does not target civilians?

LEAVITT: Look, the president has made it quite clear to the Iranian regime, at this moment in time, as evidenced by the statement that you just read, that their best move is to make a deal, or else the United States Armed Forces has capabilities beyond their wildest imagination and the president is not afraid to use them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Including potential war crimes?

LEAVITT: That's not what I said, Garrett (ph), and you're saying the word 'potential' for a reason because I'm sure some experts are telling you that in your ear to try to ask me that question.

Of course, this administration and the United States Armed Forces will always act within the confines of the law. But with respect to achieving the full objectives of Operation Epic Fury, President Trump is going to move forward unabated, and he expects the Iranian regime to make a deal with the administration.

Hailey (ph), go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Karoline, which of those objectives would destroying a desalinization plant most help?

LEAVITT: Look, Hailey (ph), go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, Karoline. I want to follow-up on Iran. When you're describing that the Iranians you're in contact with are being more reasonable this time around in discussions, what specifically are you hearing that is leading you to that conclusion, and how are you defining what's reasonable versus unreasonable in that regard?

LEAVITT: I'm not going to detail the private and sensitive conversations that are taking place between the United States and Iran right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But generally speaking?

LEAVITT: Generally speaking, the president gave you the answer, and what we're hearing from them is more reasonable. They have agreed to some of the points the United States laid out, as the president said last night aboard Air Force One. But again, as for the specifics, as these negotiations are ongoing, we're not going to broadcast them to the world unless the president chooses to do so, which he has the full right to do as the leader of the free world.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On Cuba, the president threatened to tear up any country that would send oil to Cuba. But now, the U.S. is letting this Russian tanker to Cuba. Is this a policy change, or is he willing to let more tankers into Cuba now?

LEAVITT: This is not a policy change. There has not been a formal change in sanction policy. As the president said last night, we allowed this ship to reach Cuba in order to provide humanitarian needs to the Cuban people. These decisions are being made on a case-by-case basis.

As the administration has said, Cuba's non-functional economy cannot be fixed unless they undergo dramatic, political, and leadership change. But there has been no formal change with respect to sanction policy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you could expect more tankers to go to Cuba?

LEAVITT: Again, these decisions are being made on a case-by-case basis right now.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, Karoline. You addressed this a little bit in the opening, but just to follow-up, because Americans are sort of seeing these conflicting messages between the United States and Iran. I know the President insists that negotiations are underway. As you just mentioned, he's also said that Iran has agreed to most of the 15 points. We just heard from Iran again, they're saying no negotiations are taking place.

They're calling the proposal extensive, unrealistic. So how do you square that? How do you explain that discrepancy between the two?

LEAVITT: I think the American people are smart enough not to take the word of a terrorist regime that has chanted 'Death to America' for 47 years at their word. And I hope the journalists in this room are wise enough not to take an Iranian regime that has repeatedly lied about our country, about our values, about everyone in this room, frankly, for nearly five decades. So I think the American public are smart enough to understand that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And just to follow-up on the objectives, you've laid them out, but I know the president has set a deadline for April 6th in just one week. What does the president need to see to not move forward with those strikes by April 6th?

LEAVITT: Well, I think he said it in his Truth Social post this morning. He wants to see a deal over the next 10 days, but that timeline is waning, several days left. And we'll see. I won't get ahead of it. We'll see what happens at the end of the 10-day period. Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Karoline, thank you. One on Iran, one on the shutdown. The president continues to say the U.S. is in conversations with a more reasonable regime, but there are now hundreds of U.S. special operations forces, including Navy SEALs and Army Rangers in the Middle East, as well as thousands of other troops already deployed. So, is he trying to end or intensify the conflict?

LEAVITT: The president is focused on achieving the objectives of Operation Epic Fury.

[13:50:00]

With respect to forces that are on the ground in the Middle East, it's the job of the Pentagon to create maximum optionality for the commander-in-chief. It does not mean the president has made any additional decisions. Again, he remains focused on ensuring that the Pentagon continues to achieve the objectives of the operation that was launched 30 days ago, and we're well on our way to doing that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So if an American is sitting at home hearing him say, I want to talk, but I keep seeing them send troops to that region, what are they to make of what's going on?

LEAVITT: There's two tracks here. The president has always said that diplomacy is his number one option and priority. Again, he tried earnestly, in good faith, to engage in diplomacy with the Iranian regime prior to this operation being launched in the first place. He wanted to strike a deal, and he sent his top negotiators to do so.

They spent extensive amount of time and effort trying to strike a deal, and unfortunately, the previous regime, again, many of those leaders no longer with us here on Earth because they faced the consequences of the United States military. So if there's ever a chance for a deal, again, the president is open to listening, but it does not deter him from focusing on the military objectives that he set out 30 days ago and that our military is continuing to achieve day by day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the shutdown, he signed the National Emergency Order last Thursday, making sure TSA officers will be paid. There are still other civilian DHS employees, however, who are not being paid.

LEAVITT: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will he sign something similar to ensure they also get paid?

LEAVITT: Look, the president will always look into ways that we can make sure that the American people are being taken care of and doing what's right by the American people, but again, it's ridiculous that the president even has to go to the length of working with the legal team and the Office of Management and Budget to identify these funds.

It is the job of Congress to fund these agencies, and Democrats in Congress have voted seven times against funding the Department of Homeland Security. Congress should come back, and they should get it done. The president, again, made the decision to prevent this existential crisis we were seeing at our nation's airports across the country. That was only going to get worse, and that's why he wants Congress to do his job.

(CROSSTALK) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Karoline. It's good to mention Easter --

LEAVITT: I'll go to you as well. I'll do. You're welcome.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's good to mention Easter and prayers. I'm going to ask you about something the Pope said yesterday. So Pope Leo said yesterday, and I quote him, "God does not listen to the prayer of those who wage war." Can you comment on that?

LEAVITT: I think our nation was a nation founded 250 years ago almost on Judeo-Christian values, and we've seen presidents, we've seen the leaders of the Department of War, and we've seen our troops go to prayer during the most turbulent times in our nation's history. And I don't think there's anything wrong with our military leaders or with the president calling on the American people to pray for our service members and those who are serving our country overseas.

In fact, I think it's a very noble thing to do. And if you talk to many service members, they will tell you they appreciate the prayers and support from the commander-in-chief and from his cabinet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Karoline, thank you. President Trump told the New York Post that a response is coming shortly to Tehran attacking Israel's largest oil refinery. Is there a timeline on that? Is that tied to the success or not of the negotiations?

LEAVITT: I don't have any updates for you on the president's comments.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- IRGC's control of Iran?

LEAVITT: Well, look, as Secretary Rubio said today, the leadership is very fragmented. We have really neutered their intercommunication systems, and that's part of this process of diplomacy. I have to continue figuring out exactly who's in charge. I know they appointed a new Ayatollah, haven't seen or heard much from him. And so that's part of this diplomatic process that's underway right now.

I'll take a few more. Zolan?

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: Thank you. You've listed the described humanitarian reasons for allowing that oil tanker to reach Cuba. Just to clarify, why was the administration OK with Russia sending that oil to Cuba and not other nations?

LEAVITT: Look, again, this was a decision. It'll continue to be made on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian reasons or otherwise, but there's been no firm change in our sanctions policy.

KANNO-YOUNGS: President Sheinbaum of Mexico also said that Mexico is exploring different ways to restart some of those shipments to Cuba. Is the administration OK with that at this time? LEAVITT: Again, there's been no change in our sanction policy. We still reserve the right to seize vessels if it's legally applicable, that are headed towards Cuba and that violate the United States sanction policy.

But of course, the president and the administration also reserve the right to waive those seizures on a case-by-case basis.

KANNO-YOUNGS: And to clarify, just any more Russian oil tankers going to be allowed to reach Cuba at this time? I know you say case-by-case, but for the case of Russia, is it pretty much green light right now?

LEAVITT: No, that's not what I said. It's a case-by-case basis.

(CROSSTALK)

LEAVITT: Sure, Jeff (ph), go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Switching topics. The president has always attended CPAC.

[13:55:00]

He did not this year. Why did he not attend, and does he believe CPAC is becoming less relevant?

LEAVITT: No, I don't think he believes that at all. In fact, he loves CPAC and has a very good relationship with the great people who run it, Mercedes and Matt Schlapp. It was just simply for scheduling purposes this year, with it being in Texas, it was best for the president's schedule and what he has on his plate right now not to go.

SANCHEZ: We're listening to Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt taking questions in the White House Press Room. We're going to sneak in a quick break as she answers questions on Iran, Cuba, and the partial government shutdown.

We'll break down everything from the White House when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)