Senators applaud McConnell as Republican vows to keep working until end of term in 2026 – live | Trump administration

Mike Waltz, the national security adviser, said Donald Trump’s “frustration” with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “multifold”.

Waltz, at a White House briefing, said Trump was “obviously very frustrated” with Zelenskyy.

“The fact that that he hasn’t come to the table, that he hasn’t been willing to take this opportunity that we have offered,” he said.

Waltz said “some of the rhetoric” and “insults” about Trump were “unacceptable”. Waltz said:

There needs to be a deep appreciation for what the American people, what the American taxpayer, what President Trump did in his first term.

Mike Waltz, the national security adviser, said the US fully supports Article 5 of the Nato alliance but that its European partners need to increase their spending.

“It is unacceptable that the United States and the United States taxpayer continues to bear the burden of the cost of the war in Ukraine [and] the defense of Europe,” Waltz said.

We fully support our Nato allies. We fully support the Article Five commitment, but it’s time for European partners to step up.

Waltz said he spoke with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte about how a third of Nato member countries were still not meeting the 2% GDP in defense requirement.

Somebody else needs to pay. We’ve got other domestic priorities. It’s unacceptable.

Article 5 says an attack on one member will be considered an attack on all members of Nato.

National security adviser Mike Waltz was asked whether he was confident in the Trump administration’s competence to go “toe to toe” with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Waltz, at the White House briefing, said there was “no question” that Donald Trump is the commander in chief.

If there’s anybody in this world that can go toe to toe with Putin, that could go toe to toe with Xi [Jinping], that could go toe to toe with Kim Jong Un … It’s Donald J Trump.

He said the world should have no doubt that Trump has the ability to “handle” Putin and to bring the war in Ukraine to an end.

Senators applauded Mitch McConnell on the floor this afternoon after the Republican senator announced his decision to retire next year.

McConnell vowed to complete his work on several remaining fronts. “Thanks to Ronald Reagan’s determination, the work of strengthening American hard power was well under way when I arrived in the Senate,” he said.

But since then, we’ve allowed that power to atrophy. And today, a dangerous world threatens to outpace the work of rebuilding it. So, lest any of our colleagues still doubt my intentions for the remainder of my term: I have some unfinished business to attend to.

Here’s a recap of the latest developments:

• Mitch McConnell, the Republican senator from Kentucky, announced he will not run for re-election next year. McConnell formally announced his retirement in a Senate floor speech on Thursday, on his 83rd birthday, bringing an end to a decades-long career for a Republican leader who marshaled his party through multiple administrations with a singleminded focus on power that enraged his critics and delighted his allies.

• JD Vance marked the Trump administration’s one month since its return to power with a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). The vice-president claimed uncontrolled immigration was “the greatest threat” to both Europe and the US, and suggested that the US’s military commitment to European allies could be contingent on their domestic policies, particularly targeting Germany.

• The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will lay off roughly 7,000 workers in Washington and around the country beginning on Thursday, according to reports. The layoffs reportedly affect probationary employees with roughly one year or less of service at the agency and largely include workers in compliance departments.

• The Senate is set to vote this afternoon on whether to confirm Kash Patel, Donald Trump’s controversial nominee as FBI director. The Senate voted 51-47 on Thursday morning to end debate on Patel’s nomination. Susan Collins was the only Republican senator to oppose Patel’s confirmation, claiming that Patel’s previous public statements cast doubt on his ability to advance the FBI’s mission “in a way that is free from the appearance of political motivation”.

• Defense secretary Pete Hegseth could move soon to fire more than half a dozen generals and flag officers. A list of those who could be fired reportedly includes Gen CQ Brown, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top admiral.

• A Senate committee voted to advance Linda McMahon’s nomination as Donald Trump’s education secretary. The Senate committee on health, education, labor and pensions voted 12-11 along party lines to advance the nomination of McMahon, the billionaire co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), to the Senate floor.

• A federal appeals court in San Francisco denied the Trump administration’s request to reinstate a ban on birthright citizenship. The appeals court’s decision leaves in place an injunction issued by a federal court in Washington state, and sets up a battle at the supreme court.

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth could move soon to fire more than half a dozen generals and flag officers, according to reports.

A list of those who could be fired was recently shared with Republican lawmakers, suggesting the dismissals could be imminent, CNN reports, citing sources.

Among the list includes Gen CQ Brown, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, according to multiple outlets. Lisa Franchetti, the navy’s top admiral, is also reportedly on the list.

Mitch McConnell, the Republican senator from Kentucky, has announced that he will not seek re-election next year.

McConnell announced his decision in a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday, marking his 83rd birthday.

“Seven times my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” he said.

Every day, I’ve been humbled by the trust they placed in me to do their business right here, representing our commonwealth has been the honor of lifetime.

“I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last,” he said.

Mitch McConnell, the Republican senator from Kentucky, will announce that he won’t seek re-election next year, according to multiple reports.

McConnell is the longest serving Senate party leader in US history. He told the Associated Press of his decision before he was set to address colleagues in a speech on the Senate floor.

Susan Collins, the Republican senator from Maine, said she will be voting against the confirmation of Kash Patel as FBI director.

The Senate is scheduled to vote this afternoon on whether to confirm Patel, after he cleared the Senate judiciary committee last week by a 12-10, party-line vote.

In a statement, Collins said Patel’s nomination comes at a time where is “compelling need” for an FBI director who is “decidedly apolitical”.

Patel has made numerous politically charged statements in his book and elsewhere discrediting the work of the FBI, the very institution he has been nominated to lead. These statements … cast doubt on Mr Patel’s ability to advance the FBI’s law enforcement mission in a way that is free from the appearance of political motivation.

Patel’s recent political profile “undermines his ability to serve in the apolitical role of Director of the FBI”, she said, concluding:

“Therefore, I will vote against his nomination.”