I. Legislative Branch
1) Legislation
House Democrats Concerned with Violence in West Bank. On April 28, Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Adam Smith (D-WA), and Jim Himes (D-CT) introduced H.R.3045, which would sanction individuals perpetrating violence in the West Bank.
Sen. Risch Introduces Bill to Defend Israel at the United Nations. On April 30, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) introduced S.1521, which would cut off US funding to UN agencies that expel, downgrade, suspend, or otherwise restrict the participation of Israel at the United Nations.
Sen. Risch Bill Would Limit Funding to Somali Peacekeeping Mission. On May 1, Senator Risch introduced S.1583, which would restrict the use of US Assessed Contributions to the United Nations under United Nations S/Res/2719 to support the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
2) Personnel and Correspondence
Republican Lawmakers Meet with Far-Right Israeli Minister. On April 28, Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Brian Mast (R-FL), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC), met with Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in Washington.
Senate Democrats Urge Against Student Visa Revocations. On April 28, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and 35 other Senate Democrats urged Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons to reconsider their decision to revoke visas from several thousand foreign students.
Ambassador to Turkey Confirmed. On April 29, the Senate voted 60-36 to confirm Thomas Barrack as ambassador to Turkey.
Lawmakers Press Wikipedia on Supposed Anti-Israel Bias. On May 1, Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Don Bacon (R-NE), and 23 other lawmakers expressed their concern over anti-Israel views in Wikipedia articles in a letter to Wikimedia CEO Maryana Iskander.
3) Hearings and Briefings
HFAC Holds Hearing on Department of State Authorization. On April 30, the HFAC held a hearing on congressional authorization for the Department of State, which addressed Trump administration proposals to reorganize the Department and its related functions.
House Committee Holds Hearing on Threats to Telecommunications Infrastructure. On April 30, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on national security threats to communications infrastructure posed by Iran and other foreign adversaries.
II. Executive Branch
1) White House
Waltz Out as National Security Advisor. On May 1, President Donald Trump announced that he was nominated Mike Waltz, his national security advisor (NSA) as ambassador to the United Nations. Waltz stepped down from his White House role that same day. Replacing Waltz, Secretary Rubio is taking on the responsibilities of National Security Advisor temporarily until Trump chooses a new NSA. On May 3, a report in the Washington Post suggested that Waltz’s removal was due, in part, to unauthorized conversations that he held with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding potential airstrikes against Iran.
Trump Threatens More Sanctions on Iran as Talks Postponed. On May 1, President Trump threatened to sanction any actor who purchases oil or petrochemicals from Iran. Trump’s statement coincided with reports that a fourth round of US-Iran nuclear talks had been postponed. On the same day, Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that “the United States was never confirmed to be participating in [the] talks with Iran…But we expect another round of talks will take place in the near future.”
Trump Says That Fewer Than 24 Hostages Are Alive in Gaza. On May 1, at a National Day of Prayer event at the White House, President Trump said of the hostages in Gaza that “out of 59, you had 24 that were living, and now I understand that it’s not even that number.”
Trump Administration Reportedly in Talks with Libya to Receive Migrants. On May 1, CNN reported that the Trump administration has discussed sending migrants with criminal records and asylum seekers apprehended at the US border to Libya.
Trump Seeking “Total Dismantlement” of Iran’s Nuclear Program. In an interview with NBC that aired on May 4, President Trump said that he is seeking “total dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program. However, Trump also said that he would be “open to hearing” a case for an Iranian “civilian energy” program but suggested that Iran should rely on its oil rather nuclear energy. His comments followed remarks made by Secretary Rubio earlier in the week in which he stated that the Trump administration would be open to Iran keeping a “peaceful civil nuclear program” on the condition that Iran builds reactors, imports enriched uranium to fuel those reactors, and is open to international inspection.
2) Department of State
Secretary Rubio Meets with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister. On April 25, Secretary Rubio met with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dr. Fuad Hussein to discuss regional security issues and economic cooperation.
Deputy Secretary Meets with Bahraini Finance Minister. On April 25, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau met with Bahraini Minister of Finance and National Economy Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa to discuss economic and security ties.
United States Defends Israel at ICJ Hearing. On April 30, legal representatives from the Department of State appeared in The Hague at the public hearing of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations to the United Nations and humanitarian actors. US officials argued that the ICJ is unfairly singling out Israel and maintained that “Israel has ample grounds to question UNRWA’s impartiality…[and] is not obligated to work with UNRWA in these circumstances.”
Department Approves Possible Weapons Sale to Kuwait. On April 30, the Department of State approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Kuwait of the PATRIOT Post-Deployment Build 8.1 and related equipment for an estimated cost of $425 million.
Department Decries Violence in Syria. On May 1, Spokesperson Bruce condemned recent violence against members of the Druze community in Syria. The statement followed Bruce’s remarks earlier in the week in which she stated that the Trump administration is “not normalizing diplomatic relations with Syria at this time” and continues to “assess our Syria policy cautiously and will judge the interim authorities by their actions.” Bruce also confirmed that US officials met on April 29 with Syrian interim government authorities in New York.
3) Department of Defense
CENTCOM Updates on Yemen Strikes. On April 27, CENTCOM announced that US forces have conducted strikes on more than 800 Houthi targets in Yemen since March 15, 2025. On April 28, US officials said that they were conducting a review of a recent strike that reportedly hit a facility in Yemen housing migrants from Ethiopia and other African nations, killing 68 and wounding 47 people.
4) Department of the Treasury
Secretary Bessent Meets with UAE and Qatari Officials. On April 24, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent met with Mubadala Group Managing Director and CEO Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) about US-UAE economic ties. On April 25, Secretary Bessent met with Qatari Minister of Finance Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari about economic relations, Iran, and regional security concerns.
Treasury Sanctions Houthi Oil Network. On April 28, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions on three vessels and their owners for providing support for the Houthis.
Trump Administration Announces New Sanctions Targeting Iran. On April 29, OFAC announced sanctions on a network of individuals and entities for their role in procuring ballistic missile propellant ingredients on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. On April 30, Secretary of State Rubio announced that the Department of State is sanctioning a network of entities and vessels engaged in the trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.
