On Politics

Thu Feb 27 2025

Rebecca Morin | Senior National News Reporter

@RebeccaMorin_

Hello! It's Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at USA TODAY. OK, I'm in desperate need to try the new Hot Cheetos Dill Pickle flavor.

Trump's tariff war – from the EU to Canada, Mexico and China

President Donald Trump will soon be hitting key trading partners with tariffs. On Thursday, the president said that his proposed tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico would take effect Tuesday. The 25% tariffs on those two countries were paused this month in exchange for agreements from both countries that they'd address border security and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. But Trump said that drugs are flowing into the country at "very high and unacceptable levels." Trump also said he was charging China an additional 10% tariff on top of the 10% tariff he'd announced on Chinese imports this month. Read more.

The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Trump said he was hitting the European Union with 25% tariffs – criticizing the union of 27 countries for not accepting many U.S. products like cars and agriculture. Read more.

•	Will prices go up? How Trump's 25% tariffs on the EU could affect your wallet.
•	Trump's tariffs: What does it mean to be "Made in America"?

Demonstrators show support for fired USAID employees

After the Trump administration shuttered USAID under the guidance of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), thousands of workers who had been fired or placed on leave were given 15-minute windows to clear out their workspaces Thursday or Friday. Supporters of the agency's work and staff gathered outside its Washington, D.C. headquarters on Thursday in a rally to support for workers retrieving their belongings. See photos from the demonstration.

People gather in support as USAID workers remove their belongings from the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 27, 2025.

Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

A politics pit stop

•	U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore says he will retire amid layoffs
•	USDA looks at boosting egg imports in $1 billion plan to lower prices
•	Supreme Court likely to side with woman who lost jobs to gay colleagues
•	Watch: Woman loses park ranger job offer after Trump cuts
•	What is the Alt National Park Service? What to know about the group.

Transgender troops must serve using their birth gender, Pentagon says

The Pentagon released its new policy for transgender troops to serve in the military, requiring them to demonstrate they "have never attempted to transition to any sex other than their sex." The memo directs the military to identify transgender service members by March 26 and "separate" or remove those who don't obtain waivers by June 25. Read more.

•	Trump Pentagon policy will 'purge' transgender servicemembers, advocates say

How the House Republicans' budget could affect Medicaid

I know some readers are concerned about whether Medicaid will be eliminated under the new House Republican budget blueprint passed this week – and I answered this question as best I could Wednesday. But my brilliant colleagues dove deeper into what could happen in the days since. Democrats have expressed concern that Medicaid could be on the chopping block under the new budget plans, but some Republicans have been adamant that the social program will remain. Here's how lawmakers might find ways to cut Medicaid spending by cutting fraud, requiring individuals to get jobs, and more. Read about it here.