President Trump stated negotiations are underway as more U.S. troops deploy to the Middle East. He posted on social media that he is pausing the period of energy plant destruction by 10 days until Monday, April 6, to let negotiations play out.
However, the Iranian foreign minister said there are no direct and official negotiations underway. NBC's Kristen Welker noted it is not clear if the White House has an actual exit strategy yet.
Traffic is halted in the Strait of Hormuz. Welker noted the Treasury Secretary said last Sunday that sometimes it is necessary to escalate in order to de-escalate.
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/iran-waiting-possible-us-ground-assault-troops-rcna265665
WATCH: NBC's Kristen Welker speaks with TMJ4'S Charles Benson about the week's top political stories.
"So what we're seeing basically, is a lot of mixed messaging even as frustration mounts about the fact that gas prices are surging and of course concerns about how and when this war is going to wind down," Welker said.
Meanwhile, a political standoff over DHS funding is impacting airports across the country. TSA workers are facing long delays without paychecks, leading to officers calling out and creating long security lines. ICE agents have been tasked to help.
As of Friday, the President, the Senate, and the House all have different possible solutions. The Senate passed a bill that would fund DHS, but it does not fund ICE, which was a red line for Democrats.
"But when that bill reached the House, it hit a huge snag with the House Freedom Caucus, the hardline conservatives saying that they would not vote to advance a bill that didn't include ICE funding," Welker said.
Lawmakers are facing mounting political pressure as the country comes off the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
"So the pressure the political pressure is mounting. Remember, Charles, we're just coming off of the longest government shutdown in US history, so there's undoubtedly a potential political price to pay for all of these lawmakers involved if they can't reach an agreement soon," Welker said.
Meet the Press airs Sunday at 8 a.m.on TMJ4.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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