5 Midday Must-Reads: RFK Jr. Announces Layoffs, Signalgate Spills to Venmo and More

The dust is still settling around Signalgate, with much of Washington watching to see what happens next. Thus far, Democratic lawmakers have largely reacted with shock and dismay, while Republicans are downplaying and ignoring the controversy over the Trump administration’s use of an unsecured group chat to discuss war plans.

The issue won’t be going away soon: Leaders of the Senate Armed Forces Committee demanded the inspector general for the Defense Department investigate the leak in a letter signed by senators of both parties, with hearings likely to follow. And reports from Wired and German outlet Der Spiegel revealed top Trump administration officials left their Venmo accounts public and their contact information easily accessible online, which probably won’t help.

It also begs the question: Why is anyone making their Venmo activity public?

Elsewhere, the clock is ticking on congressional Republicans’ self-imposed Easter deadline to nail down a budget proposal, President Donald Trump has a busy day at the White House and French President Emmanuel Macron convened a summit to defend Ukraine.

Here’s the lunchtime lowdown, which U.S. News will be publishing each weekday to keep track of the goings-on in Washington and beyond:

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced this morning that the agency would lay off more than 10,000 employees, and that another 10,000 employees will depart via buyouts and early retirement. Kennedy said this “dramatic restructuring” will “streamline the functions” of the department he called a “sprawling bureaucracy” and save $1.8 billion. Read more.

Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, wants the inspector general of the Defense Department to investigate Signalgate, while the Senate Intelligence Committee may conduct its own investigation. And it’s not just Signal – Wired reports that national security adviser Mike Waltz and others left sensitive information publicly available on Venmo and German outlet Der Spiegel found the passwords and private data of officials like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth online. Read more.

After announcing a 25% tariff on imported automobiles last night, Trump threatened to place “far larger” tariffs on the European Union and Canada if they worked together “to do economic harm to the USA.” Trump has promised to impose still more tariffs on April 2 of next week, which he has taken to calling “Liberation Day.” Read more.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France and Britain will move forward with plans to send troops to Ukraine after hosting a summit in Paris with 30 nations today to discuss Europe’s role in the Russia-Ukraine war. Macron said the decision to send soldiers to Ukraine was “not unanimous” but “several European nations” will deploy troops as Europe prepares for the possibility of a reduced U.S. role in the conflict. Read more.

The Senate is holding a hearing this morning on the preliminary findings of a federal probe into the deadly midair collision between an American Airlines passenger plane and a military helicopter above Washington, D.C., nearly two months ago, which killed 67 people. National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said 40 experts are working on its investigation and that she hopes it will be completed within a year. Read more.

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