Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for April 21, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

Nevermind all that: Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick this afternoon became the third member of the House to hand in her resignation in the past month — shortly before the chamber’s Ethics Committee was set to hold a hearing to announce sanctions against her related to allegations she funneled millions in disaster relief funds to her campaign.

• The committee gaveled out minutes after it started. “The Committee on Ethics has now lost jurisdiction on this matter. There will not be a sanctions hearing,” Chair Michael Guest said.

In the hot seat now is Rep. Cory Mills, who is facing calls to resign from colleagues in both parties following a series of accusations that include domestic violence, stolen valor and financial misconduct. He told reporters this afternoon that he had no plans to step down and that he would cooperate with his own ongoing ethics probe.

Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely, he announced this afternoon on Truth Social. Trump said the drawdown would remain in place “until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded.”

• JD Vance was scheduled to leave this morning for Islamabad, Pakistan, to lead the latest round of peace talks, but CNN cameras spotted him at the White House this afternoon. Iran has still not publicly agreed to participate in another round of negotiations.

THE HILL

Hundreds of Coast Guard promotions have been stalled by Sen. Rick Scott over a contract dispute with a Florida-based shipbuilding company, Politico reported. His hold would force Senate leadership to perform onerous roll-call votes on individual promotions that would bring the chamber to a veritable standstill.

Senate Republicans took the first step to pass a narrow partisan budget bill that would fund ICE and parts of Customs and Border Protection until the end of Trump’s presidency. The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for 67 days — Republicans hope to get the ball moving on the process this week.

THE ADMINISTRATION

Markwayne Mullin estimated that DHS will run out of money to pay its employees during the first week of May, thanks to the aforementioned funding lapse.

• “I’ve got one payroll left and there are no more emergency funds, so the president can’t do another executive order because there’s no more money there,” Mullin said during an interview on “Fox and Friends.”

The U.S. military is no longer requiring service members to get an annual flu vaccine. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the mandate “overly broad and not rational” and said he would not make troops “choose between their conscience and their country” in a video posted on social media.

• Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair of the Armed Services Committee, struck a different tone. “I don’t equate them with COVID shots,” he told NOTUS’ Igor Bobic. “When I was on active duty and a reservist, I dutifully took my flu shot every year … as a whole, it made for a healthier and flu-free force.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center says it is the target of a criminal investigation by the Trump administration, with an apparent focus on the nonprofit’s use of confidential informants who provide information on white supremacist and other hate groups.

WHAT ELSE WOULD HE BE DOING

Let us know?

https://x.com/JMRaasch/status/2046614954480955393?s=20

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kate Nocera and Andrew Burton. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please subscribe — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at finalnotus@notus.com.