I’m Margaret Brennan in Washington. This week on Face the Nation we led with President Trump’s tariff threats that rattled allies and kept markets on edge, and we looked at the administration’s stepped‑up immigration enforcement. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the threats as leverage to push Canada and Mexico to do more to stop fentanyl and illegal migration, and to improve information sharing that would let U.S. authorities identify people and packages crossing the border. Noem said the administration has had “very specific conversations” with Canadian and Mexican officials about measures that could avoid tariffs, that tariff timing could depend on demonstrated results against fentanyl, and that she sees the White House using enforcement, detention and deportations to make U.S. communities safer. She described renewed family detention and an expanded ICE enforcement team as part of a return to stricter immigration enforcement and signaled the administration will prosecute internal leakers who jeopardize enforcement operations.
Noem pointed to progress at the southern border — including lower encounter numbers and increases in removals of people the administration labels as gang members or terrorists — and defended using military personnel to secure ports of entry until the border is “completely secure.” On family detention, she said facilities exist for families, framed the policy as enforcing the law and urged migrants to self‑deport via a government portal to avoid enforcement actions.
Canadian officials pushed back on the premise that tariffs were about fentanyl. Canada’s ambassador to Washington, Kirsten Hillman, told Face the Nation she and Ottawa have had “good” discussions with U.S. officials and have expanded law enforcement powers and resources to go after precursors and organized crime. Hillman noted less than 1% of fentanyl seized in the U.S. originates in Canada, but acknowledged every ounce matters and said Canada takes the crisis seriously. She called for fact‑based conversations about trade — pointing out Canada’s dairy protections and noting that U.S. dairy exports to Canada far exceed Canadian sales to the U.S. — and said a new Canadian leader, chosen in the wake of Justin Trudeau’s announced resignation, will prioritize a productive relationship with the U.S. amid threats of tariffs on dairy, lumber and electricity.
From Beijing, our reporter described an assertive Chinese response to U.S. tariffs, including retaliatory duties and lists of targeted companies. Chinese officials warned they were prepared for a protracted trade war and rejected being contained, saying such pressure would not yield meaningful concessions.
We also examined the looming risk of a government shutdown and efforts to find bipartisan solutions. The co‑chairs of the Problem Solvers Caucus, Republican Brian Fitzpatrick and Democrat Tom Suozzi, discussed a short‑term continuing resolution that House Republicans planned to move and the broader dysfunction in budgeting. Both argued for two‑party deals and warned that shutdowns and one‑party bills are harmful. Suozzi said Democrats may be forced into negotiations if Republican bills require Democratic votes in the Senate and that immigration and asylum reform must be a priority when bipartisan openings occur. Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent, warned against politicizing federal law enforcement and said he would press the FBI director about recent turnover and political pressure in the Bureau.
Fitzpatrick and Suozzi also weighed in on U.S. support for Ukraine. They said withholding certain intelligence and military capabilities risks emboldening Russia and could have broader strategic consequences. Fitzpatrick suggested some restrictions might be intended to coax parties toward negotiations but warned that rewarding a dictator would embolden other aggressors and undermine alliances.
Russia expert Fiona Hill joined to spell out the practical military impact of a U.S. pause in sharing lethal targeting intelligence and satellite imagery with Ukraine. She said that while allies like the U.K. share intelligence, no partner has the same satellite access as the United States; restrictions therefore degrade Ukraine’s operational capabilities and could encourage Russia to intensify attacks. Hill described the freeze as a unilateral disruption with knock‑on effects for trust with Five Eyes partners and warned European allies that U.S. reliability matters for deterrence and for questions about nuclear umbrellas and collective defense. She also criticized the idea that Ukrainian leaders were solely to blame for any diplomatic missteps, urging clearer communication, the use of interpreters and consistent, durable security commitments across administrations.
Throughout the broadcast we checked in on political maneuvering — including the White House framing of tariffs as leverage not only on trade but on immigration and narcotics flows — and the practical fallout for U.S. allies and domestic politics. The administration portrayed tariffs as a tool to pressure partners to stop fentanyl distribution and illegal migration; Canada and other allies framed tariff threats as disproportionate and warned of retaliatory measures; and congressional leaders warned of the domestic consequences of shutdowns and the difficulty of passing single‑party spending bills.
That’s it for this week on Face the Nation.