Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is coordinating with his colleagues in the House to push back against Senate Republicans’ efforts to ram President Donald Trump’s wish list of policy desires through the Senate.

In a letter to Senate Democrats on Sunday, Schumer, D-N.Y., laid out a multipronged strategy to inflict as much pain on Republicans as possible in the budget reconciliation process, the legislative strategy the GOP is employing to sidestep negotiating with Democrats to advance the president’s priorities.

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While congressional Republicans don’t need Democrats to move the colossal bill to Trump’s desk, Schumer wants to make the process as uncomfortable as possible as Senate Republicans begin a roughly monthlong sprint to put their fingerprints on what Trump deemed a «big, beautiful bill.»

The top Senate Democrat is coordinating with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the top Democrats on crucial House committees to «share firsthand insight from their process and key Republican fault lines» with their Senate counterparts.

«Based on Senate Republicans’ public comments, it’s clear that if this reckless reconciliation bill passes the Senate it is very likely to contain changes, forcing it to be sent back to the House of Representatives,» Schumer wrote. «That’s why we must be united with our House Democratic colleagues to fight this assault on working families.»

Indeed, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said much of the debate and subsequent tweaks to the bill would focus on finding deeper spending cuts. The House’s offering set a goal of $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade, but some Senate Republicans want to hit $2 trillion, while a smaller cohort of fiscal hawks want to go even deeper.

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Sens. John Barrasso, left, John Thune and Tom Cotton (Getty)

Thune said that Republicans’ main focus during the next month would be ensuring that Trump’s first-term tax cuts are made permanent with the massive bill and not allowed to expire by the end of the year on the Senate floor, marking the Senate’s return on Monday. 

«We are not going to let that happen, and our biggest focus this month is completing this tax relief legislation with the goal of getting the final bill to the president before the Fourth of July,» he said. «It’s going to be a very busy month, Mr. President.» 

In all, 10 Senate committees will be tasked with sifting through the massive bill’s contents, which include the president’s policy desires on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans celebrated passing Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ on Thursday. (Getty Images)

Schumer’s edict comes as those committees gear up to make their own revisions to the bill to, in part, fall in line with their own policy and spending desires and to also comply with Senate rules.

He noted that Senate Democrats have been working «overtime» to target a litany of policies in the GOP’s plan that «are in clear violation of the reconciliation rules and, in some cases, an assault on our very democracy.»

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Some Republicans already have issues with certain policies in the bill, like cuts to Medicaid or the plan to move up the timeline to phase out green energy tax credits ushered in by the Biden administration.

Schumer also prodded Democrats to continue aggressively denouncing the bill on the ground in their home states and districts, arguing that «if the American people truly knew how deeply devastating, damaging, and deceitful this Republican plan is, they will reject it.»

«Republicans’ ‘One Ugly Bill’ is a farce; an attack on the values that make America great,» he wrote. «We know the first four months of Donald Trump’s presidency have been catastrophic for the American people. It is our duty to fight for American families, to stop the damage, and make certain Republicans are held accountable.»

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, está “abierto” a reunirse con sus homólogos ruso y ucraniano en Turquía, dijo la Casa Blanca, después de que las dos partes no lograron el lunes avanzar hacia un esquivo alto el fuego.

Sin embargo, las delegaciones de ambas partes acordaron otro intercambio de prisioneros a gran escala en su reunión en Estambul, que a mediados de mayo también albergó su primera ronda de conversaciones cara a cara.

El presidente turco, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, propuso que el presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, el presidente ucraniano, Volodimir Zelensky, y Trump se reúnan para una tercera ronda a finales de este mes en Estambul o Ankara.

Putin se ha negado hasta ahora a tal reunión. Pero Zelensky ha declarado su disposición, subrayando que los asuntos clave solo pueden resolverse a nivel de líderes.

Trump, que quiere un fin rápido a la guerra de tres años, “está abierto a ello (una cumbre tripartita) si se llega a ese punto, pero quiere que ambos líderes y ambas partes se sienten juntos a la mesa”, dijo la portavoz de la Casa Blanca, Karoline Leavitt, en Washington.

Zelensky dijo que “realmente esperamos que Trump tome medidas enérgicas” e instó al líder estadounidense a endurecer las sanciones contra Rusia para “presionarla” a aceptar un alto el fuego total.

En la reunión del lunes, Ucrania declaró que Moscú había rechazado su petición de un alto el fuego incondicional. En su lugar, ofreció una tregua parcial de dos a tres días en algunas zonas del frente.

Rusia solo aceptará un alto el fuego total si las tropas ucranianas se retiran por completo de cuatro regiones: Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia y Kherson, según los términos de negociación informados por los medios estatales rusos. Actualmente, Rusia solo controla parcialmente esas regiones.

Moscú también ha exigido que se prohíba a Kiev unirse a la OTAN, limitar el ejército ucraniano y poner fin al apoyo militar occidental.

Los principales negociadores de ambos lados confirmaron que sus últimas conversaciones dieron como resultado un acuerdo para intercambiar a todos los soldados gravemente heridos, así como a todos los combatientes capturados menores de 25 años.

El principal negociador ruso, Vladimir Medinsky, dijo que esto implicaría “al menos 1.000” de cada lado, superando el intercambio de 1.000 por 1.000 prisioneros de guerra acordado en las conversaciones el mes pasado.

Las dos partes también acordaron entregar los cuerpos de 6.000 soldados muertos, dijo Ucrania después de las conversaciones.

“La parte rusa siguió rechazando la moción de un alto el fuego incondicional”, dijo a los periodistas el viceministro de Asuntos Exteriores de Ucrania, Sergiy Kyslytsya, después de las conversaciones.

Rusia dijo que había ofrecido una pausa limitada en los combates.

“Hemos propuesto un alto el fuego específico durante dos o tres días en ciertas zonas de la línea del frente”, dijo el principal negociador, Vladimir Medinsky, añadiendo que esto era necesario para recoger los cuerpos de los soldados muertos en el campo de batalla.

Kiev dijo que estudiaría un documento que la parte rusa entregó a sus negociadores en el que se describen sus demandas tanto de paz como de un alto el fuego total.

Zelensky dijo después de concluir las conversaciones de Estambul que ningún acuerdo debe “recompensar” a Putin.

“La clave para una paz duradera es clara: el agresor no debe recibir ninguna recompensa por la guerra”, dijo Zelensky en una conferencia de prensa en Vilna junto a varios líderes de la OTAN.

El presidente ucraniano ha dicho que un acuerdo de paz a largo plazo sólo puede lograrse una vez que los combates hayan cesado, y ha pedido un cese del fuego inmediato e incondicional que cubra los combates en el aire, el mar y la tierra.

El ministro de Defensa ucraniano, Rustem Umerov, quien encabezó la delegación de su país, solicitó una próxima reunión antes de finales de junio. También afirmó que debería discutirse una cumbre entre Putin y Zelensky.

El ministro de Asuntos Exteriores turco, Hakan Fidan, dijo después de las conversaciones, celebradas en un hotel de lujo a orillas del Bósforo, que se celebraron “en un ambiente constructivo”.

“Las partes avanzaron sobre los puntos que habían acordado durante la primera reunión”, dijo Fidan en X.

“Durante la reunión, las partes decidieron continuar los preparativos para una posible reunión a nivel de líderes”, dijo.

Decenas de miles de personas han muerto desde que Rusia invadió el país, con franjas del este y el sur de Ucrania destruidas y millones de personas obligadas a huir de sus hogares en la mayor crisis de refugiados de Europa desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

En la ciudad de Dobropillya, en primera línea del frente, al este de Ucrania, Volodymyr, de 53 años, dijo a AFP que no tenía ninguna esperanza de que el conflicto terminara.

Pensábamos que todo se detendría. Y ahora no hay nada que esperar. No tenemos casa, nada. Casi nos matan los drones, dijo.

Después de meses de reveses para el ejército de Kiev, Ucrania dijo que había llevado a cabo un audaz ataque el domingo, contrabandeando drones a Rusia y luego disparándolos contra bases aéreas, dañando alrededor de 40 bombarderos estratégicos rusos por un valor de 7 mil millones de dólares en una importante operación especial.

(Con información de AFP)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Monday that he is moving the United Kingdom’s military into «war-fighting readiness» to address growing threats from Russia. 

During a visit to BAE Systems’Govan facility, a navy ship-building yard in Glasgow, Scotland, the prime minister laid out «three fundamental changes» to be made in response to the country’s strategic defense review. 

«First, we are moving to war-fighting readiness as the central purpose of our armed forces,» Starmer said. «When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready. And frankly, to show them that we’re ready, to deliver peace through strength.» 

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Starmer continued, «Now Britain has the finest service men and women in the world. We’re showing them the respect that they deserve by delivering the biggest armed forces pay rise in 20 years and by pledging today that we will end the hollowing out of our armed forces. «We’ll build a fighting force that is more integrated, more ready, more lethal than ever, backed by a stronger strategic reserve, fully trained and ready to mobilize at any time.»

The new approach comes as President Donald Trump has warned European nations to take more responsibility for their own security. Starmer’s announcement focused on a «new era» of threats, citing the war in Ukraine, new nuclear risks and «daily cyberattacks,» as well as reversing the post-Cold War defense decline. He called out «growing Russian aggression» in U.K. waters and skies, blaming «their reckless actions» for the increased cost of living «hitting working people the hardest.» 

«The threat we now face is more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable than at any time since the Cold War,» Starmer said. 

The U.K. government announced military plans in response to a strategic defense review commissioned by Starmer and led by George Robertson, a former U.K. defense secretary and NATO secretary general. 

It’s the first such review since 2021. Months after Britain’s last major defense review was published in 2021, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson said with confidence that the era of «fighting big tank battles on European landmass» are over. Three months later, Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine. Starmer’s center-left Labour Party government says it will accept all 62 recommendations made in the review, aiming to help the U.K. confront growing threats on land, air, sea and in cyberspace.

The second change, Starmer explained from Scotland, is ensuring «everything we do will add to the strength of NATO.»

«As we step up to take greater responsibility for our collective defense, the NATO alliance means something profound, that we will never fight alone,» Starmer said. «It is a fundamental source of our strategic strength. That’s why our defense policy will always be NATO first, something that’s written through this review. The transformation we are driving in our defense must add up to Britain’s biggest contribution to NATO since its creation. So that when we’re building new capabilities at home, we are making our allies safer too, strengthening Europe, and strengthening our bridge to the US as Britain’s first partner in defense.» 

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers his speech during a visit to the BAE Systems’Govan facility, in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday, June 2, 2025.  (Andy Buchanan, Pool Photo via AP)

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The third change laid out by Starmer is for the U.K. to «innovate and accelerate at a wartime pace so we can meet the threats of today and of tomorrow as the fastest innovator in NATO.» He said such advancements would not mean «replacing people» or hardware, but would rather mean «learning the lessons of Ukraine» and ensuring «every capability we have works seamlessly together.»

«Drones, destroyers, AI, aircraft, each different branch of our armed services, fully integrated to create an army which is 10 times more lethal by 2035,» Starmer said. 

The U.K. government said it’s expanding the country’s armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet with up to 12 new SSN-AUKUS boats through a partnership with Australia and the United States. The government also says it will invest 15 billion pounds in Britain’s nuclear arsenal, which consists of missiles carried on a handful of submarines. Details of those plans are likely to be kept secret.

Starmer has already pledged to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, a boost from the current 2.3%, and to eventually get that up to 3%.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers his speech during a visit to the BAE Systems’Govan facility, in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday June 2, 2025.  (Andy Buchanan, Pool Photo via AP)

GB News noted at the press conference Monday that Starmer hasn’t committed to having 3% of the GDP go to defense spending within the next nine years, even as Germany’s defense chief warned Russia could invade a NATO ally within the next four years. In his response, Starmer reiterated the U.K. as a «steadfast ally» to Ukraine and said the changes coming as a result of the review would be the best way to deter further conflict. 

The U.K. government will also increase Britain’s conventional weapons stockpiles with up to 7,000 U.K.-built long-range weapons.

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Starmer said rearming would create a «defense dividend» of thousands of well-paid manufacturing jobs – a contrast to the post-Cold War «peace dividend» that saw Western nations channel money away from defense into other areas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.