Week Ahead in Washington: March 22

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - President Donald Trump is beginning his week in Memphis to highlight the Memphis Safe Task Force.

The multi-agency, federal-led initiative involves law enforcement and the Tennessee National Guard.

The White House said the law enforcement surge has led to more than 7,200 arrests and nearly 1,200 illegal firearms seized since it began last September.

In response to Trump’s visit, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who represents Memphis, said he remains concerned about the image the surge sends and its effect on tourism. He added crime was going down before the surge.

Also Monday, Trump’s 48-hour deadline to Iran comes to an end. In a post on Truth Social Saturday night, Trump threatened major strikes to the country’s power plants if Iran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s oil flows. In response, Tehran threatened retaliatory strikes of their own, with the ultimatum set for Monday evening.

Also Monday, President Trump said he plans to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports across the U.S. to assist with Transportation Security Administration delays and strain. TSA agents have been working unpaid since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ran out of funding Feb 13.