Key keywords: Face the Nation March 29 2026, Margaret Brennan, 2026 US Midterm Election Preview, US Border Security Policy, Bipartisan Congressional Negotiations, White House Domestic Economic Policy, CBS News Political Broadcast, Swing State Voter Sentiment Opening the March 29, 2026 broadcast of CBS’s flagship Sunday political talk show *Face the Nation*, host Margaret Brennan framed the episode around the 8-month countdown to the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, paired with urgent ongoing debates over federal spending, border security, and middle-class economic relief that are shaping voter sentiment across the country. Brennan first welcomed White House Domestic Policy Advisor Elena Marquez to the program to address the growing risk of a federal government shutdown set to hit in mid-April if Congress fails to pass a new spending package. Marquez noted that the Biden administration has put forward a bipartisan compromise on border funding that includes 2,000 additional U.S. Border Patrol agents, $1.2 billion for regional migrant processing facilities, and a streamlined 14-day review process for asylum claims, but said Republican congressional leaders have rejected the deal over demands for strict limits on asylum eligibility for unaccompanied minor migrants that the White House deems "inhumane and unworkable." Brennan then interviewed House Speaker Tom Reed, the top Republican in the lower chamber, who pushed back on the White House’s claims, noting that border encounter numbers rose 17% in February 2026 to more than 180,000, placing unsustainable burdens on border state local governments, health care systems, and public schools. Reed stated that House Republicans will not advance any spending package that does not include immediate expulsion authority for unauthorized border crossers and a pause on new work permit applications for undocumented migrants, framing the policy as a necessary step to protect U.S. workers and taxpayer resources. The episode also featured a joint interview with Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor Josh Shapiro and Arizona’s Republican governor Kari Lake, both of whom are seen as potential 2028 presidential contenders, to discuss swing state voter priorities ahead of the midterms. Shapiro emphasized that Pennsylvania voters consistently rank grocery costs, housing affordability, and access to child care as their top concerns, noting that his administration’s recently passed state-level grocery tax elimination has received bipartisan support from voters across the political spectrum. Lake countered that border security and fentanyl trafficking are the top issues for Arizona voters, arguing that federal inaction on the border has led to a 32% rise in fentanyl overdose deaths in Arizona over the past two years. Brennan closed the episode with a breakdown of new CBS News polling data showing that 62% of U.S. registered voters believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, with only 18% of voters approving of the job Congress is doing, while approval ratings for both major political parties sit at roughly 38% each.