Trump 2nd term updates: Trump attends the Super Bowl

Senate Democrats are beginning to weigh in on President Donald Trump's assertion on Tuesday that the United States should "take over" Gaza.

The earliest reactions are those of outrage, with Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota calling the suggestion "horrifying" during a CNN interview on Tuesday night.

"He seems to be completely ignoring the sovereignty and the self-determination of the Palestinian people who have lived in this place for generations, and he's got his eye on some real estate deal because he thinks the coastline of Gaza is going to be great for some new hotel," Smith said. "I mean it's just ridiculous right? It's just ridiculous."

Some, including Smith, asserted that Trump's comments regarding Gaza were meant to distract from Elon Musk being given access to the Treasury's federal payment system.

"I have news for you - we aren’t taking over Gaza. But the media and the chattering class will focus on it for a few days and Trump will have succeeded in distracting everyone from the real story - the billionaires seizing government to steal from regular people," Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut wrote in a post on X.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut called the idea "crazy—but catastrophic" on X, while also noting that it was "deeply destructive" to even suggest it.

Arizona's Sen. Ruben Gallego went so far as to call the president a "warmonger" and asked in a social media post, "What happed to the 'anti war' President?"

No Republican senators have yet publicly issued comments on Trump's remarks concerning Gaza.

-ABC News' Allie Pecorin

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry released a statement Tuesday after President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's press conference discussing the future of Gaza.

The statement said Saudi Arabia would not normalize ties with Israel without a Palestinian state -- this after Trump sought normalization between the two countries.

"The Foreign Ministry affirms that Saudi Arabia’s position on the establishment of a Palestinian state is firm and unwavering," the statement read.

The statement added that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has "clearly and unequivocally reaffirmed this stance."

The United States Postal Service announced a temporary suspension of "international package acceptance of inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong" until further notice.

According to the notice, the suspension does not include letters or flats from China or Hong Kong; those items will continue to be accepted.

-ABC News' Davone Morales

USAID staff have been informed via email that all direct-hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally as of Friday, Feb. 7, except for core leadership and mission-critical staff, according to an email obtained by ABC News.

Staff were informed of the decision in an email titled, "The Path Forward."

The news comes after Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, said he was "in the process" of "shutting down" the agency with the backing of President Donald Trump, as part of efforts to trim the size of the federal government and eliminate waste.

USAID, which stands for the U.S. Agency for International Development, oversees foreign aid, disaster relief and international development programs.

-ABC News' Will Steakin