Unmanned sea drones are on the prowl to interdict drug smugglers in America's waters as part of a new Navy operation.
The operation will test the Navy’s use of maritime drones, in its early stages, and apply lessons learned to missions all across the globe.
Dubbed Operation Southern Spear, the Navy’s 4th Fleet will use "a heterogeneous mix of Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) to support the detection and monitoring of illicit trafficking while learning lessons for other theaters," a news release said on Monday.
As President Donald Trump shuts down the U.S. southern and northern borders, smugglers are expected to look for alternative routes to carry out their illegal trafficking business. Human and drug trafficking cartels have increasingly turned to the nation’s maritime borders to smuggle weapons, narcotics and people into the country.
According to recent data, more illicit drugs were seized at sea by Customs and Border Patrol’s Air and Marine Operation (AMO) in 2023 – 304,000 pounds – than by land – 241,000 pounds.
Southern Spear will operate as part of Joint Task Force South – a Defense Department task force made up of Navy, Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection, as well as 20 partner countries focused on counter-narcotics and maritime security in the Carribean, Central and South America.
Included in the operation are 20 high-endurance Saildrone Voyager unmanned surface vehicles, equipped with a newly upgraded sensor suite, according to the press release. The vehicles are 10 meters long and can surveil thousands of square miles of water per day to look for smugglers.
The drones have already sailed the Persian Gulf under the Navy’s Hybrid Fleet Campaign and Project 33 and as part of Operation Windward Stack, operated by the 4th Fleet throughout 2024. They offer a 95% detection rate and are contractor owned and operated. This means that SailDrone operates the surveillance platform while the Defense Department purchases the data.
"As land borders become more secure, traffickers will exploit maritime pathways more than ever. We're honored to serve, providing autonomous around-the-clock maritime surveillance to help stop smugglers before they reach our shores," said Tom Alexander, Saildrone VP of government relations.
Already, nearly 90% of cocaine is trafficked at sea, according to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). Cartels look to exploit gaps in surveillance coverage that the new mission will look to plug with maritime drones.
Utilizing U.S. military might to disrupt the flow of human and drug trafficking at the southern border has been a top priority for Trump.
Upon taking office, the president immediately sent an additional 1,500 troops and additional assets to the border. Over the weekend, the U.S. secured an agreement with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who will send 10,000 Mexican troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in exchange for a one-month delay in Trump’s threat of 25% tariffs on goods flowing in from Mexico.
West Virginia University became the latest college to shutter its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) office, as a wave of state and federal leaders urged an end to what critics call a paradigm of reverse-discrimination.
As of Monday, the Morgantown school’s DEI division webpage was still active, advertising an "interactive social justice experience" called the "Tunnel of Awareness" later this month.
It also invited students to take an "Implicit Bias Test," take part in a "Yappy Hour" with therapy dogs, and join WVU Vice President Meshea Poore in discussions on how to "live, learn and work together with care and respect for each other" on campus.
The Mountaineers' DEI office will be replaced with an ADA and Title IX-centric Division of Campus Engagement and Compliance.
The closure of the department came pursuant to GOP Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s executive order declaring DEI practices to be in conflict with the Mountain State and U.S. Constitutions.
"No [entity] under authority of the governor or ... receiving state funds shall utilize ...resources [to DEI positions, activities procedures or mandatory training]," part of the order read.
The Republican governor’s order preceded President Donald Trump’s similar federal order by a few days, as the latter’s inauguration fell one week later.
Morrisey said the "woke virus" needs to be "eradicated" in schools and that he is "a believer… that God looks at us [and] the rule of law looks at us as equals."
"We don't want special preferences unlawfully benefiting one group of another race, color, age, ethnicity. We have to make sure that we're taking steps to treat everyone the same under the law."
Morrisey thanked WVU for taking the necessary steps to close its DEI office, remarking that too often there is public pressure to "do the wrong thing."
April Kaull, executive director of communications for WVU, said Monday the new office is not a rebranding but a "shift in focus that will align with the governor’s directive."
"The new West Virginia University Division of Campus Engagement and Compliance is positioned to carry out its core mission and to serve all within our university community. It will focus on ensuring the university adheres to federal and state guidance and fulfilling the needs of our campus community, including compliance with Title IX and the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is its primary focus," Kaull said.
In December, another big football school — Michigan — dismantled its DEI apparatus and said it would no longer "solicit diversity statements as part of faculty hiring, promotion and tenure."
The nonaccredited University of Austin in Texas nixed any iteration of DEI in 2024 as well, with an official saying the college will promote freedom of speech and merit-based admissions.
"They talk about safe spaces. We want to create an environment that's safe for ideas to be explored and where there's not risks to the student for taking positions as they explore," UATX Vice President Michael Shires said at the time.
At least six other states — Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas and Utah — have banned or limited DEI teachings or initiatives within application processes.
Meanwhile, an official for Mount Holyoke College in Northampton, Massachusetts, said she hoped higher education will not capitulate to Trump’s vision in this regard, and that such executive orders are ripe for legal challenge.
"I don’t believe that the value of saying we live in a multiracial democracy is wrong," President Danielle Holley said in part to the AP.
Northeastern University in Boston changed the name of its DEI office to "Belonging in Northeastern" in what it called a "reimagined approach."
In New Brunswick, New Jersey, a professor at Rutgers University had to cancel an upcoming session geared toward internships for students from HBCUs after a contractor informed her federal funding for the conference was put on-hold.
Last week, Missouri State University in Springfield announced an end to its DEI programs — a move administrators said was supported by its Board of Governors.
College President Richard Williams said the school "values diverse thought and actions and support[s] all our students faculty and staff."
But, Williams added that leaders in Jefferson City had outlined new requirements because nearly two-fifths of MSU’s budget is earmarked from state funding.
Fox News Digital’s Jamie Joseph and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Much of President Donald Trump’s immigration and border security agenda has been driven by the actions of former President Joe Biden, causing Trump to take even more steps during his second term in the White House.
"What Biden did, I’d say, is the primary cause of the open borders and the millions he led in, including the bad actors who came along with them," Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital. "It requires quick and drastic steps to stop the flow and find those people and get them out of the country."
The comments come as Trump has unleashed a slew of new orders related to immigration and border security during his first two weeks in office, introducing new ideas such as seeking to end birthright citizenship.
According to Ries, many of Trump’s early actions on immigration were aimed at returning to the policies of his first administration. Others, Ries said, were a direct reaction to policies implemented during the previous administration.
"Ending mass parole, ending the CBP mobile one application," Ries used as an example, two policies implemented under Biden that Trump quickly ended upon reentering the White House.
But Ries also argued that Trump has taken a more aggressive approach to the issue than he did when entering office in 2017, noting that some of the orders were not tried in 2017 or are a reaction to a Biden policy.
"Suspending the U.S. refugee admissions program, birthright citizenship… creating a Homeland Security task force in all 50 states for intel and logistics," Ries listed as examples of new ideas brought by Trump in his second term in office.
Ries also noted that Trump took the step of requiring all aliens to register, something allowed under current immigration statutes that will likely help with enforcement.
"We have no idea who is all here, how many people… so requiring them to register with DHS is a smart move," Ries said.
Yet there is still more work for Trump to do as he continues his push for reform, Ries argued, including pausing funds for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department.
Ries also mentioned that Trump could still work to clear the backlog of immigration cases at the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department, where over 13 million combined cases are pending.
"Getting those down to a manageable level year after year, and I had proposed in a report I put out in December that if the backlog gets too high, pausing intake of applications until the backlog gets down to a manageable level."
"Then the other still needed is more on the unaccompanied alien children front. I think he could declare an emergency regarding the missing children and the sex trafficking," Ries added. "Working to find those kids, but also pursuing the first part of the law that says it should be the policy to return children back to their home country versus bringing them in and giving them immigration benefits."
But Ries also noted there are limitations to what Trump can do through executive action, arguing that Congress will need to "step in" on some issues.
"Congress needs to very quickly, drastically fund increased resources for ICE to continue detaining… ICE needs at least 100,000 beds," Ries said. "Congress also needs to close all the loopholes that the Biden administration exploited if we want long-term integrity around this. Otherwise, the next Democrat president will issue executive orders to undo all this."
Oklahoma State School Superintendent Ryan Walters pushed back after a clash on CNN over his openness to allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers into schools – with Walters doubling down and rejecting "sanctuary schools."
Walters had told local media that he would not rule out allowing federal agents into schools to remove illegal immigrants, amid an ongoing deportation operation since President Donald Trump took office.
The Trump administration has lifted a Biden-era "sensitive places" mandate, which prevented agents from entering schools amid concerns that illegal immigrants could use such places to hide from enforcement. It has sparked pushback from some local officials.
However, Walters, in an interview with Fox News Digital, said that such moves could be necessary to avoid family separation.
"Are the Democrats and now the left-wing media the party of family separation? If you have adults that are going to be deported from this country, do you not want the Trump administration to know where their kids are, where they're enrolled in school, so that if the family is to be deported, they're actually deported together?" he asked.
It led to a furious back-and-forth with CNN host Brianna Keilar, who asked him if it would be traumatic for kids.
"Do you think it would be traumatic for students to witness a raid in their school and students forcibly removed from their school? Do you think that would be traumatic?"
Walters answered, "I think what would be traumatic is if you didn‘t give President Trump the information necessary to keep families together. So what you would prefer is to just deport the parents and have the kids have no idea what happened to their parents? What we‘re—"
"That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking you….That’s not at all what I’m asking, superintendent," Keilar interrupted again.
Many members of the media have also taken issue with a recent rule change by the Oklahoma State Board of Education, titled "Enhancing Enrollment Transparency," which requires each school district to report the number of students enrolled in schools who are unable to provide proof of citizenship or legal status. According to the rule, the new policy is designed to "provide greater transparency" and to "support the needs" of the schools and students.
"We're saying we want to see your driver's license, we want to see which country you came from, if you've come into the country illegally. I think that is a very commonsense requirement that we're putting out there. We want to make sure that we're asking for this information so that we can accurately use resources and personnel in the state to educate our children," Walters explained. "I think that our taxpayers or our citizens understand that. And the left tries to gaslight the American people into acting like this is some kind of absurd ask."
Speaking to Fox Digital, Walters stood by his stance, noting Trump’s victory at the voting booth in November.
"We're talking about families, we're talking about adults, the adults are in the country illegally. And we're trying to make sure the Trump administration has the information to move forward with the most aggressive deportation policy in our nation's history that the American people clearly support," he said.
"The president won an overwhelming victory with his election. He won every swing state. He won every county in Oklahoma. So you look at this and you say: ‘CNN, left wing media, Democrats, you don't want to have the real conversation because it requires you to admit you created this problem.’ Now the adults are in charge trying to fix it by shutting down the border, deporting illegal immigrants," he said.
Walters also pointed to the impact of illegal immigration on schools in Oklahoma, including the necessary diversion of resources.
"While the left continues to go out and defend and champion the cause of illegal immigrant criminals, we're looking at the American citizen, Oklahomans, and we're sitting here saying, ‘listen, what about the kid that's over a year behind in reading who we've now put in a tutoring program? They're getting caught back up, now all of a sudden, all the tutors have to be diverted because of illegal immigrants that have flocked to their city and flocked to their hometown,’" he said.
"Outlets like CNN and other left-wing outlets refuse to talk about the compassion for the victims’ families who have been targeted by the crimes committed by illegal immigrants. They refuse to talk about compassion when it's your students of American citizens that have fallen behind in school, are working to get caught back up and yet, all of their resources are being moved at the last minute. They refuse to talk about compassion when you see the deaths caused by fentanyl, that oftentimes what a student tries it for the first time and they drop dead," he said. "Americans are tired of it."
He also pointed to the flow of drugs and criminals into the U.S. via the porous southern border.
"And we know that over 99% of that fentanyl has come across the border. So the left, they can cry their crocodile tears. It's complete phony outrage that they act like that," he said. "They have compassion for illegal immigrants. They have no compassion for the American citizens, for the American people, for the American worker. And Americans are tired of it."
Walters also said that other states should be following Oklahoma’s example and backing the deportation and border security effort by the Trump administration.
"This country is a law and order country. We cannot continue to allow criminal activity, we cannot continue to allow sanctuary schools," he said. "Listen, you don't get to…harbor any other criminals in a school system. We should not be allowing illegal immigrants to enroll in our schools, work in our schools, and not get that information for the president, for the entire country," he said.
"Americans want to see an America First policy. They've got that in President Trump," he added. "They will see that here in Oklahoma with our schools. We will put our students first. We will put American citizens first. And we will continue to work with President Trump and his team as they are doing a tremendous job in not only getting our schools back on track but getting our country back on track by bringing law and order back."
Fox News' Lindsay Kornick and Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.
Wednesday’s deadly collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter outside Washington, D.C., followed the Army’s highest rate of flight mishaps in more than a decade.
Army aviation saw 17 class A mishaps, accidents that killed someone or caused more than $2.5 million worth of damage during fiscal year 2024. Fifteen of those were during flights, and two were ground aircraft mishaps.
That followed nine flight and one aircraft ground incidents in 2023 and four flight and four ground mishaps in 2022.
"FY24 will be a year that Army Aviation looks back on in hopes of never repeating," stated a dismal Army report, released just before the deadly collision near Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people.
Fiscal year 2024 saw the most class A mishaps per 100,000 flight hours since 2007. Nine soldiers and one civilian died in flight mishaps, while one contractor died in an aircraft ground accident, according to the report.
The 1.9 class A mishaps per 100,000 was nearly four times the rate of 2022, 0.5 per 100,000.
In an average year, Army aviation mishaps kill six crew members.
There were 66 class A-C mishaps, meaning aviation incidents where over $60,000 worth of damage was incurred or personnel were injured enough to miss work.
READ THE ARMY REPORT BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE
The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter involved in the Washington, D.C.-area crash is not the force’s most accident-prone aircraft; it was only involved in one of the 2024 major incidents, while nine such incidents involved AH-64 Apaches.
Last week’s crash was the first class A mishap for fiscal year 2025.
The Navy had 11 Class A aviation mishaps in FY 2024, and the Marine Corps had six. Five Marines died in a CH-53E Super Stallion crash last February. The Air Force, which has more aviators than any other branch, had 20 class A mishaps in FY 2024.
The Army attributed the spike in incidents to an "ineffective safety culture."
Its aviation review called for more recording and reviewing of flight footage with superiors after it found that the average flight experience is down 300 hours per aviator from 2013. While crew experience was not cited in every incident, the Army deemed it "a hazard that must be considered."
"While it’s understandable to have concerns about "big brother" monitoring, the primary goal of flight data analysis is to improve safety, not to punish or scrutinize individual pilots," the Army’s Combat Readiness Center said in the report.
After more than a dozen aviators died in the first half of fiscal year 2023, the Army conducted an aviation-wide stand down in April 2023, temporarily grounding all regular missions and training to assess safety issues.
However, the accidents continued. In April 2024, the Army executed a safety "stand up" with training on new safety protocols and procedures. After the stand up, the class A mishap rate for the remainder of FY 2024 dropped to 0.86 per 100,000 flight hours.
Last week Army secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll promised senators he would emphasize a "culture of safety" after the deadly crash, which he said "seems to be preventable."
"There are appropriate times to take risk and there are inappropriate times to take risk," he said. "I don’t know the details around this one, but after doing it, if confirmed, and working with this committee to figure out the facts, I think we might need to look at where is an appropriate time to take training risk, and it may not be near an airport like Reagan."
The Black Hawk, carrying three Army pilots, was conducting an "annual proficiency training flight" when it collided with a commercial regional jet from Wichita, Kansas, as it was on the descent to land at Reagan, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The Army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that he is now the acting director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Rubio told this to reporters while taking questions from the press in El Salvador.
"USAID is not functioning. It has to be aligned with US policy. It needs to be aligned with the national interest of the US," he said. "They're not a global charity these are taxpayer dollars. People are asking simple questions. What are they doing with the money? We are spending taxpayers money. We owe the taxpayers assurances that it furthers our national interest."
"I am the acting director," he confirmed when asked if he is now in charge. "Our goal was to allow our foreign aid with the national interest. It has been 20 or 30 years. They have tried to reform it. That will not continue."
USAID staffers were instructed earlier Monday to stay out of the agency’s Washington headquarters after Elon Musk announced President Donald Trump had agreed with him to shut the agency. Thousands of USAID employees already had been laid off and programs shut down.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
FIRST ON FOX: Republican attorneys general from 18 states are pushing back against lawsuits filed by Democrat AGs and legal groups nationwide challenging the Trump administration’s executive order on birthright citizenship through an amicus brief filing set to be filed Monday, Fox News Digital has learned.
"If someone comes on a tourist visa to have an anchor baby, they are not under that original meaning of the United States Constitution," Iowa AG Brenna Bird told Fox News Digital in an interview Monday. Bird is the lead AG leading an amicus brief filing in support of the executive order on Monday.
"Oftentimes, when this has happened. It's the taxpayers that are paying for the health care through Medicaid or through hospitals, paying for care for someone to have a child, or the state child health insurance system as well," Bird said. "Each state has a system that helps kids without insurance, and so the taxpayers are on the hook here for all the costs."
Bird's amicus brief comes in response to 18 Democrat-led states who launched their own lawsuit, claiming the order is unconstitutional and "unprecedented."
"The President has no authority to rewrite or nullify a constitutional amendment or duly enacted statute. Nor is he empowered by any other source of law to limit who receives United States citizenship at birth," the lawsuit reads.
Attorneys general from California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine and others signed on to the suit, along with the city and county of San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration the same day he signed the order "on behalf of organizations with members whose babies born on U.S. soil will be denied citizenship under the order." The ACLU also claimed the order is unconstitutional and against congressional intent and Supreme Court precedent.
Bird's brief – signed by Republican AGs from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming – focuses on several arguments.
The first part of the 13-page brief claims that President Donald Trump's executive order complies with the "original meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment." The second portion claims Trump's order "reduces harm to the states."
The brief states that the "Plaintiffs’ erroneous Citizenship Clause interpretation will continue the powerful incentive for citizens of foreign countries to give birth on American soil, even if they must illegally enter this country to do so."
"The lure of American citizenship motivates pregnant women to travel to America to give birth," the brief reads. "Some women, desperate to give birth in the United States, cross the border the day they deliver their baby."
A border hospital administrator described witnessing pregnant women arriving at the hospital in active labor, still wet and shivering from crossing the river, determined to give birth in the U.S., the brief, which will be filed in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, says.
Trump's order, titled the "Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship" states that "the privilege of United States citizenship does not automatically extend to persons born in the United States" when the individual's parents are illegal immigrants living in the U.S. or if their presence is lawful but temporary. It was among the first orders he signed after taking office in early January.
"President Trump is restoring the meaning and value of American citizenship, and also making sure that if someone is breaking the law, they won't be rewarded for that by getting citizenship," Bird said. "And so it's following the Constitution and making sure that we're upholding our immigration laws."
Fox News Digital's Haley-Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
Democratic lawmakers are claiming that President Donald Trump's impending tax on international goods will raise costs, despite spending years deflecting blame for high prices from the Biden administration.
Trump signed an executive order Saturday night to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada and a 10% tax on all imports from China, fulfilling a promise he made during his 2024 presidential campaign as a way to circumvent drug trafficking into the U.S.
The tariffs on Canada and China are set to go into effect at midnight, but Trump announced on Monday that he would pause the tariff on Mexico for one month after discussions with President Claudia Sheinbaum. However, as the tariffs loom, Democrats are claiming they could drive up bills for everyday Americans, despite supporting several tax hikes under the Biden administration.
"This is a terrible idea," Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said in a statement. "Folks are already struggling to get ahead because of high prices, and now President Trump is about to drive up grocery and gas prices while raising costs on Arizona businesses."
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., claimed Trump's tariffs "could cost a typical family $1,200 per year," while Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said that "President Trump owns the economic and national security fallout."
Additionally, Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona cosigned a letter with 42 lawmakers calling on Trump to "immediately" rescind the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
"Trump’s tariffs on Canada will do nothing but hurt American workers and auto manufacturers. He’s giving our overseas competitors a leg up," Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., claimed in a reaction to the impending tax.
"It would be nice if Donald Trump could start focusing on getting the prices down instead of making them go up," wrote Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. "I am concerned these new tariffs will further drive up costs for American consumers. We should be focused on going hard against competitors who rig the game, like China, rather than attacking our allies."
While Democrats are uniting to criticize Trump's tariffs, members of the party did not widely push back on tax increases implemented by former President Joe Biden.
During his administration, Democrats backed Biden's proposals for a range of tax increases, including hikes on small businesses, corporations, capital gains and dividends, personal income, energy and a second estate tax.
When gas prices doubled under Biden, according to data from the Energy Information Administration, Schumer, then-Senate majority leader, claimed that it was oil companies "gouging us at the pump" who were to blame.
Despite the backlash, Trump has defended his decision to authorize the tariffs, telling reporters on Sunday night that Canada has been "abusive" toward the U.S. in terms of trade.
House conservatives are cheering the apparent scale-down of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), led by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
"USAID is a corrupt governmental organization run by unelected bureaucrats created to shovel taxpayer dollars to Democrats' pet projects overseas," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital.
"At nearly $37 trillion in national debt – and a $1.8 trillion annual deficit – we can't afford to continue giving money to countries that hate America and everything we stand for," he said.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital that shutting down USAID "will help reduce our national debt and relieve the burden on taxpayers, while compelling aid-dependent countries to achieve true self-reliance, snapping them out of the dependency cycle USAID has perpetuated under the false banner of ‘development.’"
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., endorsed the idea of ending its independent agency status on CBS News' "Face the Nation" over the weekend.
"I would be absolutely for, if that's the path we go down, removing USAID as a separate department and having it fall under one of the other parts of the Department of State, because of its failure," Mast said.
USAID is an independent agency in the federal government that provides civilian foreign aid to help encourage development, fight poverty and disease, and promote democracy overseas.
However, conservatives argue that the agency has strayed from its intended purpose and have called for steep cuts to its multibillion-dollar budget.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on X, "7 months ago, I tried to DEFUND USAID. Only 81 Republicans voted 'aye' which is 'yes' to my amendment to prohibit funding to USAID. 127 Republicans and 204 Democrats voted NO to my amendment and voted to FUND USAID. I FULLY SUPPORT ELIMINATING USAID!!!"
Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., similarly said on the platform, "I once proposed an amendment on the House floor to cut the USAID budget by 50%. A sensible start. You won't be shocked to know that it didn't have enough support from my fellow Republicans."
Fifty senior USAID staff have been placed on administrative leave, sources told Fox News over the weekend. Staff have also been barred from communicating with anyone outside the agency without approval.
Democrats have criticized the USAID crackdown, particularly with regard to Musk – who they point out is an unelected ally and donor to Trump.
"Agency watchdogs track down waste, fraud and abuse. Trump fired them all. The Government Accountability Office monitors federal spending. What Elon Musk is doing isn’t oversight. An unaccountable billionaire doesn’t have the power to cancel spending he disagrees with," Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, wrote on X.
Rep. Diane DeGette, D-Colo., said, "USAID is critical in advancing U.S. national security interests, providing humanitarian aid, and strengthening global stability. Musk is an unelected billionaire with no authority to make these decisions. This isn’t governance, it’s authoritarianism."
Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report
A newly formed outside group aligned with President Donald Trump says it's taking aim at Republican senators who remain undecided on Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as it pushes to confirm Trump's Health and Human Services secretary.
Patient First Coalition (PFC), a nonprofit advocacy group launched last week, says it's now beginning what it describes as a "massive grassroots effort" to encourage Republican senators to support Kennedy, the vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump.
Kennedy survived back-to-back combustible Senate confirmation hearings last week, where Trump's nominee to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation's food and health faced plenty of verbal fireworks over past controversial comments, including his repeated claims in recent years linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.
The move by PFC, which says it's a collective group of organizations committed to advancing Kennedy's so-called "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, comes ahead of Tuesday's key confirmation vote by the Senate Finance Committee.
"All uncommitted Republican Senators will be targeted in this grassroots effort," PFC highlighted.
Shannon Burns, the group's senior advisor, shared that "our grassroots phase will include television, radio and podcast interviews with our advisory board members, as well as guest columns in newspapers across the country."
"We will enable thousands of calls and emails into Senate offices from millions of Americans who support this agenda. We want to organize them, mobilize them, and make sure their voices are heard before the Senate votes," Burns added.
PFC pointed out that it will initially give "special focus" to GOP senators in Louisiana, Maine, Alaska, Kentucky and North Carolina.
Those states are home to Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana physician and chair of the Senate Health Committee, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who are often at odds with Trump, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former longtime Senate Republican leader, and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
"Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me," Cassidy told Kennedy at the end of Thursday's confirmation hearing.
PFC is one of a handful of outside groups targeting GOP senators in the fight to confirm Trump's nominees.
A source in Trump's political orbit tells Fox News that those groups could "exact consequences" on Republican senators who don't support the president's Cabinet nominees.
And Trump on Sunday took to social media to demand that Senate Republicans 'GET TOUGH VERY FAST" in confirming the rest of his Cabinet.
"Tammy [Murphy] and I were talking about – I don’t want to get into too much detail, but there is someone in our broader universe whose immigration status is not yet at the point that they are trying to get it to. And we said, you know what? Let's have her live at our house above our garage," the Democrat governor said.
"And good luck to the feds coming in to try to get her," Murphy added, seemingly hinting that the person may be an illegal immigrant. Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy's office for more information, but they did not immediately respond.
The revelation comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been conducting operations in New Jersey, most notably with a raid in Newark in late January.
"Public trust is essential to public safety. Our office has requested more information from the Trump Administration about the recent immigration enforcement action in Newark so we have a clear understanding of the facts of this case," a spokesperson for Murphy told PIX11 following that operation.
ICE did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Trump border czar Tom Homan told Fox News in December that knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal immigrant from ICE is a "violation of the law."
The Trump administration is ending a deportation shield for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in the U.S., opening the door to them being deported -- just as President Donald Trump has secured an agreement with the socialist country to take back its nationals.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to Fox News Digital that more than 300,000 nationals protected by Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in 2023 are having their statuses revoked. The New York Times, which first reported details of the move, reported that they will lose temporary status 60 days after the government first publishes the notice.
TPS grants protection from deportation and allows work permits for nationals living in the U.S. from countries deemed unsafe for them to be returned. Then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced extensions for TPS for Venezuela, as well as El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine, for an additional 18 months in the final few days of the Biden administration. That move, if left in place, would have complicated Trump efforts to deport large numbers of those nationalities.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week announced that the extension was being revoked, but this move would prematurely end the status altogether.
Republicans have long been skeptical of the program, arguing that it has been used too broadly, with 17 countries designated at the end of the Biden administration. The first Trump administration cut down on the use of TPS and has indicated it intends to do the same in the second administration.
Venezuelans were one of the top nationalities coming into the U.S. at the height of the 2021-2024 border crisis, with many also coming in through a separate parole policy for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans -- a program now ended by the Trump administration.
On Saturday, Trump said that an agreement had been made with Venezuela to take back its illegal immigrants. Venezuela had started taking back illegal immigrants in 2023 but stopped in early 2024.
"…Venezuela has agreed to receive, back into their Country, all Venezuela illegal aliens who were encamped in the U.S., including gang members of Tren de Aragua," Trump said on Truth Social.
"Venezuela has further agreed to supply the transportation back. We are in the process of removing record numbers of illegal aliens from all Countries, and all Countries have agreed to accept these illegal aliens back."
The moves come amid a flurry of efforts by the Trump administration to secure the border and significantly ramp up the numbers of deportations and removals from the U.S. The administration has ended parole programs, limited the use of asylum and deployed the military to the southern border.
Meanwhile, Noem visited the southern border on Sunday, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio is currently on a tour of Latin America. Defense Department Secretary Pete Hegseth is heading to the southern border on Monday.
The Trump administration is billing the new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as critical to preventing fentanyl and other drugs from pouring across the U.S. border, rather than a step in an international trade war.
President Donald Trump is imposing a 25% tariff on all goods entering the United States from Mexico and Canada; a 10% tariff on Canadian energy; and a 10% tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from China. The tariffs on Canada and China are set to go into effect Tuesday at midnight.
The president spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Monday morning, he said, and is expected to speak to him again at 3 p.m. ET on Monday.
"Canada doesn’t even allow U.S. Banks to open or do business there," Trump posted on his Truth Social Monday. "What’s that all about? Many such things, but it’s also a DRUG WAR, and hundreds of thousands of people have died in the U.S. from drugs pouring through the Borders of Mexico and Canada."
The president also spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Monday morning — a conversation that led to Trump delaying the imposition of tariffs on Mexico for one month.
"It was a very friendly conversation wherein she agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican Soldiers on the Border separating Mexico and the United States," Trump posted on his Truth Social. "These soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country."
"We further agreed to immediately pause the anticipated tariffs for a one month period during which we will have negotiations headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and high-level Representatives of Mexico," Trump wrote. "I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a ‘deal’ between our two Countries."
On Sunday, Vice President JD Vance echoed a similar sentiment regarding drugs, posting on X that Mexico "sends tons of fentanyl into our country. Canada has seen a massive increase in fentanyl trafficking across its border."
"There are three ways of stopping this," Vance wrote. "The first is ask nicely, which we’ve done. It’s gone no where."
He added: "Now we’re onto the consequences phase."
And Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Monday said the imposition of tariffs "isn’t a trade war with Canada, or Mexico or China."
"This is about fentanyl," Burgum said on "Fox & Friends." "We’ve had a mass invasion of our country. We’ve been taking mass casualties. We lose almost 300 people a day to overdose deaths."
Burgum added: "President Trump wants to end this."
The president authorized the tariffs in an executive order on Saturday. Under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 25% additional tariff will be levied on imports from Canada and Mexico, with a 10% tariff on imports from China.
In the executive order, Trump said the tariffs stem from an "extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, [that] constitutes a national emergency."
The tariffs have invited international criticism from leaders and citizens alike in Canada and Mexico. During his exchange with reporters on Sunday evening, Trump accused Canada of being "abusive" toward the U.S. in terms of trade.
"Canada has been very abusive of the United States for many years. They don't allow our banks," Trump said. "And you know that Canada does not allow banks to go in, if you think about it. That's pretty amazing. If we have a U.S. bank, they don't allow them to go in."
"Canada has been very tough for oil on energy. They don't allow our farm products in, essentially. They don't allow a lot of things in. And we allow everything to come in as being a one-way street."
Trump also said that the U.S. subsidizes Canada "by the tune of about $200 billion a year."
"And for what? What do we get out of it? We don't get anything out of it," he added. "I love the people of Canada. I disagree with the leadership of Canada and something is going to happen there."
But in a statement on Saturday, Sheinbaum said her country "categorically reject[s] the White House's slander against the Mexican government of having alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of intervention in our territory."
"Mexico not only does not want fentanyl to reach the United States, but anywhere," the statement read. "Therefore, if the United States wants to combat criminal groups that traffic drugs and generate violence, we must work together in an integrated manner, but always under the principles of shared responsibility, mutual trust, collaboration and, above all, respect for sovereignty, which is not negotiable."
Canada's Trudeau slighted the U.S. by encouraging Canadians to "buy Canada," and announcing his own set of tariffs on $20 billion "of goods imported from the United States," including produce, meats and cheeses.
"Now is the time to choose products made right here in Canada," Trudeau wrote on X. "Check the labels. Let’s do our part. Wherever we can, choose Canada."
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent the weekend speaking with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who could effectively stop his confirmation process for secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in its tracks.
The Louisiana senator's office confirmed Sunday evening that the two men had been speaking that day.
Cassidy is a doctor and also one of the few remaining Republican senators who voted to convict President Donald Trump for allegedly inciting the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
His vote on the 27-member Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday could decide whether Kennedy's nomination to be Trump's HHS secretary moves forward to the Senate floor or is left to potentially die in committee.
Cassidy has yet to indicate how he plans to vote on the nomination. During one of Kennedy's hearings last week, he admitted, "I have been struggling with your nomination."
He explained that there are areas of alignment between them, but that his criticism and claims regarding vaccination have given him pause.
"But if there is someone that is not vaccinated because of policies or attitudes you bring to the department and there is another 18-year-old who dies of a vaccine-preventable disease, helicoptered away, God forbid dies, it’ll be blown up in the press," Cassidy said.
"The greatest tragedy will be her death, but I can also tell you an associated tragedy that will cast a shadow over President Trump’s legacy, which I want to be the absolute best legacy it can be."
He added that this was his "dilemma," and foreshadowed their conversations, saying, "you may be hearing from me over the weekend."
Representatives for Cassidy and Kennedy did not divulge specifics of their conversations.
Whether he was decided yet on how he will vote, Cassidy's office declined to comment.
Kennedy has managed to get the support of other sometimes hesitant lawmakers, such as Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., who said on X, "[Kennedy's] unique leadership on healthy lifestyle choices will benefit countless Americans, and he understands the critical importance of rebuilding trust in our public health institutions."
"I’ve also received assurances from him that strong pro-life policies will continue to be reinstituted at HHS under his leadership," Young wrote. "We spoke extensively about the importance of supporting innovation in health care to both bring down costs and improve treatment. I look forward to working with him to make positive changes for the American people."
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., will also be voting to advance Kennedy, his office confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Kennedy will likely need the support of every Republican on the committee, assuming he does not receive any Democratic support. No committee Democrats have come out to say they will back him. The committee vote will take place Tuesday morning.
The Senate Republican campaign committee is touting that it is off to a strong fundraising start as it aims to defend and expand its majority in the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) announced on Monday that it raked in a record $8.5 million in January, which the committee says is its best ever off-year January haul.
"To deliver on the promises President Trump made to the American people, we must protect and grow our Republican Senate Majority," South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the new NRSC chair, said in a statement.
Scott teased that "the NRSC’s record-breaking January is just the beginning. We will work tirelessly to ensure Republicans have the resources and operations needed to win in battleground states across the Senate map."
However, in a memo sent to Senate Republican chiefs of staff, NRSC Executive Director Jennifer DeCasper noted that the committee will "enter this cycle with nearly $24 million in debt and unpaid bills from last cycle and limited cash on hand."
The NRSC ended 2024 with $2.7 million in its coffers.
Republicans won control of the Senate in November's elections by flipping an open seat in West Virginia, and ousting Democratic incumbents in Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The GOP currently holds a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
Senate Republicans enjoyed a very favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they won back control of the majority. An early read of the 2026 map shows they will continue to play offense in some states, but will be forced to play defense in others.
The GOP will target an open Democrat-held seat in battleground Michigan, where Sen. Gary Peters announced last week that he would not seek re-election in 2026. They will also target first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff in battleground Georgia and longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in swing state New Hampshire.
However, Democrats plan to go on offense in blue-leaning Maine, where GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, as well as in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also up in 2026.
Mexico has agreed to deploy 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in exchange for a one-month delay on President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday.
Sheinbaum made the announcement on social media Monday morning, roughly 12 hours before the tariffs were set to take effect. Trump and Sheinbaum spoke on Monday and agreed that Mexico will do more to combat drug trafficking into the U.S., and that the U.S. will step up efforts to block the flow of firearms into Mexico.
Sheinbaum also said officials with the U.S. and Mexico were beginning talks on wider trade and security issues.
Trump confirmed the deal in his own post on Truth Social, describing the call with Sheinbaum as a "very friendly conversation."
"I just spoke with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico. It was a very friendly conversation wherein she agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican Soldiers on the Border separating Mexico and the United States. These soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country," Trump wrote.
"We further agreed to immediately pause the anticipated tariffs for a one month period during which we will have negotiations headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and high-level Representatives of Mexico. I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a 'deal' between our two Countries," he added.
The deal comes just days after Trump announced 25% tariffs on both Mexico and Canada, as well as 10% tariffs on China. Trump says he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, but the pair did not reach an agreement. He says they will speak again later Monday.
The tariffs are set to take effect at midnight on Tuesday.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slighted the U.S. by encouraging Canadians to "buy Canada" in response to the tariffs.
"Now is the time to choose products made right here in Canada," Trudeau wrote on X. "Check the labels. Let’s do our part. Wherever we can, choose Canada.
During Sunday's exchange with reporters, Trump also discussed the prospect of cutting off aid to South Africa after its president signed a controversial land seizure measure.
A resounding majority of New York State registered voters support President Donald Trump's effort to deport illegal aliens who have been convicted of a crime, according to a Siena College poll.
The poll of Empire State registered voters found that 79% support deporting such individuals, while just 11% oppose removing them.
The poll results indicate that the issue represents an area of significant bipartisan agreement.
While 69% of Democrats support expulsion of illegal aliens convicted of a crime, according to the poll, a whopping 91% of Republicans also support it — just 16% of Democrats and 4% of Republicans oppose it.
The poll found that just 39% support the deportation of illegal aliens who do not have a criminal record, while 42% oppose it. A majority of Republicans (64%) support the idea, while just 24% of Democrats back it. And while 15% of Republicans oppose the notion, 59% of Democrats oppose it.
Regarding the Trump administration's deportation efforts, 48% believe New York should support federal efforts to deport aliens living unlawfully in the Empire State, while 31% think the state should oppose federal deportation efforts.
There is a significant partisan divide on the issue, with 81% of Republicans indicating the state should support federal deportation efforts, but just 28% of Democrats holding that position. While 50% of Democrats indicated the state should oppose federal deportation efforts, just 6% of Republicans shared that view.
New Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has raised eyebrows on social media for some of her unique style choices.
"Kristi Noem seems to think that serving as a Cabinet secretary is akin to attending a Halloween party," one user on social media said in response to Noem appearing on NBC’s "Meet the Press" with a cowboy hat. "These costumes are just getting ridiculous."
The post comes after Noem was gifted a Border Patrol cowboy hat by agents in Texas on Sunday, according to a report from News Nation, where the new Homeland Security secretary went on a ride-along with the Horse Patrol unit and was later seen shaking hands and posing for photos with agents while sporting the hat.
"We are not a serious country," one user on X added.
Other social media users rushed to Noem’s defense, with many pointing out that the attire is normal in her home state of South Dakota.
"Across America people – in places like Kristi's ranch – those hats aren't costumes as you know them. People actually wear them every day for work and whenever they are outdoors," one X user said.
"She’s from South Dakota, owns farmland and runs a ranch," added another. "Stands to reason she would have a cowboy hat."
"She posts pics on her farm all the time. She can’t wear one of her hats? Y’all are so weird," added another user.
Noem’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Reached for comment, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital Noem spent her first week on the job with "border agents at the southern and northern borders as well as on an ICE enforcement operation targeting high target criminals."
"Secretary Noem is proud to wear the uniform of the DHS agents who protect Americans and our homeland," Mclaughlin added. "I've yet to hear screeching when a man puts on a hat or protective vest. Critics are embarrassing themselves revealing that they are more concerned about what the Secretary of DHS wears than they are that Mayorkas allowed 15 million immigrants into this country in just four years."
FIRST ON FOX: The CEO of the largest steel producer in the U.S., Nucor Corp., endorsed President Donald Trump's tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, Fox News Digital learned.
"Nucor applauds the first steps taken by President Trump in his America First Trade Agenda," Leon J. Topalian, the chair, president and CEO Nucor Corp., wrote in a statement dated Friday that was obtained by Fox News Digital. "We look forward to working with President Trump to enforce our trade laws and strengthen American manufacturing!"
The subject line of the letter reads, "Presidential Executive Orders on Canada, Mexico, and the People’s Republic of China."
Nucor is based out of North Carolina and serves as the nation's largest steel producer and scrap metal recycler.
The company's CEO recently joined CNBC's Jim Cramer and celebrated Trump's then-upcoming tariffs as tools to end "currency manipulation" and the "subsidization" of steel coming to the U.S. from abroad.
"We saw the memo last Monday on tariffs and what they're going to do," Topalian said Tuesday. "And I think they're going to be far-reaching, and I think they're going to be very broad to, again, stop the illegal dumping, the manipulation, currency manipulation and subsidization of steels coming into the shores of the U.S."
"We're the largest steel company in North America, so, of course, we took a look a year and a half ago and, and, we'll continue to look and see if those assets come back," he said. "But, part of the reason we didn't move forward is valuation. We're not going to overpay for assets."
Trump signed an executive order on Saturday authorizing tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China through the new International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The tariffs take effect on Tuesday and include 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on imports from China. Energy resources from Canada will have a lower 10% tariff.
The tariffs were created in light of "extraordinary" threats stemming from "illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl," according to the order.
"This challenge threatens the fabric of our society," the executive order states. "Gang members, smugglers, human traffickers, and illicit drugs of all kinds have poured across our borders and into our communities.
"Canada has played a central role in these challenges, including by failing to devote sufficient attention and resources or meaningfully coordinate with United States law enforcement partners to effectively stem the tide of illicit drugs."
Foreign leaders have railed against the tariffs. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Saturday that her country "categorically reject[s] the White House's slander against the Mexican government of having alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of intervention in our territory."
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau encouraged residents to "buy Canada" by checking labels at stores to ensure a product is made in the Great White North.
Trump defended the tariffs Sunday evening while talking to reporters gathered at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
"Canada has been very abusive of the United States for many years. They don't allow our banks," Trump said. "And you know that Canada does not allow banks to go in, if you think about it. That's pretty amazing. If we have a U.S. bank, they don't allow them to go in."
"Canada has been very tough for oil on energy. They don't allow our farm products in, essentially. They don't allow a lot of things in. And we allow everything to come in as being a one-way street."
Former President Joe Biden also imposed tariffs during his administration, including on steel and aluminum shipped from Mexico to the U.S. but made elsewhere.
Fox News Digital's Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump's administration is facing scrutiny this week after working with billionaire Elon Musk to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an organization Musk called a "viper's nest" of mismanaged funding.
Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) worked with the Trump administration to shut down USAID on Monday. While the agency's long-term future remains unclear, lawmakers and activists have repeatedly accused USAID of using funding to leverage policy changes across the globe. Under President Joe Biden's administration, the organization was frequently used to push abortion in Africa, critics say.
Biden cleared the path for U.S. funding to flow toward pro-abortion groups across the globe just days after entering office. He signed an executive order rescinding the Reagan-era "Mexico City Rule" on Jan. 28, 2021.
The rule, first rescinded by President Barack Obama and then reinstated during Trump's first term, prevented foreign aid from going to nongovernmental organizations that promote abortion or provide abortion services.
"These excessive conditions on foreign and development assistance undermine the United States’ efforts to advance gender equality globally by restricting our ability to support women’s health," Biden said at the time.
Biden's rule change cleared USAID to send millions in funding to aggressive abortion organizations like Marie Stopes International (MSI). MSI said it relied on USAID for 17% of its total donor income under the Obama administration, adding that the lack of U.S. support created an $80-million "funding gap" over the final three years of Trump's term.
The group said the countries most heavily impacted by the lack of funding were Madagascar, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., accused Biden in 2023 of "hijacking" a successful AIDS relief program to push an international abortion agenda.
Smith's accusations centered on PREPFAR, a funding program within USAID that, at the time, had already allocated some $100 billion toward fighting AIDS across the world, saving 25 million lives and preventing millions of infections.
Smith says two groups, Population Services International (PSI) and Village Reach, had received $96.5 million and $10.1 million, respectively, from PEPFAR under Biden, and both groups have a track record of pushing abortion.
"PSI proudly proclaims it provides abortion and lobbies to eliminate pro-life laws," Smith said at the time. "PSI provides comprehensive abortion and post-abortion care services in nearly 20 countries throughout the world."
Smith alleged Village Reach used PEPFAR funds "to promote abortion in Malawi and lobby for changes in pro-life laws" and also "helped Malawi establish a government-funded hotline (that included providing information and referrals for ‘sexual and reproductive health,’ i.e., abortion)."
A third group, Pathfinder International, received $5 million in PEPFAR funding from 2021 to 2023. Smith said the group "lobbies to weaken or eliminate pro-life laws in nations around the world" and is "explicit in its promotion of abortion in other countries, stating it is "committed to expanding access to … safe abortion."
Biden's administration was accused in December of pressuring the government of Sierra Leone to adopt more permissive abortion policies in exchange for foreign assistance.
A report from the Daily Signal stated that The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government-run funding allocator, was threatening to withhold hundreds of millions in foreign assistance funding if the nation didn't relax its policies, a former senior U.S. government official told the outlet.
The MCC CEO Alice Albright signed an agreement with Sierra Leone's finance minister, Sheku Bangura, in late September. The agreement called for the country to receive $480 million in foreign assistance so long as it met the MCC's "rigorous standards for good governance, fighting corruption and respecting democratic rights."
The organization denied any effort to influence Sierra Leone's abortion policies in a statement to Fox News Digital in December.
"The Millennium Challenge Corporation is unaware of any Sierra Leonean abortion legislation and has never made any requests to the Government of Sierra Leone regarding abortion policies. Any such legislation would be an internal matter for Sierra Leone with no U.S. government developments fund made contingent on its passage," the organization said in a statement.
Footage circulating on social media showed raucous pro-life protesters demonstrating inside Sierra Leone's parliament at the time as lawmakers debated legislation detailing more permissive abortion rules.
Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
