Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, predicted that House Speaker Mike Johnson would not retain the gavel next year and called for either Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy to fill the leadership role.

"I don't think the speaker is going to remain in power," Lee predicted during a Thursday night appearance on "Jesse Watters Primetime."

The senator went on to say if he is correct, the next speaker should be a "DOGE speaker," a reference to the Department of Governmental Efficiency. President-elect Donald Trump tapped Musk and Ramaswamy to lead the effort to advocate for reduced government spending.

"Vivek, Elon if you're watching, please sign up, America needs you," Lee said.

TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FAILS HOUSE VOTE

In a Thursday morning post on X, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had floated the idea of Musk for House speaker.

"Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it .  . . nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds)," Paul posted Thursday morning.

This week, with the prospect of a potential partial government shutdown looming, conservatives railed against a 1,547-page government spending measure advocated by House Speaker Mike Johnson. 

President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance also weighed in, declaring in a statement, "Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling."

Before a vote on Thursday, in which 38 House Republicans and most Democrats rejected a reworked proposal with a much lower page count, Trump lambasted Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., claiming that the lawmaker was "getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory - All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself."

"Weak and ineffective people like Chip have to be dismissed as being utterly unknowledgeable as to the ways of politics, and as to Making America Great Again," Trump asserted in a Truth Social post.

TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS

Lee spoke highly of Roy after Trump trashed the Lone Star State lawmaker.

"There is not a more faithful advocate of conservative policy, constitutionally limited government, or MAGA principles than @ChipRoyTX," Lee declared in a post on X. "President Trump will not have a more principled, hardworking ally than @ChipRoyTX," he added. "If a more devoted advocate for the Constitution exists today, I have not met that person."

Roy delivered a fiery speech ahead of the vote on Thursday, in which he blasted the new version of the spending proposal and the Republicans supporting it.

"Yes, I think this bill is better than it was yesterday on certain respects," Roy noted, adding that to "congratulate yourself because it's shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine."

Roy said he was "sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity" to suggest the proposal was "fiscally responsible. It is absolutely ridiculous," he asserted.

Sen. Paul, R-Ky., reposted a clip of Roy's speech, and commented, "We are either fiscally conservative or not. An unlimited increase in the debt ceiling for 2 years is not fiscally conservative and should be rejected."

MASSIE COMES OUT AGAINST JOHNSON RETAINING SPEAKER'S GAVEL: ‘HE DOES NOT HAVE MY VOTE’

In a post on X, Roy noted, "Currently, I’m against raising the debt ceiling without major spending cuts/reform."

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who like Roy, voted against passing the spending proposal on Thursday, suggested that instead of voting on a catchall measure, there should be multiple measures that receive individual votes.

"This isn’t complicated. Separate the bills and vote on them individually. one vote on the clean CR one vote on the debt limit one vote on disaster relief one vote on farm bailouts Radical right? Individual bills for each issue," he posted.

Lee agreed with him. 

"Separate the bills," he wrote. "Vote on them individually," he added. "Revolutionary!"

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has declared that he will not vote for House Speaker Mike Johnson to retain the speakership next year.

"He does not have my vote," Massie told CNN's Manu Raju. Asked whether he would change his mind, Massie said that would require "a Christmas miracle."

Earlier this year Massie supported Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in pushing to remove Johnson from the speakership, but the vast majority of members in both parties ultimately voted to spike the ouster effort. 

JOHNSON HIT WITH POSSIBLE SPEAKERSHIP RIVALS AS CONSERVATIVES REBEL OVER GOVERNMENT FUNDING PLAN

"It’s a new paradigm in Congress. Nancy Pelosi, and most republicans voted to keep Uniparty Speaker Mike Johnson," Massie tweeted at the time.

This week Johnson had advocated in favor of a more than 1,500-page government spending measure that would have averted the looming prospect of a partial government shutdown. 

During a Wednesday interview on "Fox & Friends" Johnson said that the spending measure would kick the government funding issue until March when Republicans will have control of Congress and the White House, enabling the GOP to "decide spending for 2025."

The measure also included disaster relief funding as well as aid related to farmers.

"Disaster aid and Farm aid is not ‘Pork’. It’s called governing. That’s what we were all ELECTED to do," Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., declared in a post on X.

But conservatives savaged the proposal and Elon Musk spoke out against it.

President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance also weighed in. In a statement, they called for passage of "a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want."

"Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country…" they said in the statement.

HOUSE GOP LEADERS SCRAMBLE FOR PLAN B AFTER TRUMP, MUSK LEAD CONSERVATIVE FURY AGAINST SPENDING BILL

Massie mocked Johnson this week by sharing an AI-generated image that depicted the speaker holding a hose while a house burned in the background. 

He shared the image after declaring in a tweet that "US foreign aid spending is like watering the neighbor’s yard while your house is on fire."

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., blocked a Senate bill Wednesday that would have authorized resources for state and local authorities to track drones that have mystified residents across New Jersey and the Northeast in recent weeks. 

Paul objected to the passage of the bill, citing his long-standing concerns over expanding governmental powers. 

"This body must not rush to grant sweeping surveillance powers without proper consideration and debate by the committees of jurisdiction," he said.

'DRONE' SIGHTINGS IN THE NORTHEAST SPARK 'UNFOUNDED' PANIC, SAYS EXPERT

Paul said the bill would "expand federal authority to intercept communications and disrupt drone activity – powers that raise serious concerns for Americans' privacy, civil liberties, and Fourth Amendment protections against unwarranted search and seizure."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sought to speed a bipartisan bill through the Senate by seeking unanimous consent on the floor before it was blocked by Paul. 

"The people in New York and New Jersey have a lot of questions, and they’re not getting good enough answers," said Schumer. "The utter confusion surrounding these drone sightings shows that the feds can’t respond all on their own."

NJ DRONE SIGHTINGS COULD BE A ‘CLASSIFIED EXERCISE’: FORMER CIA OFFICER

In addition to giving local authorities the ability to track drones, the proposed legislation would expand some federal agencies’ authority to start a pilot program to allow states and local authorities to disrupt, disable or seize a drone without prior consent of the operator.

The drone sightings across the Northeast have worried some local and state officials, but the Biden administration has said the drones don’t appear to be a sign of foreign interference or a public safety threat.

However, they have not determined who is responsible for them. 

President-elect Trump last week called for the administration to release information on the drones or shoot them down. Paul, who has often called for limiting governmental powers, said he objected to the bill because it wasn't clear that urgent action was needed. 

"We're being told that this legislation is urgent, that it is needed to address an imminent drone threat," he said. "Yet the government itself admits no such threat exists."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A State Department agency – which has been chided by conservatives for its alleged blacklisting of Americans and news outlets – is set to be refunded in the continuing resolution (CR) bill currently being hammered out among lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

The Global Engagement Center has been included in page 139 of the CR. Although it doesn’t specify its budget allocation, a previous Inspector General report shows the agency’s FY 2020 budget totaled $74.26 million, of which $60 million was appropriated by Congress. 

The provision in the CR can be found under "Foreign Affairs Section 301. Global Engagement Center Extension," and comes despite the State Department saying in response to a lawsuit that it intended to shut down the agency by next week.

OBAMA-ERA INTERAGENCY ORGANIZATION ‘BLACKLISTED’ AMERICANS IN ATTEMPT TO CURB ‘FOREIGN DISINFORMATION’: REPORT

The GEC, according to reporter Matt Taibbi, "funded a secret list of subcontractors and helped pioneer and insidious—and idiotic—new form of blacklisting" during the pandemic. 

Taibbi wrote last year when exposing the Twitter Files that the GEC "flagged accounts as ‘Russian personas and proxies’ based on criteria like, ‘Describing the Coronavirus as an engineered bioweapon,’ blaming ‘research conducted at the Wuhan institute,’ and ‘attributing the appearance of the virus to the CIA.’" 

"State also flagged accounts that retweeted news that Twitter banned the popular U.S. website ZeroHedge, claiming it 'led to another flurry of disinformation narratives.'" ZeroHedge had made reports speculating that the virus had a lab origin.

Elon Musk previously described the GEC as being the "worst offender in US government censorship & media manipulation." 

"They are a threat to our democracy," Musk wrote in a subsequent tweet. 

The GEC is part of the State Department but also partners with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Special Operations Command and the Department of Homeland Security. The GEC also funds the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab).

Taibbi offered various instances in which the DFRLab and the GEC sent Twitter a list of accounts they believed were engaged in "state-backed coordinated manipulation." However, a quick glance from Twitter employees determined that the list was shoddy and included the accounts of multiple American citizens with seemingly no connection to the foreign entity in question.

STATE DEPARTMENT FUNDS ‘DISINFORMATION’ INDEX TARGETING NON-LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE NEWS OUTLETS: REPORT

DFRLab Director Graham Brookie previously denied the claim that they use tax money to track Americans, saying its GEC grants have "an exclusively international focus."

A 2024 report from the Republican-led House Small Business Committee criticized the GEC for awarding grants to organizations whose work includes tracking domestic as well as foreign misinformation and rating the credibility of U.S.-based publishers, according to the Washington Post. 

The State Department, in response to a lawsuit, said it intended to shut down the agency on Dec. 23. But the CR provision means, if passed, it will continue to operate.

The lawsuit was brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Daily Wire and the Federalist, who sued the State Department, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and other government officials earlier this month for "engaging in a conspiracy to censor, deplatform and demonetize American media outlets disfavored by the federal government."

The lawsuit stated that the GEC was used as a tool for the defendants to carry out its censorship. 

"Congress authorized the creation of the Global Engagement Center expressly to counter foreign propaganda and misinformation," the Texas Attorney General’s Office said in a press release. "Instead, the agency weaponized this authority to violate the First Amendment and suppress Americans’ constitutionally-protected speech. 

The complaint describes the State Department’s project as "one of the most egregious government operations to censor the American press in the history of the nation.’"

The lawsuit argued that The Daily Wire, The Federalist, and other conservative news organizations were branded "unreliable" or "risky" by the agency, "starving them of advertising revenue and reducing the circulation of their reporting and speech—all as a direct result of [the State Department’s] unlawful censorship scheme."

Meanwhile, America First Legal, headed up by Stephen Miller, President-elect Trump’s pick for deputy chief of staff for policy, revealed that the GEC used taxpayer dollars to create a video game called "Cat Park" to "Inoculate Youth Against Disinformation" abroad. 

The game "inoculates players … by showing how sensational headlines, memes, and manipulated media can be used to advance conspiracy theories and incite real-world violence," according to a memo obtained by America First Legal. 

Mike Benz, the executive director at the Foundation For Freedom Online, said the game was "anti-populist" and pushed certain political beliefs instead of protecting Americans from foreign disinformation, per the Tennessee Star.

A State Department spokesperson said the agency does not comment on pending legislation when asked for comment by Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reached out to the GEC for comment on its potential refunding but did not immediately receive a response. 

Fox News Nikolas Lanum and Louis Casiano contributed to this report. 

President-elect Trump weighed in on the political turmoil in the "great state of Canada" after the finance minister resigned from her post amid a disagreement with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over how to handle possible U.S. tariffs under the incoming Trump administration. 

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from her post Monday. 

"The Great State of Canada is stunned as the Finance Minister resigns, or was fired, from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau," Trump posted to his Truth Social Tuesday, trolling Trudeau, after previously suggesting Canada should become the 51st state in the USA. 

"Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada. She will not be missed!!!" 

TRUMP SUGGESTS CANADA BECOME 51ST STATE AFTER TRUDEAU SAID TARIFF WOULD KILL ECONOMY: SOURCES

Freeland’s resignation raises questions about Trudeau’s political future, amid concerns about inflation and immigration.

Now, Trudeau is facing calls to resign from critics. However, a no-confidence vote in the government is not imminent. 

Trudeau last month traveled to Mar-a-Lago unannounced after Trump threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products. Specifically, Trump is threatening to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico over their failures to curb the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs from those countries into the U.S.

Trump called the meeting "very productive." The president-elect told the prime minister if Canada cannot fix the border issues and trade deficit, he will levy a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods his first day back in office.

Trudeau told Trump he cannot levy the tariff because it would kill the Canadian economy. Trump replied, asking something along the lines of, "So, your country can't survive unless it's ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion?"

TRUMP BOASTS OF ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETING’ WITH CANADIAN PM TRUDEAU AT MAR-A-LAGO

Trump then suggested to Trudeau that Canada become the 51st state, prompting the prime minister and others to laugh nervously, sources told Fox News.

But he continued, telling Trudeau that prime minister is a better title, though he could still be governor of the 51st state.

Sources told Fox News someone at the table chimed in and advised Trump that Canada would be a liberal state, which received even more laughter. Trump suggested Canada could become two states, a conservative and a liberal one.

While sources say the exchange got many laughs, Trump delivered the message that he expected change by Jan. 20.

The nearly three-hour conversation continued about various other topics. By the end, the Canadian guests called the dinner "very friendly and very positive," though no reference was made to becoming the 51st state.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report. 

First lady Jill Biden announced that she recently taught her last class at Northern Virginia Community College.

"Last Thursday I taught my last class of the semester and my final class ever at Northern Virginia Community College," she said.

She made the remarks in a message to educators while flanked on either side by union presidents Randi Weingarten, of the American Federation of Teachers, and Becky Pringle, of the National Education Association.

SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AS KIDS CORRECT JILL BIDEN'S ‘HAPPY HOLIDAYS’ WITH ‘HAPPY CHRISTMAS:’ ‘EPIC RESPONSE’

A spokesperson for the first lady indicated via email to Fox News Digital that it is not clear if the first lady will continue teaching. 

Jill Biden had been a professor at the institution since 2009, according to her biography on the White House website.

"While serving as First Lady, Dr. Biden continued teaching English and writing at Northern Virginia Community College, where she has been a professor since 2009. She is the first presidential spouse to maintain an independent career outside of the White House," the White House noted.

‘OF COURSE I SUPPORT THE PARDON OF MY SON,' JILL BIDEN TELLS REPORTER

First Lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden will vacate the White House next month following the peculiar 2024 presidential election season in which the president bowed out of his re-election bid after clinching enough wins to become his party's presumptive presidential nominee.

But following a widely-panned debate performance, and amid public pressure from members of his own party to step aside, Biden dropped out and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.

TRUMP FEATURES JILL BIDEN IN NEW AD FOR FRAGRANCE: ‘ENEMIES CAN’T RESIST' 

President-elect Donald Trump ultimately trounced Harris in the general election, winning both the Electoral College and popular vote, becoming the second president in U.S. history ever to win two non-consecutive terms. The first was President Grover Cleveland in the 19th century.

A Tennessee state lawmaker introduced a bill to require law enforcement to send illegal migrants accused of minor crimes to sanctuary cities rather than deporting them to another country.

State Rep. Todd Warner, a Republican, filed the bill, the Tennessee Illegal Immigration Act, ahead of the legislative session. The proposal would also ensure that all law enforcement agencies report illegal migrants to federal immigration authorities.

Warner told Fox 17 that sending migrants to a sanctuary city could cost the state less than deporting them to their home countries, even if the federal government would eventually take on the deportation costs.

"It seeks to make Tennessee safer. It seeks to make the federal government, you know hold their feet to the fire and enforce immigration law and it seeks the state to recoup some costs back out of it," he said.

INCOMING MISSOURI STATE LAWMAKER INTRODUCES BILL TO GIVE $1K TO ANYONE WHO TURNS IN ILLEGAL MIGRANTS

Under the bill, if ICE fails to show up in 48 hours to pick up an illegal migrant who is detained, law enforcement would help send them to a sanctuary city. Warner said the arresting agency would be responsible for relocating the detained migrants.

Warner said this would be paid for by withholding money Tennessee generates for the federal government through the gas tax.

The lawmaker said he plans to add an amendment clarifying that the bill would only apply to illegal migrants charged with a minor offense. Violent criminals would still be subject to deportation.

GREG ABBOTT BLASTS MIGRANT ACCUSED OF SETTING TEXAS HOME ON FIRE WITH CHILDREN INSIDE: 'LOCATE & DEPORT'

"This is for victimless crimes. This is not for someone that has committed a terrible crime," Warner told Fox 17.

Hannah Smalley, the Advocacy and Education Manager at Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors, argues that the proposal would unnecessarily separate migrant families.

"The mere act of being transported away from your family is damaging," she told Fox 17. "This means that people, including people who have not been charged with crimes, are going to be facing these really punitive consequences just on the basis of their immigration status."

"When U.S. citizens commit crimes and we pay a fine or we go to jail," she added. "Immigrants are also doing that. So to then make this about someone's immigration status, which is totally separate from any kind of crime that they would have committed, is not productive to our community as a whole."

Warner said he still has to tweak the bill, but he is hoping it will receive bipartisan support in the legislature.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, is pushing to eliminate taxes on tips ahead of the commonwealth's next legislative session.

This proposal would return an estimated $70 million annually to the pockets of Virginia workers, Youngkin's office said Monday in a press release.

An end to taxes on tips could help more than 250,000 people in Virginia who work within the food service industry, the personal service industry such as hairstylists, the hospitality industry and others who receive tips through their employment in other industries.

"We have delivered over $5 billion in tax relief to date, and we remain committed to lowering the cost of living for hardworking Virginians. It’s their money, not the government’s," Youngkin said in the release.

YOUNGKIN TO DRAFT SANCTUARY CITY BAN, MAKING STATE FUNDING ON ICE COOPERATION

"By removing tips from taxable income, it will directly increase the take-home pay of hundreds of thousands of Virginians and give them more buying power, which in turn will improve financial stability, stimulate local economies, and honor the value of their hard work," he continued.

Virginia workers who earn tips would be able to claim a deduction on their state tax return if the income is included in their federal adjusted gross income, the release said.

"This is way to keep more money in their pocket as opposed to giving it to a government. We’re already running surpluses and therefore, no taxes on tips is going to become the manta in Virginia," Youngkin said Monday during an appearance on Fox News' "America's Newsroom."

The governor's proposal echoes President-elect Trump’s call during his campaign to end taxes on tips. Vice President Harris also expressed support for eliminating taxes on tips during her presidential campaign.

GLENN YOUNGKIN 'PERSONALLY INVITES' NEW TRUMP ADMIN TO SETTLE IN VIRGINIA OVER MARYLAND AND DC

The proposal comes ahead of the start of Virginia's legislative session next month. It would require approval from the commonwealth's General Assembly, and it is unclear if Democrats, who control both chambers, would support Youngkin's proposal.

Next year, Virginia's gubernatorial race will be held, where Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, is expected to face off against U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat.

Donald Trump said yesterday at a Mar-a-Lago news conference that he would take a couple of questions. 

By the time he finished speaking, he had gone on for an hour. 

Trump made news on a dozen topics, a reminder of the freewheeling approach in which even among journalists who can’t stand him, the incoming president is a newsmaking machine who provides headlines around the clock, setting the terms of debate – in a sharp contrast with the reclusive Joe Biden. 

Trump also deflected a few questions that he absolutely should not have answered, such as strategy on Ukraine and whether he’d retaliate against Iran.

TRUMP LEAVES CHINA GUESSING WHAT HIS NEXT MOVE IS WITH INAUGURATION INVITE

I was a bit surprised, though, that he launched an attack on the press, though, since this contradicted his recent remarks about reaching out to even hostile news outlets, as long as they treat him fairly. 

This took place two days after ABC and George Stephanopoulos apologized to Trump to settle a defamation, agreeing to donate $15 million to a presidential library or foundation, plus another million bucks to cover his legal fees. This averted what could have been an embarrassing and grueling deposition by its star anchor.

The network’s problem is that Stephanopoulos had repeatedly said Trump had been found liable for "rape," repeating the word about 10 times, in the E. Jean Carroll civil suit, when the jury held him liable for "sexual abuse." 

While the judge said this would commonly be understood as rape, they are legally different in New York. You don’t agree to 15 million bucks unless you think you don’t have much of a case.

While left-leaning pundits are accusing ABC of "caving" to Trump, the network made a different judgment call.

Trump ripped the media as "very corrupt" and ticked off more lawsuits he has filed or plans to file.

The president-elect said he planned to sue the Des Moines Register for having a poll before the election that turned out to be wrong. He praised pollster Ann Selzer as always having gotten him right until the Iowa caucuses, when she said he’d lose by 4 points and he won the state by 13. 

RFK JR SET TO FACE ABORTION, VACCINE SCRUTINY IN SITDOWNS WITH SENATORS ON CAPITOL HILL

Trump said he was taking legal action against "60 Minutes" for substituting a different, tighter answer to a different question than had been asked—a practice that most journalists, including me, said was a huge blunder by the CBS show. 

"We have to straighten out the press," he said. "The press is very corrupt. Almost as corrupt as our elections."

He added: "I’m doing this not because I want to. I’m doing this because I feel I have an obligation to," Trump said. "In my opinion, it was fraud and it was election interference."

Trump also said he would pursue a suit against Bob Woodward for making public the audiotapes from a book project. Woodward has said he never agreed not to do so. 

And Trump plans to pursue his action against the Pulitzer Prize board for giving the Washington Post and New York Times awards for what he calls the Russia Russia Russia hoax. While it was certainly overplayed, the board says Trump could not point to any inaccuracies in the articles submitted. 

And then there was Trump commenting on, well, just about everything else. 

He said he would consider a pardon for indicted New York Mayor Eric Adams because he’d been treated "very unfairly."

He said he couldn’t understand how people could sympathize with the suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson: "It was cold-blooded. Just a cold-blooded, horrible killing, and how people can like this guy is — that’s a sickness, actually."

DANIEL PENNY'S JURY PRAISED FOR EXONERATING HIM IN CHOKEHOLD TRIAL: 'GOT IT RIGHT'

He heaped praise on Lara Trump but said the decision on whether to name her to a vacant Florida Senate seat was up to DeSantis. However, the Wall Street Journal reports that he has lobbied the governor to choose her.

He defended DOD nominee Pete Hegseth, saying all he wants to do is improve the military. He also provided visual backing by bringing Hegseth to the Army-Navy Game, along with JD Vance, Elon Musk (of course), Ron DeSantis, Tulsi Gabbard and Speaker Mike Johnson.

Trump said he would keep the polio vaccine but would have discussions with RFK Jr. about other vaccines, including his totally debunked theory that vaccines cause autism. Trump did argue there has been a rise in autism among boys. "I think he’s going to be much less radical than you would think," he told reporters.

Trump demanded that Biden officials explain what is happening with the mystery drones, since they obviously know. 

That is a whole lot of news. Perhaps we’ve forgotten how Donald J. Trump loves to sound off on everything under the sun. We’re about to get a four-year refresher course.

President-elect Trump on Monday said he would consider pardoning New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is the subject of a federal investigation into corruption and bribery charges. 

"Yeah, I would," Trump said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. "I think that he was treated pretty unfairly."

A federal indictment accuses Adams of soliciting illegal campaign donations from foreign entities and falsifying paper trails to cover them up. He allegedly defrauded taxpayers for $10 million over the past decade and frequently took free or steeply discounted vacations bankrolled by his foreign benefactors.

TOP ADVISER TO NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS ABRUPTLY RESIGNS AMID FEDERAL INVESTIGATION

"I don’t know the facts," Trump added. "I would certainly look at it."

Fox News Digital has reached out to Adams' office. 

During his remarks, Trump downplayed allegations that Adams took free luxury travel and airline upgrades from Turkish officials.

"Being upgraded in an airplane many years ago ?" Trump said. "I doubt if there’s anyone here who hasn’t been upgraded."

"It seems, you know, like being upgraded in an airplane many years ago — I know probably everybody here has been upgraded," he added. "They see you’re all stars, they say, ‘I want to upgrade that person from NBC,’ and that would mean you’ll spend the rest of your life in prison," he said.

NYC HOME IS NEARLY 60K 'CRIMINAL' MIGRANTS: REPORT

Trump said Adams was targeted because of his strong stance on illegal immigration and the impact it's had on New York City. 

"I said, ‘He’s going to be indicted,'" Trump said. "And a few months later, he got indicted."

Last week, Adams met with Trump's choice for border czar, Tom Homan, to discuss the migrant crisis. After the meeting, Adams said the discussion was very productive.

"From what I heard from the incoming head of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is that we have the same desire to go after those who are committing violent acts, repeated violent acts among innocent New Yorkers and among migration asylum seekers," Adams told reporters. "That's what I heard from him. And I was pleased to hear that, because we share the same desire."

Adams has denied any wrongdoing. In November, he rebuffed claims that he was aligning himself with Trump in order to get a pardon. 

He was asked about that matter during an appearance on "The View."

"I think nothing is more challenging than being — not being able to defend yourself in public," he answered, avoiding the Trump part of the question.

"Listen, I said it over and over again. I did nothing wrong," he continued. 

Vice President Kamala Harris tried to encourage Democratic staffers facing layoffs from the DNC on Sunday, telling them that their "spirit will not be defeated."

Harris made the comments during the DNC's holiday celebration in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. She spoke alongside President Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the event, which played host to staffers who were let go from the DNC without severance packages after the election.

"This holiday season, like any time of the year, let us really be conscious of all the blessings we have. Let us celebrate the blessings we have; let us celebrate and advance the blessings we have yet to create," Harris said. "And let us always remember our country is worth fighting for, and our spirit will not be defeated."

"And hear me when I say this, that spirit that fuels the countless hours and days and months of work that you have put into this, that spirit. It can never be defeated. Our spirit is not defeated. We are not defeated. Let's be clear about that. We are strong. We are clear about why we are in this. And because you're here right now. I say again, thank you. Because not only are you clear about all of that, you're willing to put in the hard work and that work must continue," she said.

ELIZABETH WARREN SAYS KILLING OF UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO WAS A WARNING: 'YOU CAN ONLY PUSH PEOPLE SO FAR'

Biden took the stage after Harris and defended the pair's legacy as they prepare to leave office. He argued that the country is in a "resoundingly" better position today than when he and Harris entered the White House.

"The one thing I've always believed about public service, and especially about the presidency, is the importance of asking yourself, have we left the country in better shape than we found it? Today, I can say with every fiber of my being, of all my heart, the answer to that question is a resounding yes," he said.

WHO ELSE IS MULLING A BID TO STEER THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

He went on to encourage staffers to "stay engaged" in the years ahead.

"You're not going anywhere, kid," Biden said of Harris. "Because we're not gonna let you."

Some DNC staffers had expressed frustration at the post-election layoffs, which are relatively common in Washington, D.C. The DNC union objected to the lack of severance packages and other benefits when the layoffs were announced in late November.

TRUMP VICTORY PROVES IMPORTANCE OF CANDID, LONGFORM PODCASTS AS PLATFORM SHOWED ‘HUMAN SIDE’ OF ONE CANDIDATE

"We find it very cruel that DNC management is trying to claim that layoffs are just part of the job," a DNC union member told Mother Jones. "And we feel strongly that losing an election has not absolved the organization of its responsibility to treat its workers with basic dignity."

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison does not plan to seek re-election to his post, leaving a pool of would-be leaders to vie for the top position.

The next chair will be chosen by the roughly 450 voting members of the national party committee when they meet at the beginning of February at National Harbor in Maryland for the DNC's winter meeting.

The list of candidates seeking to replace Harrison includes Martin O'Malley, the former two-term Maryland governor, Ben Wikler, who has led the Democratic Party in Wisconsin for five years, and Minnesota Democrats chair Ken Martin.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, has filed a lawsuit against a New York doctor who allegedly prescribed abortion drugs to a woman in the Lone Star State, violating Texas law.

Paxton accused Dr. Margaret Carpenter of mailing pills from New York to a 20-year-old woman in Collin County, Texas, where the woman allegedly took the medication when she was nine weeks pregnant, according to the lawsuit. 

When she began experiencing severe bleeding, she asked the baby's father, who had been unaware she was pregnant, to take her to the hospital.

The filing does not state if the woman successfully terminated her pregnancy or if she experienced any long-term medical complications from taking mifepristone and misoprostol.

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Paxton's lawsuit is the first attempt to test legal protections when it comes to states with conflicting abortion laws since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending federal protection on the matter.

Texas has enacted an abortion ban with few exceptions, while New York protects access to the procedure and has a shield law that protects providers from out-of-state investigations and prosecutions, which has been viewed as implicit permission for doctors to mail abortion pills into states with restrictions.

Texas has promised to pursue cases like this regardless of the shield laws, though it is unclear what the courts may decide on this issue, which involves extraterritoriality, interstate commerce and other legal questions. New York’s law allows Carpenter to refuse to comply with Texas' court orders.

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It is also unknown whether New York courts would side with protecting Texas' law, which prohibits prescribing abortion-inducing drugs by mail and prohibits treating Texas patients or prescribing medication through telehealth services without a valid Texas medical license.

Texas’ abortion laws prohibit prosecuting a woman for getting an abortion, but do allow for physicians or others who assist a woman in receiving the procedure to be prosecuted.

The lawsuit says Carpenter, the founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, knowingly treated Texas residents despite not being a licensed Texas physician and not being authorized to practice telemedicine in the state. Paxton urged a Collin County court to prohibit Carpenter from violating Texas law and impose civil penalties of at least $100,000 for each violation.

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"In this case, an out-of-state doctor violated the law and caused serious harm to this patient," Paxton said in a statement. "This doctor prescribed abortion-inducing drugs — unauthorized, over telemedicine — causing her patient to end up in the hospital with serious complications. In Texas, we treasure the health and lives of mothers and babies, and this is why out-of-state doctors may not illegally and dangerously prescribe abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents."

Carpenter also works with AidAccess, an international abortion medication provider, and helped found Hey Jane, a telehealth abortion provider.

The details surrounding the emergency spending bill are expected to be delayed and may "slip by a day" as the deadline to avoid a government shutdown looms.

Lawmarkers were expected to share the text of the emergency spending bill to avoid a government shutdown and address disaster relief on Sunday, but Fox News is told the text "may slip by a day."

It comes as both House and Senate lawmakers negotiate over how large the disaster aid package should be, and whether it should be attached to an end-of-year federal funding bill that’s critical to avoiding a partial government shutdown during the holiday season.

This could pose a problem because government funding expires at 11:59:59 p.m. on Friday. Pushing this back means the House may not be able to process the bill until the end of the week. 

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It is also noted that it doesn’t take much for the Senate to slow things down if senators demand time. 

The House has a so-called "three-day rule" which requires text to be posted for three days before debate and vote. However, waiting until tomorrow means the House may not consider the bill until Thursday or Friday - the peak of the deadline. 

Fox News is told there are no hold-ups with government funding, through mid-March, or the disaster package for Hurricanes Helene, Milton, wildfires in Maui, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore and tornadoes in the Midwest, but that there is an issue with agricultural provisions "and other things important to leaders on both sides."

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One source declined to answer when Fox was asked if there was an effort to tuck last-minute provisions into the catch-all measure for Syria or drones. 

In early October, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News Digital that Helene would likely be "one of the most expensive storms that the country has ever encountered."

The Biden administration has asked for over $100 billion in funding for disaster aid in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus is calling on Republican leaders to reject President Biden’s disaster aid request.

The group is demanding a slimmed-down package covering what is "absolutely necessary," to be offset with spending cuts elsewhere.

"Congress should not pass a whopping $100 billion unpaid disaster supplemental funding bill — that Democrats will use to cement their own unrelated priorities — in the waning days of Democrat control in Washington right before Republicans take control of the White House and both Chambers," the House Freedom Caucus statement read.

"The House should consider only what is absolutely necessary right now to provide critical relief to hurricane victims and farmers, and pay for it with offsets from wasteful spending elsewhere in the government, then wait for President Trump to take office to better manage disaster relief."

If new spending is not approved by way of appropriations bills or a stopgap measure, a partial government shutdown could happen before Christmas. 

Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

A New Jersey state Senator is calling on Gov. Phil Murphy to declare a state of emergency to ground all drones as a way of getting to the bottom of ongoing reports of unmanned craft swarming the Garden State in recent weeks. 

State Sen. Jon Bramnick, a Republican, told "Cavuto Live" on Saturday that he also wants the FAA to join in the state of emergency as the public becomes increasingly frustrated with a lack of answers as to what is going on in the skies. 

Bramnick says he has contacted Murphy about enacting a state of emergency but has not gotten a response.  

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"I've gotten silence and we met with the state police [who] have no information. Can you imagine? The Department of Defense must have some serious secret if we can't get any information on car-sized drones flying over our military bases."

A series of unidentified drone sightings near U.S. military installations and over residences have been spotted in New Jersey since mid-November, including President-elect Trump’s Bedminster golf course, which is causing alarm. Apparent drones have also been spotted in New York City, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, among other states, as well as over three US airbases in the UK.

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby has said many of the purported drone sightings are actually lawfully operated manned aircraft and that there is no evidence of a national security or public safety threat.

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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday said the government doesn't have the authority to shoot down drones and believes reports of some sightings are cases of mistaken identity.

The apparent lack of transparency about the situation has fueled conspiracy theories and raised national security concerns that a foreign entity may be behind the mysterious sightings. 

The government’s dismissal of witness reports is also irking residents who believe the government's answers are insufficient. Some have threatened to take matters into their own hands and shoot them down.

"Every time someone comes out of the top secret briefing, we get the same answer," Bramnick said. "’Well, we need more information,’ but apparently it's not a threat. Now, I don't know how they're determining that. The Defense Department must be speaking to someone because they're surely not speaking to any of the residents in New Jersey."

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"The Department of Defense has to explain why they don't know what a car-sized drone is doing, where it came from, where it's going. Is it sinister? Is there some sort of threat? Don't you think the Department of Defense should have that information? The technology is there."

Bramnick says that the state does not have the proper equipment or resources to deal with drones. He notes that the Garden State only has two state helicopters, and when one of those choppers was sent up to investigate a drone, its lights turned off and it fled. 

"Now, that's an indication that the drone is not here for a good purpose, otherwise I assume somebody operating the drone would tell the state police what they're doing. That's why we have to ground all drones at this time," Bramnick added. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt had many Christmas traditions he took part in with his family and White House staff during his time in office. 

Roosevelt was born in 1882 in Hyde Park, New York, a place he called home throughout his life. 

The start of Roosevelt's time in the political sphere started in 1910, when he was elected to the New York Senate.

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Soon after, in 1912, he stepped into the role of chairman of the Forestry Committee of the New York Senate. 

At this time, he began to plant trees on his land, which he continued for 34 years, according to the National Park Service website. 

By the 1930s, Roosevelt had gotten into the rhythm of having 20,000 to 55,000 trees planted on his land annually, according to the National Park Service. 

During the 1930s, Roosevelt began to grow Christmas trees on his estate in Hyde Park, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. 

Some of the Christmas trees grown on the estate were sent to Winston Churchill, according to the National Park Service. 

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Holiday spirit was on full display in the White House during Roosevelt's time in office. 

Roosevelt, who spent 12 years in office, the longest term of any U.S. president, spent many of his Christmases the same way while in the White House. 

Roosevelt spent 10 consecutive Christmases in the White House, and the last two at home in Hyde Park, according to the White House Historical Association. 

Staples of a Roosevelt Christmas included a Christmas Eve party held by the president and the first lady for White House staff and the lighting of the National Christmas Tree, per the source. 

It was 1933 when Roosevelt gave his very first holiday message, his "fireside chat," to the nation.

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On Christmas morning, the president often spent time with family attending services and opening presents with his grandchildren. 

The annual Christmas feast included dishes like roasted turkey, chestnut dressing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, pineapple salad, with plum pudding, eggnog, ice cream and cakes for dessert, according to the White House Historical Association. 

Roosevelt's long span in office included devastating events in history, like the Great Depression, the attack on Pearl Harbor and World War II. 

During years of turmoil, Christmas traditions saw a shift. For example, during World War II, four of Roosevelt's sons were serving in the armed forces, according to the White House Historical Association, leaving his family scattered around the globe. 

During the White House holiday gathering in 1942, the gift given out to employees was "a black leather folder filled with war savings bonds," according to the White House Association. In 1944, a scroll with the president's "D-Day" prayer was handed out to employees. 

Roosevelt's last Christmas message was delivered from his home in Hyde Park in 1944. 

"We pray that with victory will come a new day of peace on earth in which all the Nations of the earth will join together for all time. That is the spirit of Christmas, the holy day. May that spirit live and grow throughout the world in all the years to come," he said, per the White House Association. 

A U.S. Senator from Connecticut said the mysterious drones spotted recently flying over states in the mid-Atlantic region should be "shot down, if necessary."

In an interview on Capitol Hill Thursday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said intelligence analysis is needed on the drones and the U.S. must act "more aggressively" against the sightings that have been reported.

"We should be doing some very smart intelligence analysis and take them out of the skies, especially if they're flying over airports or military bases," the senator said. "They should be shot down, if necessary, because they're flying over sensitive areas."

Blumenthal also said the lack of information on the drones, who they belong to and where they have come from is "absolutely unacceptable."

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His comments come as many large drones have been reported flying over New Jersey in the past few weeks. Drones were also allegedly spotted in Blumenthal's state for the first time on Thursday.

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Thursday that many of the alleged drones spotted recently are actually lawfully operated manned aircraft.

"We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus," Kirby told reporters at the daily White House press briefing. "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI are investigating these sightings, and they're working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide resources using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin."

Kirby also said, thus far, the investigation into the alleged drones has not revealed "any national security or malicious intent or criminal activity," but admitted the government is in the beginning stages of the investigation. 

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Blumenthal said his office is asking for a briefing on the drones, describing it as "absolutely necessary" for Congress and the American people as many appear to be concerned and afraid.

"I'm hearing from constituents in the metropolitan area around New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, who are really terrified by these drones flying unidentified over airports and military bases," he said.

The senator added that the drones are causing a "level of fear, even terror" because people are worried about surveillance and airplanes flying in the same airspace.

He also encouraged Americans wanting to use drones to buy ones manufactured in the USA and not China, warning that they could be "sources of surveillance data for other kinds of security threats."

"Chinese manufactured drones are real and present [a] threat to the security of this country," Blumenthal said. "We have to stop using them."

The Biden administration announced a new $500 million military aid package to Ukraine Thursday, weeks before President-elect Trump takes office. 

"The United States is providing another significant package of urgently needed weapons and equipment to our Ukrainian partners as they defend against Russia's ongoing attacks," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The package announced Thursday includes drones; High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) artillery and ammunition; armored vehicles; nuclear, chemical and radiological protective equipment; and other equipment. 

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The newest round of aid follows Biden's announcement of a $988 million military aid package to Ukraine earlier this week. 

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Trump's election victory has raised questions about whether he will continue to aid Ukraine with billions in assistance. 

Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance criticized the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine, and the former president said on the campaign trial he would bring an end to the war before even entering office.

Vance made headlines this year after he suggested the best way to end the war was for Ukraine to cede the land Russia has seized and for a demilitarized zone to be established, a proposal Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flatly rejected. 

During his visit to Paris last weekend, Trump met with Zelenskyy, where the pair were expected to discuss the ongoing conflict. 

Fox News Digital's Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.  

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he and incoming border czar Tom Homan have the same desire to go after illegal immigrant criminals following a Thursday meeting between the pair. 

Adams met with Homan to discuss cooperation between local and federal authorities on deporting violent criminals once the Trump administration takes office on Jan. 20.

"We're not going to be a safe haven for those who commit repeated violent crimes against innocent migrants, immigrants and long-standing New Yorkers," Adams said after the meeting. "From what I heard from the incoming head of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is that we have the same desire to go after those who are committing violent acts, repeated violent acts among innocent New Yorkers and among migration asylum seekers. That's what I heard from him. And I was pleased to hear that, because we share the same desire."

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The mayor noted that the city doesn't allow itself to be a safe haven for American citizens committing crimes, "and we're not going to do it for those who are undocumented."

The meeting came as Homan plans to implement President-elect Trump's mass deportation plan once he takes office on Jan. 20. 

Homan has warned leaders in sanctuary cities to either cooperate with immigration authorities or step aside. Earlier this week, Adams announced the closing of dozens of migrant shelters, as the "sanctuary" city continues to see a drop in arrivals.

In total, 25 shelters are being closed in the next few months. New York has seen more than 225,000 migrants arrive since 2022. The surge coincided with a spike at the southern border, compounded by a strategy by Texas to bus migrants to sanctuary cities to relieve pressure on the border state.

Even before Thursday's meeting between Adams and Homan, immigration activists accused the mayor of "collaborating" with the new administration. 

"It’s despicable that Mayor Adams continues to shirk his responsibilities to uphold New York City’s existing policies and values as a sanctuary city by collaborating with Trump’s border czar Tom Homan," Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said in a statement.

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Adams has been deeply critical of the federal government's handling of the migrant crisis and has taken a tougher stance on illegal immigration than many of his Democratic contemporaries, who have vowed to resist the incoming Trump administration's plan to deport illegal migrants. 

Currently, there are 170 crimes that allow New York officials to communicate and collaborate with ICE after a migrant is convicted of a crime, said Adams. 

"We need to examine them and see what is my authority, using executive orders, to ensure that I keep New Yorkers safe. That's my only goal. I cannot make any clearer. In pursuing that goal, my years and years of advocating for immigrants that are here and attempting to find the American dream, if that demonizes me, then I'm going to take it. But I'm going to save lives in this city," he said. 

The mayor criticized those he said have attempted to cast him as switching his position on illegal immigration. 

"People are trying to push their own agenda. I have one agenda. I've never lied about the agenda," he said. "Everybody, everyone in this city should be protected and should not be the victims of violent crimes. And that was a conversation I had with the incoming border czar. We shared that same belief, and we're going to pursue that same belief."

Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this report. 

On the heels of Marine veteran Daniel Penny's acquittal, outgoing Rep. Jamaal Bowman issued a "Dear White People" thread on X which he started by saying he did not know why he felt the need to keep talking to white people.

"Dear White People, I don’t know why I feel the need to keep talking to you. I don’t know why part of me still has hope for you and for us. Some of you are too far gone. But maybe enough of you aren’t and will join us in fighting to end white supremacy," Bowman declared in the first post of his thread.

Bowman, who decisively lost the Democratic primary in New York's 16th Congressional District earlier this year, will soon depart from Congress because his term ends in less than a month.

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"I just wanna call out the hypocrisy and evil of it all and just continue to hope. I won’t rely completely on you because I know what’s most important is to work with my community and other like minded allies in the fight for justice. But I guess I’ll just offer this," Bowman wrote. "I am 48 years old and I have seen countless incidents of brutal police violence and killings in my lifetime," he declared before going on to mention individuals including Rodney King, George Floyd, and others.

"Jordan Neely is the latest. He was sick. He was not a threat. He was subdued. Still not a threat. Daniel Penny choked him for 6 minutes. And killed him. We all watched it on camera, and he was still acquitted," the lawmaker asserted.

The congressman made the posts after Marine veteran Daniel Penny was found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely. 

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"I’ve left out probably another hundred instances of this trauma in my life. For comparison, I ask white people, how many times have you seen a white man killed in cold blood on camera on your newsfeed? How many times have you even heard about this?" Bowman asked.

"The answer is never. You never have. And whenever you feel discomfort from your whiteness, Black people are harmed or killed. And there is never accountability or justice. This is the evil of white supremacy. It spans across geography and political parties and sickens us all," he declared. "I wish I didn’t have to live with all of this trauma deep in my bones. I wish I could just be free to be me. I marvel at the beauty and greatness of my people in spite of white supremacy. It’s extraordinary. That is what I will continue to lean on."

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Bowman retweeted his "Dear White People" post, the first part of his multi-post thread, and commented, "Seems like I hit a nerve. White people on X going crazy on this one. Must’ve been a lot of truth in what I posted."

"Wow. This has been so triggering for so many of you. Do you realize you’re actually proving my point? If you are that triggered by this, imagine how I must feel when Black people are murdered consistently and there is no Justice. Y’all can’t handle a tweet. Fascinating," Bowman wrote in another post.

Florida state Sen. Randy Fine, a Republican, proposed a bill to require high school graduates with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, status to pay out-of-state tuition for college.

Fine claims the state cannot afford to subsidize tuition for students who are not in the country legally and says the policy passed in 2014 offering them in-state tuition costs Florida $45 million a year.

Under S.B. 90, DACA students would no longer qualify for in-state tuition, which costs an average of $6,143 for the 2024-2025 academic year, according to the State University System of Florida. The University of Florida, for example, is $6,381 for in-state tuition but $28,658 for out-of-state tuition, according to US News & World Report.

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"While blue-collar Floridians are struggling to make ends meet, it is not fair to require them to pay $45 million a year to subsidize sweetheart deals for college degrees to those who should not even be here," Fine said in a statement.

"This is a no-brainer way to reduce the size of government and free up resources to help Floridians in need," he continued. "We must put Floridians first, and I am proud to do my part to rebalance the scales for our citizens."

The bill would not modify the admission policies of Florida’s 12 state universities and 28 state colleges.

State Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat, has expressed strong opposition to the bill, arguing that the proposed change would create significant financial barriers for students who have lived in Florida most of their lives.

"These are students who have only known the United States as home," Eskamani said, according to Fox 13.

Eskamani also noted that many DACA students do not qualify for scholarships and are already at a financial disadvantage.

The legislation, Fine argues, is about "ensuring people who shouldn't be in the country aren't getting discounted educations," according to Fox 13.

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Fine’s previous attempts to pass similar legislation have come up short, but Democrats worry that increased national focus on immigration issues, such as President-elect Trump promising mass deportations in his second term, could give the bill momentum this time around.

"I am concerned this policy may have legs this year," Eskamani said.

Fine, who joined the state Senate last month, is resigning from the legislature, effective March 31, so he can run for the U.S. House seat that is expected to be vacated by U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., who was nominated by Trump to be his White House national security advisor.