Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will advance to the next step in his effort to become Donald Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary. The vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump sustained his bid for a cabinet position in the 47th president's administration.
The 27-member panel of 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats on the Senate finance committee approved Kennedy's advancement by a part line vote of 14-13
Kennedy's controversial nomination has progressed slowly as the president's other choices have been moving through the upper chamber and several have been confirmed and sworn in. Even Trump's controversial Defense Secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, made it past committee and ultimately was confirmed with Vice President Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.
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.
During the hearings, Democrats also spotlighted Kennedy's service for years as chair or chief legal counsel for Children's Health Defense, the nonprofit organization he founded that has advocated against vaccines and sued the federal government numerous times, including a challenge over the authorization of the COVID vaccine for children.
While no Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee were expected to vote to confirm Kennedy, the spotlight was on Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana physician and chair of the Senate Health Committee.
Cassidy issued a last minute endorsement indicating a party line vote for Kennedy.
"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.
Cassidy's office confirmed Sunday evening that the senator and Kennedy had been speaking earlier that day.
The 71-year-old Kennedy, a scion of the nation's most storied political dynasty, launched a long-shot campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination against President Joe Biden in April 2023. But six months later, he switched to an independent run for the White House.
Kennedy made major headlines again last August when he dropped his presidential bid and endorsed Trump. While Kennedy had long identified as a Democrat and repeatedly invoked his late father, former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and his late uncle, former President John F. Kennedy – who were both assassinated in the 1960s – Kennedy in recent years built relationships with far-right leaders due in part to his high-profile vaccine skepticism.
Trump announced soon after the November election that he would nominate Kennedy to his Cabinet to run HHS.
Kennedy, whose outspoken views on Big Pharma and the food industry have also sparked controversy, has said he aims to shift the focus of the agencies he would oversee toward promotion of a healthy lifestyle, including overhauling dietary guidelines, taking aim at ultra-processed foods and getting to the root causes of chronic diseases.
"Our country is not going to be destroyed because we get the marginal tax rate wrong. It is going to be destroyed if we get this issue wrong," Kenendy said Thursday as he pointed to chronic diseases. "And I am in a unique position to be able to stop this epidemic."
With Republicans controlling the Senate by a 53-47 majority, Kennedy can only afford to lose the support of three GOP senators if Democrats unite against his confirmation on the floor of the chamber.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance will attend a two-day high-level summit focusing on artificial intelligence in Paris next week, his first scheduled trip abroad since taking office, a French diplomatic official said Tuesday.
The AI Action Summit on Feb. 10-11 will gather heads of state and top government officials, CEOs and other actors involved in the tech sector, which has been shaken up by galloping advances.
Vance has not made any official foreign trips since his inauguration last month. The White House had no immediate comment.
The French diplomatic official spoke on condition of anonymity as the list of top attendees has not been made official yet.
China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang is among those expected to attend the summit, which will be co-presided over by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The summit will take place at the Grand Palais, last year's Olympic venue for the fencing and taekwondo competitions. A dinner with top officials and CEOs is also scheduled at the Elysee presidential palace.
Vance's trip comes after U.S. President Donald Trump last month talked up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership of OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House.
Meanwhile, Chinese AI model DeepSeek’s emergence has shaken up the tech sector, offering companies access to the technology at a fraction of the previous cost and providing the potential to push other AI companies to improve their models and bring down prices.
Vance in the past has acknowledged some harmful AI applications, but said at a July Senate hearing that he worries that concern is justifying "some preemptive overregulation attempts that would frankly entrench the tech incumbents that we already have."
A key vote to advance a massive conservative policy bill has been delayed, putting House Republicans behind in their ambitious schedule to enact President Donald Trump's agenda.
The House Budget Committee had initially aimed to go through and approve the legislation this week, but a source familiar with planning told Fox News Digital that is no longer the case.
It comes after conservatives on the panel rejected multiple offers by House GOP leaders on where to set a baseline for cutting federal spending, urging senior Republicans to seek deeper cuts ahead of negotiations with the Senate.
"I guess they want to get the resolution out. I do, too. I want to get it out of committee, have an up or down vote. But if you set that floor too low, that's all that’s going to be achieved," Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who sits on the House Budget Committee, told Fox News Digital on Monday. "I have no confidence that they would exceed whatever level we put in there."
Norman is one of several members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus who sits on the budget committee.
With just a razor-thin majority in the House – and by extension, on committees – Republicans can afford dissent from just one or two members to pass anything along party lines.
It's a significant hurdle facing the GOP as they seek to use their House and Senate majorities to pass a sweeping conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process.
By lowering the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to 51 out of 100, the maneuver allows the party in power to skirt its opposition to advance its agenda – provided the items included relate to budgetary and other fiscal matters. The House of Representatives already has a simple majority threshold.
Republicans are hoping to use reconciliation to pass a broad swath of Trump's policy goals, from more funding at the border to removing taxes on tipped and overtime wages.
But conservatives have also demanded that any reconciliation bill also reduce the national deficit by pairing new spending with extreme cuts in federal dollars going elsewhere.
The first step in the reconciliation process is getting the bill through Congress' budget committees, which then directs other committees to find areas for cuts and policy changes under their specific jurisdictions.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said that guidelines for spending cuts would be a "floor" not a "ceiling."
Fox News Digital was told that GOP leaders initially presented what amounted to a $300 billion floor for cuts, paired with $325 billion in new defense and border spending.
Conservatives later rejected another offer that amounted to a rough total of $900 billion in spending cuts, with about $300 billion in new spending, Fox News Digital was told.
Norman said he wanted the floor set to $2 trillion or $3 trillion.
Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., another Freedom Caucus member on the budget panel, said he was optimistic about reaching a deal, but that there were "a lot of conversations about starting the process from the most conservative position possible."
"The Senate is not as interested in fiscal responsibility, so we recognize the need to set parameters for authorizing committees that encourage that… from the beginning," Cline said Monday.
Johnson said he wanted the bill to advance through committee this week with a goal of passing an initial House version by the end of February.
Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson's office for comment.
The speaker said on "Fox & Friends" Monday morning of reconciliation talks, "Republicans are working right now to negotiate what that looks like. We don't want to blow a hole in the deficit by extending the Trump-era tax cuts, for example, but we're definitely going to get that extended. So we got to find those savings."
Newly elected Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg, a 24-year-old gun control activist and emerging voice in the Democratic Party, is the DNC's first Gen Z vice chair. He has the digital footprint to prove it.
"Are you ready to go on the offense? We have to win back our young people. I'm the only candidate in this race for any of these positions that is under 30. We had a 20-point shift to the right of our young people. We must show our young people we give a damn about them, that we support them, and we invest in them," Hogg said at the DNC's Winter Meeting.
Yet, Hogg could be backed into a defensive position as he assumes his new role as vice chair.
"I have raised over $11 million in the past year to support the future of our party because I don't just tweet," Hogg said. "I don't just talk the talk. I also walk the walk, and I knock the knock on doors around this country."
Hogg's old posts have gone viral as conservative activists have sounded the alarm about his past policy positions and rhetoric against conservatives.
In 2022, he rallied around several left-wing positions, including "legalizing all drugs" and "supporting a 100% tax after your first billion."
"How radical you ask? I don’t think anybody should have over $1 billion in assets there should be a 100% tax after your first billion," Hogg posted on X in April 2022. "I think we need to do what Australia did in regards to guns. We need universal healthcare Free college for all Legalize all drugs."
Months later, he said he would prefer to own a Porsche than have kids, claiming it is better for the environment.
"Like me? I’m never planning on having kids. I would much rather own a Porsche and have a Portuguese water dog and golden doodle," Hogg posted on X in September 2022. "Long term it’s cheaper, better for The environment and will never tell you that it hates you or ask you to pay for college."
Hogg also acknowledged in 2022 that "any politician doing anything with me is in effect committing political suicide."
Conservatives on X are calling out the irony of the DNC now electing him to a leadership position.
Many have pointed to Hogg's progressive views on masculinity as a turnoff to young male voters.
In 2021, Hogg called to "abolish ICE" and "defund the police not USPS."
Upon accepting the new DNC leadership position, X users are calling out Hogg for his 2022 post that said, "We have enough straight white men in power. It’d be nice to see some people who actually look like our country and not privilege."
X users also argued Hogg's nomination proves the Democratic Party is out of touch with its electorate.
Conservatives have also trolled Hogg's nomination, arguing that "He will help Republicans win for years to come."
Hogg garnered national attention in 2018 as a co-founder of March for Our Lives, a student-led organization launched by survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Since 2018, Hogg has become a voice of young Democrats in the mainstream media as he continues his advocacy work. After graduating from Harvard in 2023, Hogg co-founded Leaders We Deserve, a political action committee promoting young progressive candidates for state and federal office.
Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC and David Hogg.
As President Trump reportedly weighs his options for accomplishing his campaign promise of eliminating the Department of Education, experts spoke to Fox News Digital about what that process will look like and what hurdles the president will have to overcome.
"The administration is right to push to eliminate the ineffective and unpopular Department of Education," Jonathan Butcher, Will Skillman Senior Research Fellow in Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital shortly before the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump officials are mulling an executive order calling for a legislative proposal to get rid of the department.
"One thing I’ll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington, DC, and sending all education and education work it needs back to the states," Trump said in a 2023 campaign video.
A White House official told Fox News Digital on Monday night that Trump plans to fulfill his campaign promise by reevaluating the future of the department.
Butcher told Fox News Digital, "Congress should heed the call and advance policy to eliminate most of the agency's programs and spending while moving remaining programs to other federal agencies."
"President Trump can declare that the Education Department’s powers are unconstitutional and request a memo from the Department of Justice to support such a position. The president could, conceivably, do the same for specific programs, the Higher Education Act, for example."
"Another approach would be to relocate the agency someplace away from Washington, DC and require employees work in-person, 5 days per week," Butcher added. "The White House can still remove any non-essential, or non-exempt, positions in the meantime. Even this process would need congressional support to void union contracts."
Butcher told Fox News Digital that even with these possible actions from Trump, the executive branch "still has to spend appropriations as required."
"So, the best-case scenario remains that Congress considers a proposal to close the agency," Butcher said.
"In the proposal, Congress should consider creating block grants for large spending programs such as Title I so that states have more autonomy over what is best for schools within their borders," Butcher explained. "And Heritage has proposed moving certain offices that we believe should remain to other agencies, such as the office of civil rights to the Department of Justice."
Julian Epstein, longtime Democratic operative, attorney, and former chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital that Trump will "likely need an act of Congress" to eliminate the department since it is a statutory created agency unless he can "figure out how to do it through reconciliation."
However, Epstein explained that eliminating the department could ultimately cause Trump headaches.
"But Trump may want to think twice before he eliminates the department as it has important clubs to promote his agenda," Epstein said. "The department is the principal enforcement agency to protect women's sports, prevent discrimination through DEI quotas for favored groups, stop harboring antisemitism, and to address the rather blatant intellectually intolerant, partisan, anti Western ideological factories they have become. To do that, Trump might be well advised to keep the department of education and its core enforcement functions while scaling down its size."
The DOE was established under former President Carter in 1979 when he split it from the Health and Human Services Department. It’s charged with regulating federal student aid funds and ensuring equal access to education, among other responsibilities.
Republicans have called to dismantle the agency for decades since former President Carter established itt in 1979, making the case that decisions regarding schools should be determined at the local level.
Democrats argue the department provides stability and an opportunity to enforce more generalized policies – civil rights protections, reducing educational disparities and addressing systemic inequalities.
Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk, who was tasked with leading the Trump administration’s effort to cut back government waste through the DOGE effort, has previously voiced support for eliminating the department.
Experts who spoke to Fox News Digital in November echoed the belief that any effort to fully abolish the department would need the help of Congress.
"President Trump does not have the ability to eliminate a federal department. Eliminating it would require congressional action, including a supermajority of 60 votes in the Senate," Andrew Stoltmann, an attorney and law professor, said.
"So, even if Trump can follow through with what he says, he has to pull in some Democrats in the Senate, and that will likely be impossible."
Stoltmann explained that Trump‘s "best bet is to appoint somebody who will effectively be a figurehead at the Department of Education."
"This doesn’t eliminate the department, but it effectively neuters it during his term," Stoltman said.
The timing of a Trump executive order is unclear although some believe the administration will wait until Trump's pick to lead the department, former SBA Administrator Linda McMahon, is confirmed, although no timetable for that confirmation is currently set.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Fox News Digital's Aubrie Spady, Liz Elkind, and Taylor Penley contributed to this report
President Donald Trump was handed the "opportunity to save Medicare" after the Biden administration rolled out its final Medicare Advantage proposal early in January that experts say underfunds the insurance plan after already facing rate cuts in previous years.
"This is Trump’s opportunity to save Medicare," former Republican New York Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle, who is also a former nurse and was chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission until 2019, told Fox News Digital in January.
"Medicare Advantage is Medicare for 34 million Americans who choose it. Those seniors are experiencing disruption with their healthcare as a result of two years of cuts — if Trump ensures MA gets funded in line with projected medical cost trends in 2026, he’ll be fixing Joe Biden’s mistake and giving seniors the healthcare they deserve right before the GOP’s midterm elections."
Medicare Advantage plans are private health insurance plans that contract with Medicare and are used by roughly 34 million Americans. The program mostly enrolls adults older than the age of 65, but also offers benefits to people of all ages with disabilities. Traditional Medicare, conversely, is a federal health insurance program for adults older than the age of 65, as well as younger individuals with disabilities.
The Biden administration previously had made cuts to Medicare Advantage rates, including in April 2024, when experts said enrollees would face an additional $33 a month for out-of-pocket costs, or $396 a year, due to the cuts. Critics at the time said the cuts would be especially devastating to seniors living on fixed incomes who are already coping with ongoing inflation issues.
Roughly two weeks before leaving office, the Biden administration rolled out its final regulation affecting Medicare Advantage, which did not outright cut rates as it did for 2024 and 2025, but increased the average benchmark payment to Medicare Advantage plans by 2.2%.
The proposal, however, seemingly works as another cut and underfunds Medicare Advantage because the proposed rates are still lower than the current rate of inflation, Buerkle said, with the consumer price index showing a 12-month inflation rate of 2.7%. The proposal also comes on the heels of the Biden administration finalizing a 1.12% cut for fiscal year 2024 and a 0.16% cut for fiscal year 2025.
"Underfunding for Medicare Advantage will result in higher premiums, more out-of-pocket costs, and higher deductibles for the 34 million Americans who choose Medicare Advantage," Buerkle told Fox News Digital. "This, on top of the inflation that the Biden Administration caused by their flagrant spending creates a difficult situation for those seniors on a fixed income."
"Medicare Advantage saved the federal government $144 billion over the last decade," Buerkle said.
That is because Medicare Advantage plans "use taxpayer dollars more efficiently than traditional Medicare," she said. "By managing the care for 34 million seniors, MA plans are able to offer more benefits for the same price as original Medicare. Senior satisfaction rate is high, too, with 96% of seniors reporting their satisfaction with their MA plan. So, making sure MA is funded appropriately is a gift to taxpayers," Buerkle said.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services touted the proposal when it was released in early January, saying the health plan will continue providing affordable care, while "being a good steward of taxpayer dollars."
The agency "has worked to ensure that people with Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D have access to stable and affordable offerings," said Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. "Today’s Advance Notice continues CMS’ efforts to provide access to affordable, high-quality care in Medicare Advantage while being a good steward of taxpayer dollars. We are also continuing implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, ensuring people with Medicare Part D have more affordable coverage for their medications."
Former Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindall, who served as an advisor to the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush's administration, published an op-ed for Fox Digital in December 2024, warning against the Biden administration issuing any last-minute Medicare Advantage cuts ahead of Trump taking back the Oval Office.
"Over the past two years, the administration has implemented a series of changes that have effectively reduced funding for Medicare Advantage," he wrote. "These cuts are disguised as 'payment adjustments,' but the reality is clear: they are cutting funding for a program that seniors overwhelmingly support. The results? Higher premiums, reduced benefits, and narrower provider networks for many Medicare Advantage enrollees."
Jindall added that Medicare Advantage can be improved to better serve seniors and other enrollees, but he argued "the left" has resisted improving the system in favor of promoting a government-focused program.
"Members in both parties have called for modifying the calculation of risk adjustments, to improve a system that can be gamed and often rewards companies for documenting patient acuity rather than actually improving outcomes," he wrote. "But, the left does not want to improve Medicare Advantage — they want to undermine the program to advance their long-term goal of centralizing more health care under the government’s control."
A Trump administration official told Fox Digital that staffers are reviewing Biden administration proposals and polices skeptically but that no policy has been set in stone related to Medicare Advantage.
Trump joined House Republican lawmakers in Florida on Jan. 27, when he vowed not to cut Medicare or Social Security.
"I will not sign any bill that cuts even a single penny from Medicare or Social Security for our great seniors. We don't have to do that. We don't have to do that. We'll not touch those benefits in any way, shape or form. I want to use that because during the campaign, they had these fake ads that Trump is going to cut Social Security," he said.
Buerkle previously spoke to Fox News Digital that the Biden administration’s cuts for 2024–2025 served as a backdoor attempt to gut Medicare Advantage in an effort to promote "Medicare for All," a government-focused health system that has long been on a policy wishlist for left-wing lawmakers.
Buerkle said the Biden admin’s latest and last policy proposal on Medicare Advantage "absolutely" serves as another backdoor attempt to push Medicare for All.
"Medicare for All advocates despise the success of Medicare Advantage because it reveals the flaws in a government-run managed care system," she said. "The goal is simple: destroy MA as a means to get to Medicare for All."
Elon Musk, who President Donald Trump tasked with spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort, declared in a social media post that "Hysterical reactions" demonstrate the importance of DOGE's work.
He made the comment in response to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
"An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government," a post on Sen. Schumer's @SenSchumer X account reads, echoing remarks the lawmaker made during a press conference.
"DOGE is not a real government agency. DOGE has no authority to make spending decisions. DOGE has no authority to shut programs down or to ignore federal law. DOGE’s conduct cannot be allowed to stand. Congress must take action to restore the rule of law," Schumer's post continued.
Musk described the effort to slash government waste and bureaucracy as a one-time opportunity.
"Hysterical reactions like this is how you know that @DOGE is doing work that really matters," he wrote in response to Schumer.
"This is the one shot the American people have to defeat BUREAUcracy, rule of the bureaucrats, and restore DEMOcracy, rule of the people. We’re never going to get another chance like this. It’s now or never. Your support is crucial to the success of the revolution of the people," he asserted.
The business magnate has called DOGE "the wood chipper for bureaucracy."
"If the Treasury Secretary does not remove DOGE’s access to the Treasury payment systems at once: Congress must immediately act," another post echoing the sentiments Schumer conveyed during the press conference reads. "That is why @RepJeffries and I will work together on legislation to stop unlawful meddling in the Treasury Department’s payment systems. We must protect people’s Social Security payments, Medicare payments, and tax refunds from any possible tampering by DOGE or other unauthorized entities."
Musk declared in a post, "Doge has not looked at, nor is there any interest in, private financial data. What would we even do with it? The outgoing payment review process just looks at potential fraud and wasteful spending to organizations. Corrupt politicians are the ones complaining. I wonder why?"
U.S. and Philippine fighter aircraft staged a joint patrol and training Tuesday over a disputed South China Sea shoal where Chinese fighter jets fired flares last year to drive away a Philippine aircraft, Philippine officials said.
The joint patrol and air-intercept drills over the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines were the first by the longtime treaty allies since President Donald Trump took office again.
It comes as the Trump administration has promised to deliver a foreign policy that centers on "America First."
Two U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber aircraft and three Philippine Air Force FA-50 fighter jets joined the brief patrol and training, which involved practicing how to intercept a hostile aircraft, Philippine air force spokesperson Maria Consuelo Castillo said at a press conference. It was not immediately known if the joint patrol encountered any challenge from Chinese forces guarding the Scarborough Shoal.
"The exercises focused on enhancing operational coordination, improving air domain awareness and reinforcing agile combat employment capabilities between the two air forces," the Philippine Air Force said.
On Tuesday, the Chinese military's Southern Theater Command said its units would maintain a "high degree of alert, resolutely defend China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and control any military activities that disrupt the South China Sea," alleging the Philippines participated in joint patrols organized by other foreign countries to "undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea," according to Reuters.
The Philippine Navy said at a press conference on Tuesday that it was "closely monitoring" three Chinese navy vessels within Manila's maritime zones, including a Jiangkai-class guided missile frigate.
"The presence of People's Liberation Army-Navy reflects the People's Republic of China's complete disregard for international law and undermines the peace and stability in the region," Philippine Navy spokesperson John Percie Alcos said, according to Reuters.
In August last year, two Chinese air force aircraft flew close then fired flares in the path of a Philippine air force plane on routine patrol over the Scarborough Shoal in actions that were strongly condemned and protested by the Philippine government, military officials said. All those aboard the Philippine air force NC-212i turbo-prop transport plane were unharmed, the Philippine military said.
The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army said then that a Philippine air force aircraft "illegally" entered the airspace above the shoal and disrupted training activities by Chinese forces. It warned the Philippines to "stop its infringement, provocation, distortion and hyping-up."
The Philippine military chief, Gen. Romeo Brawner, said at the time that the incident "posed a threat to Philippine air force aircraft and its crew, interfered with lawful flight operations in airspace within Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction and contravened international law and regulations governing safety of aviation."
China and the Philippines have had increasingly alarming face-offs in the shoal, which is called Bajo de Masinloc by the Philippines and Huangyan Island by China.
"We are always prepared for any contingency, it’s part of the training," Castillo said Tuesday when asked if the allied forces had prepared to address any challenge by Chinese aircraft.
"It already happened before and, as I have said, whatever the coercive, aggressive actions of any foreign party, the Philippine air force will not be deterred to perform its mandate," Castillo said.
The U.S. military has reported encountering such dangerous maneuvers by Chinese air force planes in the past over the disputed waters, where it has deployed fighter jets and navy ships to promote freedom of navigation and overflight.
China has bristled at U.S. military deployments in the disputed region, saying these have endangered regional security.
Aside from China and the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan have overlapping territorial claims in the busy sea passage, a key global trade and security route, but hostilities have particularly flared in the past two years between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy forces in the Scarborough Shoal and another fiercely contested atoll, the Second Thomas Shoal.
Washington has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Philippine forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.
Washington, D.C., City Councilmember Trayon White is facing potential expulsion from city leadership amid an ongoing corruption trial on alleged bribery charges.
The FBI arrested White in August 2024, alleging that he took over $150,000 in bribes to influence the city's contracting. While the trial has yet to begin, the FBI revealed evidence showing White accepting envelopes full of cash from a bureau informant. The city council will vote on White's expulsion later Tuesday.
"This is quintessential corruption," Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said in a December statement. "There is only one remedy: to remove the corruption from our body. This incident has damaged the public trust necessary for government to function well."
Despite the charges and evidence leveled against him, White was re-elected to the city council in November, just three months after his arrest. His federal trial is set to begin in January 2026. He has pleaded not guilty.
"I feel confident that the people of Ward 8 have spoken. I feel like I’m going to win by a landslide but I’m still humbled and prayerful. I hope [it] sends a loud message to the D.C. Council about keeping the decisions in the hands of the people." White told WJLA on Election Day after results made it clear he would win.
White's expulsion would require a unanimous vote of the 11 other members of the city council, and public statements from councilmembers don't look good for White.
"Councilmember White betrayed the trust of his staff, the council, the agencies and, above all, the residents of Ward 8," Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, a Democrat, said at a preliminary hearing last week.
Mendelson, also a Democrat, echoed McDuffie's skepticism in a statement.
"The public [has to] have trust in the government, they have to have trust in the legislature, they have to have trust in those who are elected," he said.
Other members expressed hope that White would resign before the council is forced to take action.
"I wish he would resign," said Councilmember Robert C. White Jr., also a Democrat, according to the Washington Post. "If you broke the council rules, and you know you broke the council rules, to put the council through this is something to think about."
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, signed a bill Monday aimed at shielding the identities of doctors who prescribe abortion drugs after a New York physician was indicted for prescribing abortion pills to a pregnant minor in Louisiana.
The new law, which is effective immediately, allows for doctors' names to be omitted from abortion pill bottles and instead replaced with the name of their respective healthcare practices.
This comes after a grand jury in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, indicted New York physician Margaret Carpenter, her company and an associate on Friday for allegedly using telemedicine to prescribe abortion pills to a girl.
Hochul said she would not sign an extradition request to send Carpenter to Louisiana.
Authorities in Louisiana learned the name of the doctor because it was listed on the medication label.
"After today, that will no longer happen," Hochul said at the bill signing.
The case appears to be the first time a doctor has been charged for allegedly sending abortion pills to a patient in another state since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Louisiana prosecutors said the girl experienced a medical emergency after taking the medication and was transported to a hospital. The girl's mother was also charged and turned herself in to police on Friday.
It is unclear how far along the girl was in her pregnancy.
District Attorney Tony Clayton, who is prosecuting the Louisiana case, said the arrest warrant for Carpenter is "nationwide" and that she could be arrested in GOP-led states with abortion restrictions.
Physicians in Louisiana, which has a near-total abortion ban, could face up to 15 years in prison, $200,000 in fines and the loss of their medical license if they are convicted of performing abortions, including via medication.
Hochul said she would push for another piece of legislation this year requiring pharmacists to follow doctors' requests to leave their name off a prescription label.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Carpenter in December over allegations she sent abortion pills to a woman in the Lone Star State, though criminal charges were not brought in that case.
Tulsi Gabbard is set to test her odds of Senate confirmation on Tuesday as the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence considers her nomination by President Donald Trump.
Gabbard, a former Democrat congresswoman who has been tapped as the nominee for director of national intelligence (DNI), went before the committee last week. During her confirmation hearing, she was pressed about her past meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, her previous FISA Section 702 stance and her past support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
She notably refused to agree that Snowden was a traitor during the hearing.
The committee will vote on Gabbard's nomination on Tuesday, two sources familiar confirmed to Fox News Digital.
While Intel Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has continued to promote Gabbard for the role, at least one key Republican senator on the top committee is considered a potential defector on the nomination vote.
Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., hasn't said how he plans to vote in committee.
In a since-deleted post on X, Trump-aligned billionaire Elon Musk said Young was a "deep state puppet" in regard to his uncertainty about Gabbard.
A spokesperson for Young told Fox News Digital in a statement, "Senator Young and Mr. Musk had a great conversation on a number of subjects and policy areas where they have a shared interest, like DOGE."
Musk also shared on X over the weekend, "Just had an excellent conversation with [Young]. I stand corrected. Senator Young will be a great ally in restoring power to the people from the vast, unelected bureaucracy."
She also received the backing of Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, after her hearing.
"Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 provides that the President shall appoint officers with the advice and consent of the Senate. Having won the election decisively, I believe President Trump has earned the right to appoint his own cabinet, absent extraordinary circumstances. Therefore, it is my intention to consent to the appointment of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence," Cornyn said in a statement.
Moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced her support for Gabbard on Monday evening, saying in a statement, "After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence."
"As one of the principal authors of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 that established this coordinating position, I understand the critical role the DNI plays in the Intelligence Community. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, however, has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size. In response to my questions during our discussion in my office and at the open hearing, as well as through her explanation at the closed hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Ms. Gabbard addressed my concerns regarding her views on Edward Snowden. I look forward to working with Ms. Gabbard to strengthen our national security."
Collins' crucial committee vote was not a certainty, especially given her habit of bucking her party. She most recently did this on the confirmation vote for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, joining Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in voting against him.
Gabbard will likely need the support of every single Republican on the committee, assuming no Democrats vote in her favor. None of the Democrat senators have said they will vote to advance her nomination.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will face a pivotal test on Tuesday morning as the Senate Finance Committee votes on his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
At 10 a.m., the committee will meet to consider President Donald Trump's HHS pick, following his hearing last week.
The 27-member committee is composed of 14 Republican members and 13 Democrats. Kennedy will need a majority of the votes in order to advance out of the committee.
He will likely need the support of every committee Republican, assuming no Democratic senators get behind him. No Democrats on the committee have said they plan to vote to advance Kennedy.
The HHS nominee has managed to get the support of two sometimes hesitant Republicans in Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., already.
However, he will still need the vote of Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a doctor who has expressed concerns over Kennedy's claims about vaccines.
Kennedy spoke with Cassidy over the weekend, as the senator had foreshadowed during one of his hearings. Representatives for each did not divulge details of the last-minute conversations.
If Trump's nominee isn't advanced out of the committee, it's unlikely that it will make it to the Senate floor for a vote.
Kennedy would become the first Trump nominee this term to hit such an obstacle, as the president's other choices have been moving through the upper chamber and several have been confirmed and sworn in. Even Trump's controversial Defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, made it past committee and ultimately was confirmed with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.
However, if he does fail to clear the committee, he may not be the only Trump pick to hit such a roadblock.
In fact, on the same day, Trump's choice to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, also faces the possibility of failing to get past her respective committee.
As President Trump reportedly weighs his options for accomplishing his campaign promise of eliminating the Department of Education, experts spoke to Fox News Digital about what that process will look like and what hurdles the president will have to overcome.
"The administration is right to push to eliminate the ineffective and unpopular Department of Education," Jonathan Butcher, Will Skillman Senior Research Fellow in Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital shortly before the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump officials are mulling an executive order calling for a legislative proposal to get rid of the department.
"One thing I’ll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington, DC, and sending all education and education work it needs back to the states," Trump said in a 2023 campaign video.
A White House official told Fox News Digital on Monday night that Trump plans to fulfill his campaign promise by reevaluating the future of the department.
Butcher told Fox News Digital, "Congress should heed the call and advance policy to eliminate most of the agency's programs and spending while moving remaining programs to other federal agencies."
"President Trump can declare that the Education Department’s powers are unconstitutional and request a memo from the Department of Justice to support such a position. The president could, conceivably, do the same for specific programs, the Higher Education Act, for example."
"Another approach would be to relocate the agency someplace away from Washington, DC and require employees work in-person, 5 days per week," Butcher added. "The White House can still remove any non-essential, or non-exempt, positions in the meantime. Even this process would need congressional support to void union contracts."
Butcher told Fox News Digital that even with these possible actions from Trump, the executive branch "still has to spend appropriations as required."
"So, the best-case scenario remains that Congress considers a proposal to close the agency," Butcher said.
"In the proposal, Congress should consider creating block grants for large spending programs such as Title I so that states have more autonomy over what is best for schools within their borders," Butcher explained. "And Heritage has proposed moving certain offices that we believe should remain to other agencies, such as the office of civil rights to the Department of Justice."
Julian Epstein, longtime Democratic operative, attorney, and former chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital that Trump will "likely need an act of Congress" to eliminate the department since it is a statutory created agency unless he can "figure out how to do it through reconciliation."
However, Epstein explained that eliminating the department could ultimately cause Trump headaches.
"But Trump may want to think twice before he eliminates the department as it has important clubs to promote his agenda," Epstein said. "The department is the principal enforcement agency to protect women's sports, prevent discrimination through DEI quotas for favored groups, stop harboring antisemitism, and to address the rather blatant intellectually intolerant, partisan, anti Western ideological factories they have become. To do that, Trump might be well advised to keep the department of education and its core enforcement functions while scaling down its size."
The DOE was established under former President Carter in 1979 when he split it from the Health and Human Services Department. It’s charged with regulating federal student aid funds and ensuring equal access to education, among other responsibilities.
Republicans have called to dismantle the agency for decades since former President Carter established itt in 1979, making the case that decisions regarding schools should be determined at the local level.
Democrats argue the department provides stability and an opportunity to enforce more generalized policies – civil rights protections, reducing educational disparities and addressing systemic inequalities.
Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk, who was tasked with leading the Trump administration’s effort to cut back government waste through the DOGE effort, has previously voiced support for eliminating the department.
Experts who spoke to Fox News Digital in November echoed the belief that any effort to fully abolish the department would need the help of Congress.
"President Trump does not have the ability to eliminate a federal department. Eliminating it would require congressional action, including a supermajority of 60 votes in the Senate," Andrew Stoltmann, an attorney and law professor, said.
"So, even if Trump can follow through with what he says, he has to pull in some Democrats in the Senate, and that will likely be impossible."
Stoltmann explained that Trump‘s "best bet is to appoint somebody who will effectively be a figurehead at the Department of Education."
"This doesn’t eliminate the department, but it effectively neuters it during his term," Stoltman said.
The timing of a Trump executive order is unclear although some believe the administration will wait until Trump's pick to lead the department, former SBA Administrator Linda McMahon, is confirmed, although no timetable for that confirmation is currently set.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Fox News Digital's Aubrie Spady, Liz Elkind, and Taylor Penley contributed to this report
Just two weeks after taking office, Trump announced that Michael Ellis will serve as deputy director of the CIA. Ellis, who will not need to be approved by the U.S. Senate, will work under CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
Trump wrote that the incoming deputy director, who is also a lawyer, will help "fix the CIA, and make it, once again, the Greatest Intelligence Agency in the World."
"During my First Term, Michael served at the White House National Security Council, and helped expose abuses of the ‘unmasking’ process by the Obama Administration at the beginning of the Russia, Russia, Russia, Hoax," the president wrote. "Michael was also General Counsel of the House Intelligence Committee under Devin Nunes, and was selected to be General Counsel of the National Security Agency before being corruptly purged by the Biden Administration."
In another post, Trump named Joe Kent to serve as director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). According to the agency's website, the NCTC operates within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and helps officials by "analyzing, understanding, and responding to the terrorist threat."
"As a Soldier, Green Beret, and CIA Officer, Joe has hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life," Trump's Truth Social post read. "Above all, Joe knows the terrible cost of terrorism, losing his wonderful wife, Shannon, a Great American Hero, who was killed in the fight against ISIS."
"Joe continues to honor her legacy by staying in the fight. Joe will help us keep America safe by eradicating all terrorism, from the jihadists around the World, to the cartels in our backyard," the president concluded.
Finally, Trump named Sean Parnell to serve as the chief Pentagon spokesman, and to work as the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs.
"A Great American Patriot, Sean is a fearless Combat Veteran, who led one of the most decorated units in the Afghanistan War," Trump said of Parnell. "He earned two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, while his platoon achieved an incredible record of eliminating over 350 enemy fighters."
"During my First Term, Sean was also instrumental helping pass the MISSION ACT, the BIGGEST VA Reform in History," Trump added. "Congratulations to Sean, his wonderful wife, and their five children!"
EXCLUSIVE: Secretary of State Marco Rubio is accusing USAID of "rank insubordination," adding "we had no choice but to bring this thing under control." The top U.S. diplomat made the comments in an exclusive interview with Fox News in El Salvador, just after announcing he would take over as acting director of the humanitarian agency.
Rubio blasted USAID for being "completely unresponsive" telling Fox "they don’t consider that they work for the U.S., they just think they’re a global entity and that their master is the globe and not the United States, and that’s not what the statute says, and that’s not sustainable."
Rubio refused to say whether the agency "needs to die," as DOGE chief Elon Musk is suggesting, instead stressing the goal was always to reform it.
"There are things that we do through USAID that we should continue to do, that make sense, and we'll have to decide, is that better through the State Department or is that better through something, you know, a reformed USAID? That's the process we're working through."
Despite plans for restructuring, Rubio said the United States would remain the "most generous nation on Earth," but added, in a way that makes sense, that’s in our national interests.
Asked if changes to USAID would open the door for Communist China to increase its influence around the world, Rubio said "No, I mean, first of all, they don't do that now. If they did, they'd be out there competing with us in these places. But my point is this, even if they did that, why would we fund things that are against our national interests or don't further our national interests, whether China is there or not? If China wants to waste our money on something that's against their China, their national interests, go ahead and do it. We're not going to do it."
Monday evening, the group and labor union that represents U.S. foreign service workers, released a statement opposing the Trump administration's actions regarding USAID. "The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) strongly objects to the administration’s decision to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This will undermine U.S. national security, may subvert Congressional authority, and demonstrates a lack of respect for the dedication of the development professionals who serve America’s interests abroad."
The wide-ranging interview came after Rubio’s visit to Panama and amidst repeated warnings from President Trump that the United State would "take back" the Panama Canal over concerns the Chinese have de facto operational control over it.
Following his visit with the Panamanian President, Jose Raul Mulino announced the central American nation would leave China’s Belt and Road initiative. Rubio welcomes the move but tells Fox that’s not enough and that he hopes to see "additional steps in the days to come."
President Trump announced 30-day pauses on tariffs on Mexico and Canada. Rubio acknowledge that "changes our economic relationship with our closest neighbors," adding the State Department is not involved in any negotiations to make Canada the 51st state.
Despite Venezuela’s recent move to release U.S. hostages and accept migrants living illegally in the US, Secretary Rubio said there are still no plans to recognize the Maduro regime as legitimate. Rubio added "Maduro knows the US has many options to inflict serious damage on his regime."
Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, says he has "no intention" of going to Havana as America’s top diplomat "other than to discuss when they're going to leave." Rubio continues his western hemisphere trip Tuesday with stops in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Members of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee voted favorably Monday for President Donald Trump's nominee, Brooke Rollins, to head up the Department of Agriculture (USDA), a widely expected outcome that clears her for a vote in the full Senate later this week.
Rollins was passed favorably out of committee on a unanimous vote.
Rollins, who served as a White House aide during Trump's first administration and then as the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, is widely viewed as an uncontroversial nominee.
Her nomination earned the backing of a coalition of more than 415 farmers, agricultural, and growers groups earlier this month. Signatories urged the Senate to swiftly confirm Rollins, praising what they described as her foundational knowledge of agriculture, as well as her policy and business bona fides that they said made her uniquely qualified for the role of U.S. agriculture secretary.
The committee vote comes at a crucial time for U.S. growers' groups and agribusinesses across the country. Lawmakers in Congress have stalled on a new farm bill and on other key priorities for farmers and industry groups.
They also failed to secure the full extent of farm aid and agriculture subsidies considered necessary by many groups in their eleventh-hour government spending bill passed late last month.
Rollins vowed at her confirmation hearing that, if approved, she would use her post as agriculture secretary to embark on a "fast and furious" effort to distribute those funds to farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. She also vowed to combat fast-spreading animal disease in the U.S. and North America, including bird flu, which has hampered the poultry industry and sent egg prices soaring.
If confirmed, Rollins said last week, she would "immediately begin to modernize, realign, rethink the United States Department of Agriculture."
"We understand that serving all American agriculture and all the American people means ensuring that our rural communities are equipped and supported to prosper, not just today, but tomorrow and the day after that in the many tomorrows to come," she told lawmakers.
Those supporting Rollins' nomination have also praised her "close working relationship" with the president, which they said will "ensure that agriculture and rural America have a prominent and influential voice at the table when critical decisions are made in the White House."
Rollins was not expected to face staunch opposition to her nomination to head up the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and lawmakers who have spoken out have largely praised both her experience and strong knowledge of the agriculture sector.
President Donald Trump on Monday slammed the FBI as "corrupt" and praised his nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, as the man to "straighten it out" as he declined to answer questions over whether his administration will remove bureau employees involved in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
Asked Monday by Fox News whether he believed anyone involved in the Jan. 6 investigation should be fired, Trump did not answer outright. Instead, he criticized the actions of a bureau he has repeatedly decried as "corrupt," and one he insists has targeted him specifically.
"I think the FBI was a very corrupt institution, and I'm a victim of it in the true sense," Trump told Fox News while addressing reporters Monday at the Oval Office. He also added that he believes the bureau's reputation has been "damaged badly, as has the DOJ's."
"But you know what, we have to have pristine, beautiful, perfect law enforcement," Trump said.
"We have to bring the reputation of the FBI not even [back] to what it was— even better than it ever was," Trump said. "But Kash has to be the one to do it," he added. "Kash will straighten it out."
Trump's remarks come days after Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed the acting FBI director to terminate eight FBI employees and identify all current and former bureau personnel assigned to the Jan. 6 and Hamas cases for an internal review.
"I do not believe that the current leadership of the Justice Department can trust these FBI employees to assist in implementing the President’s agenda faithfully," Bove wrote in the memo, instructing that the eight employees be fired by Monday, Feb. 3, at 5:30 p.m.
Former FBI and Justice Department officials warned in interviews with Fox News Digital that such firings, while within Trump's authority, could have a chilling effect on the rest of the bureau should the administration move to get rid of the personnel involved in the Jan. 6 investigations.
The Trump administration has not yet said if it will move to take action against the individuals involved.
But new concerns were raised after Bove sent a 12-page questionnaire to FBI personnel across the country asking them to detail their involvement in the Jan. 6 investigations, noting that the department would begin a "review process to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary."
The remarks come after Trump, in his second term as president, moved to immediately issue a blanket pardon and sentence commutation for all 1,600 criminal defendants in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, whom he has repeatedly referred to as "hostages."
Since taking office, Trump has also fired the inspectors general of 17 separate federal agencies, fired more than a dozen prosecutors involved in the special counsel investigations led by Jack Smith, and ordered more than half a dozen FBI officials to either resign or retire from their posts or be fired.
Combined, the actions have sparked new fears that the FBI could see the ousting of decades of expertise from within the bureau's ranks, including employees well-versed in detecting and responding to counterterrorism threats, organized and violent crime, drug trafficking, and more.
Others noted that the Jan. 6 investigation was originally launched under the Trump administration – a detail that the president and some of his supporters neglect to mention in their frequent criticisms against it.
"We're in an extremely precarious time right now, in a very chaotic world," one former Justice Department official said in an interview. "The terrorism front is as concerning as I've seen it, ever. So it doesn't make sense to me why we'd be taking a meat cleaver to agencies that defend against that."
Referee Shawn Hochuli educated football fans recently on Rule 12, Section 3, Article 4 of the NFL rulebook.
Hochuli threatened to give the Philadelphia Eagles an automatic touchdown after the Washington Commanders committed three consecutive penalties at the goal line during the NFC Championship Game.
Washington linebacker Frankie Luvu launched himself twice – mimicking Superman in mid-flight – diving over the line of scrimmage before the Eagles snapped the ball at the one-yard line. Luvu was trying to prevent Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts from sneaking into the end zone behind his massive linemen.
Hochuli slid the ball closer to the goal line after each infraction. "Half the distance to the goal line" is the sanction, meaning the ball advanced a few centimeters each time and Philadelphia got a new set of downs. But following the second infraction, Hochuli announced he’d assess Luvu an unsportsmanlike penalty if he did it again.
But on the third play, Washington defensive tackle Jonathan Allen hopped briefly offside before the snap.
Hochuli blew the whistle, assessed a penalty for encroachment and moved the ball forward until its nose practically kissed the goal line chalk.
The referee then tutored the nation on one of the most obscure rules in any athletic rulebook.
"Washington has been advised that the referees can award a score if this type of behavior happens again," said Hochuli, much to the delight of the partisan crowd stuffed into Lincoln Financial Field in south Philly.
The rule declares the following:
"A player or substitute shall not interfere with play by any act which is palpably unfair. Penalty: For a palpably unfair act: Offender may be disqualified. The referee, after consulting the officiating crew, enforces any such distance penalty they consider equitable and irrespective of any other specified code penalty. The referee may award a score."
In short, had Washington committed another penalty, Hochuli could have quit creeping the ball toward the goal line. He would have just given the Eagles six points on the scoreboard.
Rule 12, Section 3, Article 4 does not exist in governance or politics. Except the voters, there is no referee like Shawn Hochuli to assess penalties, mete out discipline and dock a team yardage.
And this is what vexes Democrats – and some Republicans – when it comes to Trump Administration moves to freeze money appropriated by Congress across the board.
Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution is clear about which branch of government controls the purse strings:
"No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law."
In other words, Congress is responsible for spending money. The executive branch just cannot unilaterally thwart what Congress spends. President Richard Nixon tried this in the mid-1970s with "impoundment." Nixon’s administration blocked spending money which Congress allocated.
This is why Elon Musk’s "Department of Government Efficiency" or "DOGE" is so controversial. First of all, it’s not a "department" like the State Department or the Department of Energy. It’s really the "U.S. DOGE Service," positioned under the umbrella of a small agency within the executive branch: The U.S. Digital Service.
But President Trump has granted Elon Musk and his team access to probe ways to cut spending. The DOGE service can’t just cut spending on its own. At least not constitutionally. And it certainly can’t eliminate another agency, like the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID.
Unless Congress says so.
That’s why the drama last week about an automatic freeze on federal grants and loans rattled lawmakers from both parties on Capitol Hill. Granted, the administration called for a "temporary" pause. And even some powerful Republicans were okay with that.
"I think that's a normal practice at the beginning of administration until we have an opportunity to know how the money is being spent," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., about the halt. "I think it's just this is kind of a preliminary step that I think most administrations take."
But Congress generally safeguards its prerogatives of spending very closely. It would be remarkable for lawmakers to fork over fiscal responsibilities to the executive branch without a fight.
This is why when granting a restraining order to quash moves by the administration to usurp congressional authority over spending, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan declared that there was potential for "irreparable harm" to federal agencies and that the administration’s actions could be "catastrophic."
Republicans raised few hackles about the administration’s decisions. But Democrats and their allies spelled out the gravity of the circumstances.
"This is a profound Constitutional issue," argued Sen. Angus King, I-Maine. "What happened last night is the most direct assault on the authority of Congress, I believe in the history of the United States. It is blatantly unconstitutional. Article two does not give the executive the power to determine budgets or expenditures that powers vested in article three in the Congress."
USAID shuttered Monday and staffers were locked out of the computer system. Musk said that the agency should be closed.
House and Senate Democrats marched down to USAID headquarters in Washington Monday to protest the move by DOGE and Musk.
"If you want to change an agency, introduce a bill and pass a law. You cannot wave away an agency that you don't like," said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.
"Just like Elon Musk did not create USAID, he doesn't have the power to destroy it," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. "We don't have a fourth branch of government called Elon Musk."
The moves by the administration last week and over the weekend to trample on congressional spending powers were so egregious that Democrats may have hoped that referee Shawn Hochuli was around to award them a score. Democrats contended the move was so far beyond the pale it may qualify as a "palpably unfair act." They might say the maneuvers were so constitutionally abhorrent that they should award Democrats a "score."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared himself the new head of USAID.
"They're supposed to take policy direction from the State Department and they do not. Their attitude is they don't have to answer to us. That is not true and that will no longer be the case," said Rubio.
During an appearance on Fox, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said that it was incumbent to find savings in order to pay for the pending renewal of the Trump tax cuts.
"We’ve got to find those savings," said Johnson. "We’re going to have massive savings by making government more efficient and effective."
House Transportation Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., noted that he was hearing from state departments of transportation, trying to understand what programs were now suspended.
"A lot of money has been frozen," said Graves. "There are some programs that the president and Congress don't want to move forward, and we need to readjust many of those programs."
A deadline to fund the government looms in about five weeks. With their narrow majority, it’s generally believed that Republicans may need help from Democrats to keep the government open. But Democrats may now revolt since they believe GOP members may be willing to cede spending authority to the executive branch.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. She asks what happens if the sides do reach an agreement "and this administration says that's bunk. We don't have to go by that."
Murray added that "the level of trust is at the lowest I have ever seen it here in Congress."
In politics, there is no referee. There will be lawsuits. Court challenges. Battles which will rage for years.
But it’s up to the voters to determine if what the Trump administration is now carrying out constitutes a "palpably unfair act."
And voters won’t have the chance to award a score until November of next year at the earliest.
FIRST ON FOX: Republicans in New York’s congressional delegation are up in arms over reports that state Democrat leaders are considering legislative routes to delay the special election to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.
The six GOP lawmakers signaled they would seek intervention from the Department of Justice (DOJ) if the alleged legislative maneuver runs afoul of federal law.
"Your clear attempt at playing political games to limit Republican numbers in the House of Representatives is overreaching, corrupt, and undemocratic," reads a letter led by Reps. Mike Lawler and Nick Langworthy.
"We demand you cease any and all such attempts to change this law, and in preparation of this conspiratory, corrupt act that clearly threatens the constitutional rights of American citizens, we will also be alerting the Department of Justice."
The letter was also signed by New York Republican Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, Nick LaLota, Andrew Garbarino and Claudia Tenney.
Their pressure on New York’s Democrat leaders is backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who told "Fox & Friends" on Monday morning, "This is open political corruption by state officials in New York."
"They're going to try to disenfranchise over 750,000 New Yorkers who live in that 21st District. It's unconscionable," he said.
New York lawmakers in the state Senate and Assembly met last week to discuss a rules change that could keep Stefanik’s seat empty until at least June, according to the New York Post.
Stefanik was tapped to be President Donald Trump’s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and is expected to easily pass a Senate confirmation vote. She and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s departure from Congress leave the House with a razor-thin GOP majority, leaving no room for Republican dissent to pass any legislation without Democrat support.
The letter noted that Stefanik could be confirmed "as early as this week," which would leave residents of New York’s 21st Congressional District without representation in the House until the seat is filled.
The deep-red district is almost certainly going to stay in Republican control, as is the case with Waltz’s former Florida seat.
While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis acted quickly to set special elections for April, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has been silent.
Under current state law, Hochul has 10 days after Stefanik’s resignation to call a special election within a further 70 to 80 days.
But the rule change would reportedly consolidate the special elections date with the June primary race, allegedly in the name of saving resources and time.
"Your claims that you’re doing this to be cost-effective or to promote equity are laughable and will do nothing more than leave every New Yorker in the 21st district with no representation in the House for additional months," the GOP lawmakers wrote.
"Your scheme to alter the schedule for the special election is a serious abuse of power that is more alike to election processes in authoritarian countries than anything we see in the United States."
They argued that any delay would run afoul of the Constitution’s clauses on filling House vacancies as well as Supreme Court precedent.
"Any delay or postponement in calling a special election to fill a vacancy in the House of Representatives is not just undemocratic, but it is unconstitutional as well," they wrote. "It would be reminiscent of other failed efforts regarding New York’s elections in recent years, such as the unconstitutional attempts to gerrymander New York’s congressional districts."
The letter also cited a 2009 New York State Court of Appeals ruling that special elections to fill a vacancy should occur in the "shortest space of time reasonably possible."
"The citizens of New York’s 21st Congressional District are constitutionally entitled to representation in the House and it is our hope that these reports have little basis in reality. If not, we strongly urge you to abandon this absurd, shameful scheme to deny representation for more than 750,000 New Yorkers and maintain current state election laws," the lawmakers wrote.
Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office as well as the offices of New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
