The White House will now oversee which news outlets will be part of the White House press pool, rather than the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA), the White House press secretary said Tuesday. 

While the WHCA customarily has had the authority to choose the rotation of news outlets that have access to the president in the Oval Office and other areas with limited access, the Trump administration is upending that policy. 

"Legacy outlets who have participated in the press pool for decades will still be allowed to join, fear not," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a briefing Tuesday. "But we will also be offering the privilege to well-deserving outlets who have never been allowed to share in this awesome responsibility." 

MORE THAN 440 REPORTERS LOSE PRESS PASSES AFTER WHITE HOUSE CHANGES REQUIREMENTS

But President Donald Trump's White House isn’t the only one to roll out controversial policies regarding press access. 

In 2023, more than 440 reporters lost press credentials after President Joe Biden’s White House modified its rules for eligibility for permanent passes.

Credentialed White House press members dropped from 1,417 members to 975 members after the White House unveiled new standards requiring an annual renewal of hard passes, Politico reported in 2023. Journalists without hard passes were still authorized to apply for day passes to the White House. 

The Biden White House policy was launched in May 2023 and required reporters to prove employment with "an organization whose principal business is news dissemination" and show that they have "accessed the White House campus at least once during the prior six months for work, or have proof of employment within the last three months to cover the White House."

The Biden White House defended its decision to cut off routine access to these reporters, claiming many of the journalists whose passes expired hadn’t accessed the White House in the previous three months. 

"At the time we initiated this process in early May, roughly 40% of hard pass holders had not accessed the White House complex in the prior 90 days," the White House said in a 2023 statement to Politico. "We think this demonstrates we’ve led a thoughtful and thorough process that preserves robust media access to campus for everyone who needs it — whether that be with a hard pass or a day pass."

TRUMP ADMIN GUTS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT'S ASSOCIATION IN BID TO END ‘MONOPOLY’ OF ‘DC JOURNALISTS’

Leavitt announced in January that the Trump White House would work to "restore the press passes of the 440 journalists whose passes were wrongly revoked by the previous administration." 

On Tuesday, Leavitt said the White House’s decision aimed to "give the power back to the people" in an attempt to ensure that "all journalists, outlets and voices deserve a seat at this highly coveted table." 

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In response, WHCA President Eugene Daniels said the WHCA did not receive any notice in advance of the White House’s decision and said the move "tears at the independence of a free press in the United States."

"It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president," Daniels said. "In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps."

Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: Conservative CNN pundit Scott Jennings is being privately and publicly encouraged to run for Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell’s open Senate seat in 2026, sources, including a Republican operative familiar with the race, told Fox News Digital Wednesday.

Some conservative personalities floated the possibility publicly on X. The pundit is known for his advocacy of the Trump administration on the airwaves, and he regularly goes viral for debating liberal pundits on the cable television network.

He served as a longtime advisor to the outgoing Kentucky senator and previously worked in the George W. Bush administration. 

"Could I nominate [Scott Jennings] for the United States Senate from the Commonwealth of Kentucky? He'd be a hell of a McConnell replacement," pundit Erick Erickson tweeted.

SCOTT JENNINGS SNAPS BACK AT CNN PANEL, SAYS REPORT SHOWS TRUMP'S ACTIONS ARE 'HARDLY DICTATORIAL BEHAVIOR'

"I would absolutely support my friend [Scott Jennings] for U.S. Senate. But he’d also make a fine governor for the great state of Kentucky as well," Republican strategist Dustin Grage tweeted.

As for McConnell, the former Senate majority leader said last week he would not seek another term, leaving the door wide open for contenders in 2026.

SCOTT JENNINGS SPARKS CNN MELTDOWN BY SAYING FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY ONLY RESISTS TRUMP, GOP ADMINISTRATIONS

"Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate," McConnell, who first took office in 1985, said on the Senate floor while announcing his retirement. 

"Every day in between, I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last," he added.

Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron has already entered the race, and Rep. Andy Barr is also mulling a bid. Cameron ran for governor in 2023, but he narrowly lost to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.

FORMER KENTUCKY AG WHO HANDLED BREONNA TAYLOR PROBE PROMPTLY ANNOUNCES SENATE BID TO REPLACE MITCH MCCONNELL

In a recent campaign video, Cameron mentioned McConnell by name for voting against the nominations of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

"You should expect a senator from Kentucky to vote for those nominees to advance the ‘America first’ agenda," Cameron said.

Neither Trump nor McConnell have announced an endorsement in the race.

Fox News Digital reached out to Jennings but did not receive comment.

House and Senate Republicans are heading for a messy showdown over how long to extend President Donald Trump’s tax cuts.

The two chambers are at odds over how to advance Trump’s agenda via the budget reconciliation process, a maneuver that will allow Republicans to advance their agenda without Democratic support.

As part of that, GOP lawmakers are aiming to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) before its provisions expire at the end of 2025, as well as implement more recent Trump tax priorities.

House Republicans adopted a resolution on Tuesday evening that would provide roughly $4.5 trillion for Trump’s tax priorities over the next 10 years, with a goal of working to eventually make them permanent. The Senate adopted a narrower competing resolution earlier this month that would leave taxes for a second bill to come later.

KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

But Senate GOP leaders are pushing to make the tax cuts permanent while Republicans are working through the reconciliation process.

Senate Republicans are signaling they would rewrite the House’s product significantly, a push that’s irked Republicans in that chamber.

"The Senate resolution punted on accomplishing the majority of President Trump’s agenda, and now they are further delaying and endangering it by announcing they will rewrite what narrowly passed the House," a senior House GOP aide told Fox News Digital.

Nevertheless, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., congratulated House Republicans on passing their resolution but added, "A key part of that agenda is making the pro-growth Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, which is why we’ll work closely with our House colleagues to ensure the final package includes all of the president’s key tax priorities, including permanency, which will create long-term certainty for working families in America."

Trump himself even weighed in on the matter. He wrote on his Truth Social app on Wednesday morning, "I hope the House and Senate are able to agree on making the Tax Cuts PERMANENT!"

But Republicans are also dealing with razor-thin margins in both chambers of Congress. In the House, they can currently only lose one Republican vote with full attendance, while Senate Republicans can afford three defectors. 

Getting the House resolution across the line proved dramatic on Monday night, with Republican leaders working up until the final moments to convince conservative fiscal hawks who were wary of how much the legislation would add to the federal deficit.

It could prove more difficult if they did the exercise again, but with even more funding allocated toward Trump’s tax priorities.

"The Senate can push all they want to. This is being driven by the House," Ways & Means Committee member Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital.

"I don’t see how it can be permanent," another House Republican on Ways & Means told Fox News Digital. 

Murphy denied that Trump’s earlier Truth Social post made the situation more difficult for their side, however, explaining the ultimate "goal is" to make those provisions permanent.

The Senate advanced its own narrower version of the plan that would split Trump’s priorities into two parts earlier this month. The resolution that passed would repeal some progressive Biden administration policies and provide new funding for defense and border security, while leaving taxes for a second bill.

A significant number of House Republicans balked at that plan, worried that tax cuts could expire for millions of Americans if two reconciliation bills prove too heavy a lift.

But Senate Republicans want to spend more time cobbling together a tax plan they believe is closer to what Trump wants, and that this reconciliation opportunity is the best lane to do it.

GOP LAWMAKER CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING OVER DC PLANE CRASH

"A short-term extension of President Trump’s signature tax cuts would potentially leave future extensions vulnerable to Democrat presidents and Democrats in Congress, where we risk losing them forever and undoing President Trump’s legacy," a senior Senate GOP aide told Fox News Digital.

"We have to give greater certainty for working families. With President Trump in the White House, we have a unique opportunity to make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent. The Senate will have to rewrite House Republicans’ budget resolution in order to do so."

The senior House GOP aide who spoke with Fox News Digital said, however, "Republicans in both chambers want to deliver on President Trump’s promise and the American people’s mandate for a lengthy extension of the Trump tax cuts."

"Congress can do this quickly by passing the only resolution that has already passed through one chamber of Congress – the House resolution – that has the capacity to implement the full Trump agenda," they said.

President Donald Trump wants to recover billions of dollars' worth of equipment U.S. troops left in Afghanistan following their 2021 withdrawal from the country.

"We left billions, tens of billions of dollars worth of equipment behind, brand new trucks," Trump said during his first Cabinet meeting Wednesday. "You see them display it every year, or their little roadway, someplace where they have a road and they drive the, you know, waving the flag and talking about America ... that’s all the top of the line stuff. I think we should get a lot of that equipment back."

The Taliban seized most of the more than $7 billion worth of equipment U.S. troops left in Afghanistan at the time of the withdrawal in August 2021, according to a Department of Defense report released in 2022. 

TRUMP: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY EYING CUT TO 65% OF ITS STAFFERS

Although U.S. troops removed or destroyed much of the major equipment that forces used during the drawdown, military equipment including aircraft, ground vehicles and other weapons were left in Afghanistan. The condition of these items remains unknown, but the Pentagon said in the report it would likely fail operationally without maintenance from U.S. contractors. 

More details about how the U.S. would retrieve the equipment left in Afghanistan were not immediately available, and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

President Joe Biden moved to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021, building upon plans from the first Trump administration in 2020 with Taliban leaders to end the war in the region.

Thirteen U.S. service members were killed during the withdrawal process due to a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate, outside of Hamid Karzai International Airport, and the Taliban quickly seized control of Kabul. 

Trump’s comments Wednesday came in response to questions about whether he was considering firing military leaders who oversaw the withdrawal. While Trump said he wouldn’t instruct Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on what actions the Pentagon should take ousting those leaders, Trump said he would "fire every single one of them." 

Even so, several key leaders involved in the withdrawal are no longer serving in the military. The commander of U.S. Central Command at the time of the withdrawal, Marine Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., has since retired, and in 2024 took full ownership for the loss of U.S. troops. 

HOUSE GOP RELEASES SCATHING REPORT ON BIDEN'S WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN 

"I was the overall commander, and I and I alone bear full military responsibility for what happened at Abbey Gate," McKenzie told the House Foreign Affairs Committee in March 2024.

Additionally, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, told lawmakers at the same hearing that he believed the evacuation should have occurred sooner and that multiple factors contributed to failures in the withdrawal. Both McKenzie and Milley told lawmakers they advised Biden to keep some U.S. troops in Afghanistan after pulling most U.S. forces. 

"The outcome in Afghanistan was the result of many decisions from many years of war," Milley told lawmakers. "Like any complex phenomena, there was no single causal factor that determined the outcome."

U.S. Central Command oversees military operations in the Middle East. 

President Donald Trump’s plan to offer a "gold card" visa to wealthy immigrants is similar to policies in use in more than three dozen countries, although the U.S. proposal would come with the highest price tag, an expert tells Fox News Digital.

"What you’re doing is you’re bringing in wealthier individuals, clearly job creators, consumers," Anthony Esposito, founder and CEO of Island Capital Investments, told Fox News Digital.

Esposito’s comments come after Trump said Tuesday that he planned to offer a "gold card" visa that gives recipients a path to U.S. citizenship for $5 million, telling reporters such a program would be "extremely successful."

"They’ll be wealthy and they’ll be successful, and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people, and we think it’s going to be extremely successful," Trump said Tuesday from the Oval Office, according to a report from The Associated Press.

TRUMP TO INTRODUCE 'GOLD CARD' VISA FOR WEALTHY INVESTORS WITH $5 MILLION PRICE TAG: 'ROUTE TO CITIZENSHIP'

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the new gold card would replace the current EB-5 Immigrant Investor visa program within two weeks, a program that was created by Congress in 1990 and offers residency to people who spent about $1 million on a business while employing at least 10 people, the report notes.

Trump has also touted the program as a way of trimming the national debt.

"Companies can go and buy a gold card, and they can use it as a matter of recruitment," Trump told reporters Wednesday. "At the same time, the company is using that money to pay down debt. We’re going to pay down a lot of debt with that."

Esposito shares Trump’s view for how the money can be used, noting that 1 million gold card recipients would result in $5 trillion for the U.S. Treasury.

"A million individuals coming in would be $5 trillion in payment to the government, off the bat, that doesn’t include the derivative growth of those individuals being here," Esposito said.

TRUMP STATE DEPARTMENT DECLARES TREN DE ARAGUA, MS-13, MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS AS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS 

Nearly 40 other countries have similar so-called "citizenship by investment" programs, according to Henley & Partners, a law firm who represents clients looking to use such arrangements. However, the U.S. investment of $5 million proposed by Trump would make the U.S. the most expensive of the group.

Esposito believes allowing such investments would benefit the U.S. economy.

"The job growth, the job creation, the taxes paid, the consumer spending, 10 million cards would be $50 trillion. The numbers are real walking in, and the numbers are real as of derivative benefits of these individuals being here," Esposito said.

While some critics have expressed fears that the program could be abused or lead to threats to national security, Esposito argued that the Trump administration should be trusted to put the right vetting procedures in place.

"It’s the exact opposite of the Biden administration’s policy. On one side of the curve, we had the mass migrations of unvetted, undocumented immigrants coming in the southern border that were essentially living on the taxpayer dime," Esposito said, adding that Trump’s policy would call for "a program where we have fully vetted the individuals on a personal basis and on an economic basis."

Ultimately, Esposito says, Trump’s program will cause a "mutually beneficial" partnership between the U.S. and gold card holders.

"It is the greatest nation in the world. It is the greatest economy in the world," Esposito said. "This is just simply a way of vetting people and having people come in that will create a mutually beneficial relationship between the United States, and the United States economy, and those gold card holders."

The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

New York Mayor Eric Adams thanked the Trump administration for cracking down on criminal illegal immigrants, which he said has helped to reduce the stream of immigrants seeking shelter in the city by over 1,000% from the peak of the migrant crisis under former President Joe Biden.

Adams, a Democrat, has differed significantly from members of the rest of his party on immigration issues and in recent months has been willing to work with the Trump administration and border czar Tom Homan on immigration enforcement actions on criminal illegal aliens.

Speaking at a press conference Monday, Adams called the migrant crisis "probably the largest humanitarian crisis the city has ever experienced," adding, "I am in alignment with whatever we have to do legally to keep our city safe." 

He credited the decline in migrants entering the city to a "combination" of shifting city policies and federal immigration actions before and after President Donald Trump took office.  

TOM HOMAN TELLS MIGRANT TERROR GROUPS TRUMP WILL ‘WIPE YOU OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH’

In response to criticism from his party and the media for cooperating with Trump, Adams said, "They are helping me with the agenda that I stated the previous administration should have been helping me with, and I thank them for helping me with it."

As of Monday, he said, the number of migrants arriving in the city has dramatically dropped from 4,000 to just 350 a month.

VP JD VANCE SPEAKS ON 'FUNDAMENTAL GOAL' OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AT CPAC ADDRESS

"This is what we called for and advocated for, and the American people have communicated, ‘We need to secure our border,'" he said. "There's nothing humane about having individuals into the country with no place to go, no sponsors here, no ability to take care of themselves. And pushing the cost of it onto cities is just wrong."

This decline has allowed the city to finally close another of its major migrant shelters at the historic Roosevelt Hotel. 

The hotel, which previously was an upscale tourist attraction, became known for crime and violence by migrant gangs, including the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua, which was just designated a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration.

Adams said the Roosevelt Hotel shelter would be closing sometime in the "coming months."

"The Roosevelt Hotel opened May 2023, during the height of the crisis, when we received 4,000 people a week," he said. "You just got to just really think about that. Four thousand people a week. And, thanks to our policies, we were down to an average of just 350 new arrivals."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

New York is a "right to shelter" state, which means that the government is obligated to provide shelter to anyone who has no other means. But Adams said changes to the shelter program limiting the amount of time certain groups, like single adults, could stay to 30- and 60-day periods "allowed us to get over 180,000 people out of our care and off taxpayers’ payroll."

He said the more than 223,000 migrants who entered "went through a well-organized process of getting them through the system and processing almost 75% of the individuals that came into our care."

ACTIVISTS IN MEXICO REPORT FLOW OF MIGRANTS HAS 'ENORMOUSLY DECREASED' ONE MONTH INTO TRUMP ADMIN

New York City also recently closed several other of its largest migrant shelters, including a tent city shelter at Randall's Island and another at Floyd Bennett Field. Including the Roosevelt Hotel, Adams said the city would be closing a total of 53 shelter sites within one year.  

"We are helping asylum seekers take the next steps in their journeys, and we are saving taxpaying New Yorkers millions of dollars," said Adams. 

EXCLUSIVE: Fox News Digital spoke to GOP Rep. Abe Hamadeh about the state of the U.S. military after four years of the Biden administration, following the freshman congressman's visit to an Arizona Air Force base to meet with service members and fly in an F-16 fighter jet. 

"Under President Trump’s leadership, there’s a renewed sense of purpose in our military. He has made it clear from day one that his mission is to reenergize and refocus our armed forces," Hamadeh said after his visit to Luke Air Force Base in Maricopa County, Arizona, where 70% of the world’s F-35 pilots train. 

Hamadeh, who flew in an F-16 at the base, met with airmen of the 56th Fighter Wing and posted the video on X, spoke about how the military is returning to its "core mission" under Trump. 

"Eliminating the failed woke DEI agenda pushed by the Democrats has already boosted morale," Hamadeh said. 

FRESHMAN GOP LAWMAKER TARGETS 'PROPAGANDA' FROM TOP ADVERSARY IN FIRST BILL OF CONGRESSIONAL CAREER

"When I served overseas as a captain and intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, I saw firsthand how Biden and Secretary Lloyd Austin’s first order of business was a military-wide stand-down to lecture service members about so-called ‘right-wing extremism.’ That kind of political nonsense has no place in our armed forces. Now, with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth at the helm, the military is returning to its core mission, being the most lethal fighting force on earth and defending America’s national security interests."

Fox News Digital extensively reported on sagging military recruitment during the Biden administration, which Hamadeh said was due in part to "lost focus" during those years. 

"Americans watched in horror as our heroes were disrespected by their own government. One of Biden’s worst decisions was forcing service members to take the COVID vaccine, disregarding their personal and religious freedoms," Hamadeh explained. 

TRUMP PENTAGON LEADERSHIP SHAKEUP AIMS TO RECAPTURE 'WARRIOR ETHOS,' EXPERT SAYS

"This culture of disrespect was only magnified by the catastrophic Afghanistan withdrawal, which resulted in unnecessary tragedy and humiliation. President Trump has already taken action to correct these wrongs – by executive order, he reinstated thousands of service members who were wrongfully discharged for refusing an experimental vaccine. Under his leadership, respect for our troops is being restored, and recruitment will rise again because service members know they’ll be treated with the dignity they deserve."

Hamadeh, whose flight on the F-16 was one of the last on the base before the aircraft training is moved to New Mexico and the base focuses on F-35s, emphasized to Fox News Digital that DEI was a "disaster" for the military. 

"Warfighters should be focused on strength, discipline, and mission success – not political indoctrination," Hamadeh said. "The left’s obsession with identity politics has weakened recruitment, lowered standards, and distracted from what actually matters: making sure our military is the most dominant force in the world. If anything should be merit-based, it’s the entity tasked with protecting us and keeping us safe."

Trump signed an executive order in January banning DEI in the military in a move Hamadeh, who serves on both the House Armed Services Committee and House Veterans Affairs Committee, said will improve the military’s effectiveness. 

"President Trump understands that victory, not virtue signaling, is the priority," Hamadeh said. "By removing DEI and refocusing on warfighting, we are ensuring that our troops are prepared, our adversaries are deterred, and America remains strong."

Fox News Digital previously reported that military recruitment appeared to be trending higher since Trump's November victory, highlighted by the U.S. Army announcing that December 2024 was its most productive recruiting month in 15 years.

Maine state Rep. Laurel Libby, a Republican, says she has no intention of taking down her social media post about a biological male competing in women's sports, despite being censured by the state legislature for refusing to apologize.

The Democratic majority in the Maine House passed a censure resolution in a 75-70 vote Tuesday night after Libby refused to apologize for posting an image of a high school transgender female athlete who won the state championship in women's pole-vaulting last week, but had competed in the men's division as recently as last year. As a result of the censure, Libby is now no longer allowed to speak on the House floor or vote.

"I am exploring options at this point because I do not believe that this censuring is constitutional," Libby told Fox News Digital. "I will not apologize for speaking the truth and for speaking up for Maine girls… there will be more to come as we explore those options."

MAINE FEMALE ATHLETE ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR TRUMP'S FOCUS ON TRANS COMPETITORS AFTER LOCAL LEADERS ‘FAILED’ GIRLS

While Libby would not divulge specific details about her plans to find a way around her censure without issuing an apology, or taking down her post, Libby said she intends to "capitalize" on the fact that, in November, Republicans only lost a chance at regaining the majority in Maine's House by just 60 votes. Since 2019, the Maine legislature, as well as the governor's office, have been occupied by Democrats.

"This sets an incredibly dangerous precedent that someone could be silenced for a social media post," Libby said Wednesday. "It is a terribly dangerous road to go down and that's why I am considering all options, because this cannot be allowed to stand."

Libby defended her post of an image of the Maine high school athlete, who last week won first place in the women's pole vault at Maine's Class B state indoor championship. The image included a picture of the athlete, a transgender woman, competing the year prior and identifying as a male. The premise of Libby's censure by the Maine House was focused on the fact that she posted a photo of a minor and provided that minor's name.

DEM GOVERNOR FUNDRAISES OFF DUST-UP WITH TRUMP OVER TRANS SPORTS: ‘I TOLD HIM WE’D SEE HIM IN COURT'

During the Tuesday night vote, Libby attempted to defend herself but was repeatedly interrupted by Democrats. Libby was told her defense – which emphasized the importance of protecting women in sports – was not relevant to the issue at hand: her decision to post a picture of a minor on social media. 

"Some of my colleagues that were allowed to speak last night and weren't silenced as vigorously as I was, were able to articulate and express that this is a First Amendment right, the right to free speech," Libby said.

A Pennsylvania resident has pleaded guilty to harboring illegal immigrants for financial gain in a town that drew national attention last year over an influx of Haitian migrants, the Department of Justice announced this week. 

Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said Andy Ha has pleaded guilty to charges of harboring illegal aliens for financial gain and failing to pay more than $3 million in employment taxes.

The DOJ announced that Ha owned a staffing agency that provided workers to companies in the area of Charleroi, Pennsylvania. As part of that, he paid over 25 workers who were not legally authorized to be in the U.S. to stay in a former hotel and paid for them to be transported to and from work. The nationality of those workers was not stated.

HAITIAN MIGRATION ROILS TOWN IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE WITH SIGNS OF PRO-TRUMP SUPPORT ON THE RISE

Additionally, he is accused of providing the individual who prepared the business’ tax returns with spreadsheets listing only workers in the U.S. legally, which authorities said led to a tax loss of at least $3.1 million.

"The defendant broke the law by harboring and employing individuals not authorized to be in the United States," Rivetti said. "In addition, defendant Ha cost the U.S. government millions of dollars through his failure to pay taxes related to his business."

"This investigation highlights the commitment of HSI Pittsburgh to protecting our communities from those who seek to exploit undocumented workers for their personal gain," said Edward Owens, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Philadelphia. 

FEDERAL JUDGE IN MAJOR BLUE CITY BLOCKS KEY TRUMP MOVE ON REFUGEES: ‘NOT LIMITLESS’ 

Sentencing is scheduled for July. The investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service, HSI and Pennsylvania State Police.

President Donald Trump had pointed to Charleroi as an example of a town that had been hit by an influx of Haitian migrants arriving under the Biden administration, including under a parole process for four nationalities, including Haiti.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

"The small 4,000-person town of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, have you heard of it?" Trump said in September in Tucson, Arizona. "What a beautiful name, but it's not so beautiful now. It has experienced a 2,000% increase in the population of Haitian migrants under Kamala Harris."

Fox News Digital reported from Charleroi in October, and found that some officials and residents believed the impact was exaggerated and the influx had revitalized the town, but others disagreed and slammed what they described as an "invasion."

As federal officials renew their focus on strict enforcement of immigration laws and deportations, Alabama lawmakers are advancing their own sweeping changes to the legal landscape. 

"The previous presidential administration’s open border policies have been absolutely disastrous for the state of Alabama," Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, said in a statement announcing the House's legislative entries.

Enhanced penalties for illegal immigrants who commit crimes against minors would become law under a bill from state Rep. Chip Brown, R-Bayou la Batre.

Across the bay in Baldwin County, GOP state Rep. Jennifer Fidler introduced another bill that keys into efforts made in other states, like Pennsylvania, where lawmakers have attempted to levy wire-transfer remittances for migrants and illegal immigrants to their home countries. 

MIGRANT CONTROVERSY HITS HEARTLAND AS COUNCIL MEETING BOILS OVER

If approved, a 4% fee would be attached to any Western Union or other outbound international money transfer – with the proceeds going to help communities affected by the illegal immigration crisis.

"These individuals often come to our state to work in various jobs, some of which are not subject to state income tax," Fidler said in a statement. "Many send their earnings out of the country and, in some cases, to the cartels that facilitated their crossing."

Similar legislation was attempted in the Keystone State but failed under then-Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

Ledbetter said Alabama schools' English-as-Second-Language programs have been "pushed to the brink."

"Housing in rural and urban communities has become even more challenging and local governments have been forced to support people who are either here illegally or protected under politically motivated asylum statuses," he added. "While President Trump has made great progress in securing the southern border, it is important that we take action to secure Alabama’s border." 

In Alabama, cities like Sylacauga – not far from the famed NASCAR Talladega Superspeedway – have dealt firsthand with that crisis.

In September, state leaders demanded answers from the Biden administration after a city council hearing erupted over an influx of Haitian migrants many blamed on a procedural olive branch extended to the migrants by then-Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Ledbetter told Fox News Digital at the time that Sylacauga, Albertville and other affected communities are often stuck "dealing with the disaster" themselves. Instances like those bolster Fidler’s legislation, proponents said.

Fidler told the Alabama Political Reporter that many illegal immigrants who come to Alabama send their earnings home and/or take jobs that are not subject to income taxes.

NEW FOIA ON MIGRANTS POTENTIALLY AVOIDING THE DRAFT COULD OPEN NEW DEPORTATION PREDICATE: ATTORNEYS

About two-thirds of the remittance fee would go to the county where the international transfer originated, while the rest would go toward law enforcement, according to the outlet. The Sylacauga lawmaker who first drew attention to that particular crisis, Rep. Benjamin Robbins, is also putting forward a bill that would mandate the use of E-Verify.

Another bill from state Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Moulton, would allow state and county police the ability to hold and transfer illegal immigrants to federal authorities. It also green-lights Attorney General Steve Marshall to report on agencies that do not comply with the new law and directs timely adherence to federal ICE detainer requests. Marshall said he invites state cooperation with the feds, and that he hopes to see an Etowah County detention facility purportedly unused by the Biden administration taken advantage of by DHS under President Donald Trump.

"It had been an ICE detention facility for years. The Biden administration, and I think for the reasons of politics alone, weren't using. And so what we hope also is it will become an opportunity for the federal government to use local sheriff's departments, particularly those that are equipped to be able to house those that are here unlawfully," he said.

When asked if he expects to see lawsuits crop up if the spate of legislation is passed, Marshall said he is prepared, if so.

"I think our legislature is trying to figure out exactly what that lane is, that we can lawfully engage in activities that don't otherwise invade what has been principally a federal responsibility," he said. 

Another bill in the state House will reportedly target how the migrant crisis could affect public school athletic classifications.

Rep. Brock Colvin, R-Albertville, announced a plan to exclude certain English Language Learner students from calculations of athletic classifications, as a "significant influx of immigrants" muddy the waters and require "clear regulations and a level playing field."

"This legislation will restore both safety and fairness to high school sports, preserving the integrity of competition for all athletes," he said in a statement.

A January letter from the state’s education chief to school superintendents also offered advice on how to deal with ICE if they were to visit.

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"First and foremost, to our knowledge, none of our schools have experienced any disruptions whatsoever on the part of federal or state law enforcement related to this issue. We [the Department of Education] remain in constant contact with law enforcement agencies and will notify local superintendents should any new guidance or directives be issued by law enforcement," Dr. Eric Mackey wrote, according to FOX-10 Mobile.

FOX 10 also recently broadcast viewer video of federal agents conducting a raid in Daphne, on the other side of the George Wallace Tunnel from Mobile.

The state Senate also passed a trio of immigration-related bills thus far this month, including one requiring police to collect DNA from illegal immigrants and another targeting migrants or illegal immigrants using out-of-state driver's licenses.

The Yellowhammer State does not allow such people to obtain licenses in the state to begin with.

EXCLUSIVE: House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said Republican lawmakers are preparing a slate of legislation to rein in the judiciary as the Trump administration battles multiple federal courts over its policies.

"Everything’s on the table," Jordan told Fox News Digital in an interview. "We’re looking to be as helpful as possible."

As one example, Jordan signaled he expected an eventual vote on a bill introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who chairs the courts subcommittee of Jordan’s panel, which would limit federal judges’ ability to order nationwide injunctions in response to more localized cases.

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF 'PURGE' OF 'MINORITY' FEDERAL WORKERS

"We've looked at different ways to draft legislation. But we think that makes sense," Jordan said. "That’s something that we can look at doing and maybe even, you know, try to move fairly quick on that bill."

Another idea Jordan mentioned was taking those nationwide injunctions to stop presidential policies and providing an avenue for an expedited appeal to potentially get the order limited quickly.

The Ohio Republican also mentioned reintroducing legislation from the previous Congress, when Democrats controlled the Senate and White House.

One such bill by Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., would allow presidents or vice presidents involved in lawsuits or other prosecutions to move those cases to federal court, if they were in a lower circuit.

But Jordan said the measure would be widened beyond just those two roles.

"I think the bill we're looking at this year would say not just the president, vice president, but ‘federal official,’" he explained.

Legislation that passed the House and Senate under former President Joe Biden to expand the number of federal judgeships across the country could also come back up for a vote, Jordan said.

The bill, which would have added 66 new judges, passed the Senate in August of last year but was not taken up by the House until December, after President Donald Trump won the election.

Unlike the Senate vote, however, the majority of Democrats in the House did not support the bill. Biden vetoed it in January as one of his last major acts as president.

"Everyone thinks we need more judges. I think we do. We had legislation that every Democrat in the Senate supported that would allow the presidents over the next 10 years, you know, whoever happens to be president, to appoint those," Jordan said.

"We brought it up, but the Democrats voted against it after President Trump won. So we'll try to pass that again and see if we can get the votes."

KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

Jordan said his staff has been in consistent communication with Speaker Mike Johnson’s office about moving legislation to the House floor.

It comes after dozens of activists, left-wing groups and other entities filed myriad lawsuits against Trump’s executive orders during his first few weeks as president.

Trump policies from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to birthright citizenship limitations have been challenged.

Trump’s plans to freeze federal aid have also been ordered blocked by federal courts.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Johnson's office for comment.

President Donald Trump tapped Elon Musk to speak at the top of the first full Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to discuss the progress made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

Musk, standing in his signature black suit jacket with a T-shirt underneath, spoke at the meeting in which the media was present and made some clarifications about what he and DOGE are doing, as well as a recent email sent to government employees.

"I actually just call myself a humble tech support hero," Musk stated. "As crazy as it sounds, that is almost a literal description of the work of the DOGE team is doing is helping fix the government computer systems," Musk said, saying the computer systems are "extremely old" and there are many mistakes in the systems. 

"So we are actually tech support," Musk said. "It's ironic, but it's true." 

HERE ARE THE AGENCIES THAT FOLLOWED MUSK'S DOGE PRODUCTIVITY EMAIL VERDICT – AND THE ONES THAT DIDN'T 

He also defended last week's productivity email to federal employees. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday in a press briefing that more than 1 million federal workers participated in the Musk and the Office of Personnel Management directive to provide a bullet-point list of their work accomplishments from the previous week,

"I think that email was perhaps interpreted as a performance review, but actually it was a pulse check review. Do you have a pulse?" Musk said. "And if you have a pulse and two neurons, you could reply to an email." 

Musk said the task was "not a high bar" and should be something "anyone could accomplish." 

"But what we are trying to get to the bottom of is we think there are a number of people on the government payroll who are dead, which is probably why they can't respond," Musk said. "And some people who are not real people ... like they're fictional individuals that are collecting a paycheck … well somebody is collecting paychecks on a fictional individual, so we're just literally trying to figure out are these people real, are they alive, and can they write email, which I think is a reasonable expectation." 

Musk explained that "our goal is not to be capricious or unfair" in how DOGE operates, and that the "overall goal here with the DOGE team is to help address the enormous deficit." 

HOUSE DOGE HEARING ERUPTS OVER DEMOCRAT DEEMING TRUMP 'GRIFTER IN CHIEF,' REFERRING TO 'PRESIDENT MUSK'

"We simply cannot sustain a country on $2 trillion deficits," Musk said, noting the interest on the national debt exceeds Defense Department spending. 

"We spend a lot on the Defense Department, but we're spending like $1 trillion on interest. If this continues, the country will go, become de facto bankrupt. It's not an optional thing." 

"It is a central thing that's the reason I'm here. And taking a lot of flack, and getting a lot of death threats, by the way," Musk added. "But if we don't do this, America will go bankrupt. That's why it has to be done." 

Musk said he was confident that DOGE could find $1 trillion in savings, or roughly 15% of the $7 trillion budget, and thanked Cabinet members for their support. 

"We do need to move quickly," Musk said. "If we're to achieve $1 trillion deficit reduction in financial year 2026, it requires saving $4 billion per day every day from now through the end of September. But we can do it. And we will do it." 

A federal judge hinted Wednesday that she may extend a temporary restraining order which has kept Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, in his job after President Donald Trump announced his termination earlier this month.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson called the matter "an extraordinarily difficult constitutional issue" during a Wednesday hearing before telling lawyers for Dellinger and the government that she will take the matter under advisement. Jackson issued the temporary restraining order 14 days ago, meaning she must act by Wednesday evening to extend the order.

Earlier this month, liberal Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson voted to outright deny the administration’s request to approve the firing.

Conservative justices Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito dissented, saying the lower court overstepped. They also cast doubt on whether courts have the authority to restore to office someone the president has fired. While acknowledging that some officials appointed by the president have contested their removal, Gorsuch wrote in his opinion that "those officials have generally sought remedies like backpay, not injunctive relief like reinstatement." 

HOUSE DEMS ORGANIZE RAPID RESPONSE TASK FORCE AND LITIGATION GROUP TO COMBAT TRUMP AGENDA

The dispute over Dellinger is the first legal challenge to reach the Supreme Court after several firings under the Trump administration.

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMIN TO RESTORE PUBLIC HEALTH WEB PAGES

Dellinger sued the Trump administration in Washington, D.C., federal court after his Feb. 7 firing.

"I am glad to be able to continue my work as an independent government watchdog and whistleblower advocate," Dellinger said in a statement after Friday's proceedings. "I am grateful to the judges and justices who have concluded that I should be allowed to remain on the job while the courts decide whether my office can retain a measure of independence from direct partisan and political control."

He has argued that, by law, he can only be dismissed from his position for job performance problems, which were not cited in an email dismissing him from his post.

Trump began his second term in the White House with a flurry of executive orders and directives that have since been targeted by a flood of legal challenges.

Since Jan. 20, dozens of lawsuits have been filed over the administration's actions, including the president's birthright citizenship order, immigration policies, federal funding freezes, federal employee buyouts, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency and legal action against FBI and DOJ employees.

Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump’s latest move to restrict Chinese investment in strategic areas shows the president may be even more aggressive than ever toward the U.S. rival in his second term.

"Although it will take time for the necessary agency and regulatory actions necessary to implement the policy, Trump 2.0 is taking an even more hawkish approach to China as he did in his first term," Larry Ward, a national security law expert and current partner at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney, told Fox News Digital.

The comments come after Trump signed a memorandum last week that directed the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) that aims to both promote foreign investment from some countries while restricting investment from adversaries such as China, protecting U.S. national security interests.

"The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) will be used to restrict Chinese investments in strategic U.S. sectors like technology, critical infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, energy, raw materials, and others," reads a fact sheet about the memorandum released by the White House last week. 

TAIWAN DISPATCHES NAVY, AIR FORCE AFTER CHINA LAUNCHES LIVE-FIRE DRILLS WITH NO WARNING

The memorandum, dubbed the National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM), specifically singles out China for "exploiting our capital and ingenuity to fund and modernize their military, intelligence, and security operations, posing direct threats to United States security with weapons of mass destruction, cyber warfare, and more," according to the White House release.

"Chinese hackers have repeatedly targeted U.S. entities, including recently breaching the Treasury Department’s CFIUS office, the entity responsible for reviewing foreign investments for national security risks," the release adds.

While Trump has in the past imposed tariffs on China, Ward argued that the president’s new policy is a further step in aggressively responding to the threat posed by China.

"This is very different from tariffs. It's different from trade concerns. Foreign investment is an issue that potentially impacts national security," Ward said. 

Ward noted the example of the social media application TikTok, which has famously been at the center of a debate about protecting Americans from potentially being targeted by China. 

TRUMP MUST DUMP 'ONE CHINA' POLICY AND RECOGNIZE 'FREE' TAIWAN, HOUSE REPUBLICANS SAY

"TikTok initially went through the CPA process and was examined on a national security basis, and then the determination was made that there were national security concerns," Ward said.

Ward noted that Chinese investment in certain sectors has faced restrictions for years, but Trump’s move makes clear that such restrictions are likely to expand beyond those that investors have traditionally seen.

"So you look at sectors like semiconductors, the AI space increasingly is a tech sector that has been a general focus," Ward said. "But certainly this policy again puts out in front that, yes, certainly as to those sensitive industry sectors, we we are going to be very stringent when it comes to Chinese investment, but also we're going to expand into other industry sectors that maybe haven't been sort of front and center over the last five, 10 years."

Responding to Trump’s move, the Chinese commerce ministry accused the U.S. of "politicizing" and "weaponizing" economic issues, according to a report from Reuters, adding that it would continue to closely monitor the situation to defend its interests. 

Nevertheless, Ward believes Trump’s memorandum signals that the president is more committed than ever to combating Chinese threats to U.S. security. 

"The biggest thing about this policy is that President Trump is not afraid to say that really the threat here is China," Ward said. "Everybody that sort of works in this space knows that, but it was the elephant in the room, right? People sort of weren't willing to speak about it publicly. And President Trump has really come out and said through this policy, yeah, China's the concern."

President Donald Trump signaled Wednesday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) might be the next agency on the chopping block as his administration continues to unveil new cuts to the federal government. 

Trump told reporters Wednesday during the first meeting with his Cabinet that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin is eyeing cutting 65% of federal employees from the agency. 

"I spoke with Lee Zeldin, and he thinks he’s going to be cutting 65 or so percent of the people from Environmental, and we’re going to speed up the process too at the same time," Trump said. "He had a lot of people that weren’t doing their job, they were just obstructionists, and a lot of people that didn’t exist." 

TRUMP ADMIN TO DIRECT AGENCY HEADS TO PREP FOR ‘LARGE-SCALE REDUCTIONS IN FORCE,' REORGANIZATION BY MARCH 13

Trump also suggested that the Department of Education could also face steep cuts as he renewed calls to move education back to the states. Trump historically has signaled he is considering shuttering the agency entirely through an executive order, although Article II of the Constitution stipulates Congressional approval is required to entirely eliminate a federal agency. 

"We’re cutting down government … we’re bloated, we’re sloppy," Trump said Wednesday. 

The EPA and White House press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Trump’s remarks come as his administration and the newly created Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) led by SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are seeking to dramatically shrink the size of the federal government and workforce. 

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought and acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Charles Ezell issued a memo on Wednesday directing agencies to brace themselves for "large-scale reductions in force" and establish downsizing plans by mid-March. 

Additionally, DOGE has been tasked with eliminating government spending, waste and streamlining efficiency and operations, and Trump said Saturday he wanted to see DOGE take an even more aggressive approach moving forward. 

HERE ARE THE AGENCIES THAT FOLLOWED MUSK'S DOGE PRODUCTIVITY EMAIL VERDICT – AND THE ONES THAT DIDN'T

Musk, who said Wednesday that the U.S. will "go bankrupt" without DOGE cuts, has launched several initiatives to drastically cut the federal workforce. For example, Musk requested all federal workers respond to a personal productivity email — that he described Wednesday as a "pulse check review" — the Office of Personnel and Management (OPM) sent out by Monday at 11:59 p.m. listing five things they accomplished the previous week. 

Musk warned that those who failed to comply would lose their jobs. While some agencies instructed their staffers to ignore the email, Musk said Wednesday another email would go out as DOGE seeks to eliminate people who are on the government payroll but don’t exist. 

Likewise, Musk said Wednesday that DOGE is seeking to preserve jobs for everyone who is an essential worker and is performing well, but warned that those who aren’t could lose employment. 

The White House said Tuesday that one million federal workers did comply with Musk's productivity email request and that employees should look to their individual agency for guidance on how to proceed. 

The Senate Wednesday afternoon confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. trade representative (USTR), Jamieson Greer. The vote was 56-43.

Greer, who previously served as chief of staff to former USTR Robert Lighthizer during Trump's first term, has been credited with assisting in imposing tariffs on China and renegotiating the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico during the first administration. He is also a lawyer and Air Force judge advocate general’s corps veteran with one deployment to Iraq.

The Senate Finance Committee advanced his nomination with a 15-12 vote in early February despite some Democratic concerns about his support for President Trump's trade agenda.

TRUMP US TRADE REP PICK JAMIESON GREER ADVANCES OUT OF SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE

Greer’s confirmation comes on the heels of Trump's promise to impose tariffs on Mexico, China and Canada.

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE NOMINEE DEFENDS TRUMP TARIFFS IN COMMITTEE HEARING

Greer will be responsible for pursuing U.S.-international trade agreements that align with President Trump's agenda to support American jobs and bolster supply chain resilience, which includes boosting domestic manufacturing and industrial jobs and diversifying sources for essential goods and reducing dependence on foreign suppliers. 

Greer also noted he would seek to balance U.S. trade with countries like Vietnam, which has a trade surplus in the country, to "have better reciprocity." 

As drug smuggling attempts persist at ports of entry along the southern border, a bipartisan duo in the House of Representatives is proposing legislation to make it easier for U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to do their jobs.

 H.R. 1924, the Border Enforcement, Security, and Trade (BEST) Facilitation Act, would make sure image technicians and supervisors are hired at the ports to more closely examine cargo scans, a policy that proponents believe would speed up wait times and make it easier to catch drugs like fentanyl from heading into the U.S. 

The goal is to create a specific role for scanning to make it easier on already strained agents.

"The majority of the fentanyl that is intercepted is at the ports of entry because of the technology that we have," Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., who drafted H.R. 1924, told Fox News Digital. "Also because of the way that fentanyl looks and the way it gets transported, which are small pills and they can fit pretty much anywhere."

MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL LEADER EXTRADITED TO THE US TO FACE FEDERAL DRUG TRAFFICKING CHARGES

"Cars are taken apart and rebuilt around the fentanyl there. So when you've got these kinds of training positions, that enhances the security at the port of entry," the Arizona Republican continued, adding that the legislation comes from an idea floated by authorities on the ground. 

Much of the known drug trafficking done across the border is through the ports. The majority of convictions in recent years for smuggling fentanyl specifically have been American citizens, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

"Through this kind of scanning process where goods are flowing back and forth, we can prevent the crossing of illegal drugs and also speed up the process of the legal goods coming in," Ciscomani said. He also noted that the legislation could make certain ports optimal for increasing trade and reduce wait times, which could be hours.

BLUE STATE SHERIFF UNLEASHES ON 'UN-AMERICAN' SANCTUARY LAWS, MAKES SPECIAL OFFER TO HOMAN

The influx of migrants during the Biden administration put a strain on resources at the ports, which even led to longer lines as authorities were also trying to handle the wave of people crossing into the nation illegally. Despite the obstacles, CBP still seized over 21,000 pounds of fentanyl and over 158,000 pounds of meth along the southern border in fiscal year 2024 alone, according to the agency's data.

"When I think about Eastern North Carolina and so many families being devastated in particular by the fentanyl crisis, we have to do something. We have to take urgent steps. We have to, you know, put aside the partisan politics because this is hitting home literally. So when I went to the border, taking three trips to the border, and in particular the Tucson sector," Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., who's co-sponsoring the legislation, told Fox News Digital.

"They're gonna be able to do more inspections, and I believe that this is a pathway of actually saving lives," Davis added.

DHS SEC NOEM DOUBLES DOWN ON CALLS FOR ILLEGAL MIGRANTS TO SELF-DEPORT, ANNOUNCES ENFORCEMENT OF REGISTRY

H.R. 1294 has been referred to the House Homeland Security Committee, and it comes at a time when the Trump administration is undertaking a full-scale crackdown on the border crisis, which has led to praise from Republicans and backlash from Democrats. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that only 200 people were encountered by CBP trying to illegally cross on Saturday, the lowest daily figure in 15 years. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are ongoing across the country, with some even being held at Guantanamo Bay, and troops were sent down to the southern border shortly after President Donald Trump took office last month.

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Meanwhile, the overall conversation remains heated on Capitol Hill. Democratic Rep. Janelle Bynum slammed another bill by Ciscomani, the Agent Raul Gonzalez Safety Act, as akin to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 for ramping up penalties for those "intentionally fleeing" law enforcement near the border. Yet, the bill ended up passing with some bipartisan support. 

There have been some bright spots of compromise despite broader disputes on the issue across the nation as well. Arizona Republican lawmakers and Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes are supporting a state bill that would give permission to local authorities to shoot down drones suspected of being operated by the cartels, which would likely hinder one tool the organizations use to smuggle illicit drugs. 

A top Republican in the Pennsylvania legislature is drafting plans for a Department of Government Efficiency modeled after the work of President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and congressional DOGE lawmakers, but with one major difference.

State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, said in a Tuesday interview his plan entails PA DOGE being a legislative branch project, not that of the executive, which is currently helmed by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro. 

At the federal level, Trump and Musk say they are working from the executive branch to slash government bureaucracy and inefficiency, but Mastriano said Pennsylvania’s legislature is the chief appropriator and therefore the fitting home for PA DOGE.

"It doesn't make any sense why we always defer to the executive branch seeing it for these kinds of decisions," said Mastriano, the 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee. 

LAWMAKERS DRAFT ‘DRAIN THE SWAMP’ ACT

"We have oversight of the purse strings. We control the budget. It only makes sense, therefore, that we have a DOGE by the legislature with oversight to make cuts where we can."

State Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Auditor General Timothy DeFoor would, however, have a say in some of its membership, he noted.

Mastriano, who ran as the 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee against Shapiro, said that when Musk unveiled his original DOGE proposal, he thought, "No kidding, we absolutely must have this in Pennsylvania."

The lawmaker, who is also a retired Army colonel and veteran of the Desert Storm Battle of 73 Easting – history's last major tank battle – said his DOGE committee plan was also inspired by his experiences with the federal military bureaucracy.

"I remember in the '80s when Reagan came in, and there was accountability done when reporters found out the U.S. Air Force had spent $800 on toilet seats for the airplanes and another case of a hammer [reportedly costing hundreds of dollars] that they wanted to buy – so that kind of fraud, waste, abuse has been extant throughout my career."

"And in DoD, we always had a fraud-waste-abuse hotline – then you see what Elon Musk is doing. We need that in Pennsylvania."

DOGE ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $1B IN SAVINGS

Mastriano added that if legislation to create PA DOGE is passed, it will be Shapiro’s "ultimate test" of bipartisanship to consider it.

In separate remarks to Chambersburg’s 103.7FM, Mastriano quipped that some state cabinet departments are run "like USAID" in that they take in a lot of money and put out very little of value – and would therefore be a prime target of PA DOGE.

Mastriano suggested PA DOGE is also the panacea to bloated executive budget proposals the legislature has been handed over the years. 

Under the proposal, three of PA DOGE’s 10 members would be House lawmakers, three would be senators, the state treasurer would name one member, the auditor general would name one member and two would be civilians.

Any ties would be broken by the state treasurer; currently Garrity – a Republican.

"This committee will have teeth," Mastriano said. "If the committee sees fraud, waste and abuse and decides to eliminate elements of the state budget or even departments within the state, they have the power to do so."

Fox News Digital reached out to leaders on the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee – which oversees and manages relationships within state government and would be the relevant panel should the DOGE plan come to fruition.

Chairman Jarrett Coleman, R-Allentown, told Fox News Digital it is "well past time to examine how state funds are being used."

Coleman said he will support any effort to highlight or minimize government waste.

"Oftentimes, I question whether or not elected officials would be so wasteful if it were their own money," he said.

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The chairman, who is a pilot by trade, suggested DOGE could target what he described as a hefty executive branch tab for use of the state plane, which he dubbed "Shapiro-Davis Airlines; Operated by PennDOT."

Clint Barkdoll, a Waynesboro attorney, told NewsTalk 103.7 that he supports the idea of a Keystone DOGE.

"We need this at all levels of government, we’re seeing the benefits that it can bring. Obviously, if it’s set up in a way through the General Assembly, they don’t have to accept the recommendations," Barkdoll said.

"But why not have a body empaneled to make recommendations and make it a diverse group? Get some lay-people on there. It doesn’t have to be all elected officials: Get some business people."

The idea of having civilians on the board alongside public officials would offer wider insight into key issues and considerations, he said.

State Sen. Tina Tartaglione, D-Philadelphia, the ranking member on Coleman’s committee, did not respond to a comment request. 

Shapiro also declined comment.

FIRST ON FOX: A bipartisan group of 151 lawmakers is rallying around a resolution to support the Iranian resistance movement ahead of a hearing with an opposition leader. 

The resolution, led by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., expresses support for the Iranian people and their stated desire for a "democratic, secular and non-nuclear" Iran through regime change. 

"The developments of the past year have left no doubt that the source of terrorism and warmongering in the Middle East region is the theocratic Islamic Republic of Iran," the resolution reads. 

It calls out the Iranian regime’s oppressive practices, voices support for the opposition and calls on global leaders to continue imposing sanctions. 

WORLD BRACES FOR IMPACT OF TRUMP'S 'MAXIMUM PRESSURE' SANCTIONS TARGETING IRAN

"The efforts of Western countries over the past 45 years to change the behavior of this regime have failed, and the ultimate solution to ending the Iranian regime’s threats is the establishment of a secular, democratic, and pluralistic republic by the Iranian people and resistance."

President Donald Trump has been hesitant to throw U.S. efforts into regime change in Iran. "We can't get totally involved in all that. We can't run ourselves, let's face it," he told Iranian-American producer Patrick Bet-David in October. 

The resolution also claimed that in the first four months of Masoud Pezeshkian’s presidency, beginning July 28, 2024, some 500 prisoners, including political prisoners and at least 17 women, were executed, and hand amputations increased. 

The resolution also expressed support for Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a leading resistance group known as MEK to Iranians, and her 10-point plan to bring democracy, secular government and human rights to Iran. The plan, which has the support of 4,000 parliamentarians across the globe, calls for installing NCRI as a provisional government for six months to set up elections and a constituent assembly. 

It was introduced Wednesday ahead of a 2 p.m. hearing entitled "The Future of Iran" with the Congressional Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus, where Rajavi – a top target of Iran’s terror plots and demonization – will give testimony. 

PRESIDENT TRUMP CAN STOP IRAN'S MARCH TO NUCLEAR WEAPONS: 'RE-ESTABLISH CREDIBLE MILITARY THREAT', REPORT SAYS

The first Trump administration imposed harsh sanctions to bankrupt Iran but stayed away from messaging campaigns aimed at encouraging Iranian resistance. This time around, opposition supporters say the situation on the ground has changed – the regime is far weaker after Bashar al-Assad was forced out of power in Syria and Israel has decimated its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah. Protests have again kicked up across the nation and threaten to spread if the financial crisis does not improve. 

Rajavi, in her opening remarks, will say that the Iranian regime is at its weakest point in decades. 

"​​The situation of the Iranian society is explosive. During its 46-year rule, the religious fascism has never been so weak and fragile," Rajavi is expected to say, according to remarks obtained by Fox News Digital. 

STATE, TREASURY DEPARTMENTS REIMPOSES 'MAXIMUM PRESSURE' SANCTIONS ON IRAN’S OIL TRADE

"The mullahs are surrounded from all sides: by a society that is filled with anger and rebellion, by Resistance Units, and by selfless and rebellious youth, because of its bankrupt economy and corruption in the government, particularly after the overthrow of the brutal dictatorship of Assad and the collapse of the regime’s "strategic depth" in the region."

The resolution is sure to rankle Ayatollah Ali Khameni, leader of the current Iranian regime, and supporters of Reza Pahlavi II, whose father ruled Iran in the 1970s, who want to see the younger Pahlavi cede power in Iran and deeply oppose the NCRI. 

Rajavi will call for the implementation of United Nations snapback sanctions that were eased under the 2015 nuclear deal, putting the regime under the Chapter VII charter of the U.N. as a threat to peace and formally recognizing the resistance's movement for regime change.

She will also pay tribute to two resistance leaders, Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, who have been sentenced to death on charges of "rebellion" and for being members of the MEK. The U.N. has called on Iran to halt their executions. The regime has executed 120,000 on political grounds over the past four decades, according to Rajavi.

The hearings come after the Trump administration pushed forward with its promise to return the U.S. to "maximum pressure" sanctions with new crackdowns on Iranian oil tankers. 

Trump has said he would "love to make a deal" with the nation’s clerical leaders, but Iran has insisted it will not engage in nuclear negotiations while the U.S. is imposing maximum pressure. 

"Iran's position regarding nuclear talks is clear, and we will not negotiate under pressure and sanctions," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said during a televised joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

"There is no possibility of direct negotiations with the U.S. as long as maximum pressure is being applied in this way."

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump has issued 73 executive orders since his return to the Oval Office in January, including at least six that directly affect parents and their children, according to a parental rights group that released a parent's guide to navigating the executive orders. 

"President Trump's Executive Orders have put parents back in the driver’s seat," American Parents Coalition’s Executive Director Alleigh Marré told Fox News Digital. "From rolling back President Biden’s radical changes to Title IX that required schools to let boys play in girls sports, to protecting kids from harmful gender interventions, parents are already better positioned to make decisions regarding the well-being of their children than they were just a month ago."

The coalition released a "lookout" parental notification system Wednesday that detailed six different executive orders that "enable parents to choose what is best for their children and to better protect kids." 

The lookout works as a guide to parents navigating the executive orders, including offering tips on how parents can keep up with the breakneck pace of the Trump administration’s executive orders, and working their way through Congress and at the state level. 

TRUMP SIGNS 'NO MEN IN WOMEN'S SPORTS' EXECUTIVE ORDER

The American Parents Coalition was established in 2024 to advocate for public policy favorable toward parental rights. 

"In this Lookout, American Parents Coalition seeks to keep parents informed and provide tips to stay in the loop about future changes made by the Trump Administration, Congress, and state legislatures," Marré added in comment to Fox Digital. 

The parental notification system focused on six Trump executive orders, providing an explainer for each and what the order actually means for parents. 

The six orders include: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports; Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling; Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families; Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation; Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal; Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government. 

PARENTS SHOULD BE TERRIFIED BY TIKTOK’S DANGEROUS INFLUENCE OVER OUR KIDS

For the executive order protecting children from chemical mutilation, for example, the coalition explained that it "ensures parents, not activists, make medical decisions for their children and protects children from irreversible procedures until they reach adulthood."

"Although there is more work to be done at the state level, parents can now feel reassured that schools, healthcare providers, and government programs will not bypass them in pushing gender transition interventions on their children," the lookout report continues. 

Trump’s bevy of executive orders related to transgender issues and children were long previewed on the campaign trail, as the then-candidate vowed that he would ban biological males from women’s sports and ban gender surgery procedures for children. 

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"On Day One, I will revoke Joe Biden’s cruel policies on so-called ‘gender affirming care’ — ridiculous — a process that includes giving kids puberty blockers, mutating their physical appearance, and ultimately performing surgery on minor children. Can you believe this?" Trump said in a campaign video in 2023 of his plan to "protect children from left-wing gender insanity." 

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Outside of executive orders that directly address children and parents, Trump also signed an executive order that ends the weaponization of the federal government, including preventing agencies from targeting people based on their political beliefs. 

"Parents can advocate for their children’s education and rights without fear of government retaliation for speaking out," the lookout explained of how the order impacts parents. "Some parents critical of far-Left educational policies such as teaching (critical race theory), transgender bathrooms and sport policies have been ridiculed and even investigated by the FBI. This order is a win for free speech and puts parents into the driver’s seat of their children’s lives."