FBI Director Kash Patel is tackling China's influence on American farmlands head-on, as both a food supply and national security concern. 

Patel’s early focus on Chinese influence over American land — particularly farmland near sensitive sites — reflects a broader second-term push by the Trump administration to confront the Chinese Communist Party’s presence on U.S. soil. The effort has gained traction among Republican lawmakers and conservative allies, who say CCP-connected land ownership poses a direct threat to national security and critical infrastructure.

"FBI Director Kash Patel has made eradicating CCP interference and infiltration in the United States a relentless, uncompromising priority," Patel advisor Erica Knight told Fox News Digital. 

"With his unmatched experience in counterterrorism and intelligence, Patel possesses a profound understanding of the grave threats our nation faces," Knight said. "His expertise and unwavering resolve make him uniquely equipped to lead the bureau to crush CCP infiltration and safeguard America’s national security."

US-CANADA BORDER EYED AS VULNERABILITY BY CHINA, RUSSIA, SAYS PATEL: 'THE ENEMY ADAPTS' 

Patel recently told lawmakers that the "effective resolution" of the southern border crisis has prompted adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran to shift their focus to the U.S. northern border.

As the administration ramps up its second-term focus on China, President Donald Trump was asked aboard Air Force One on Thursday what the White House is doing about Chinese-owned farmland.

Trump said he is "looking at it all the time," adding that he has "a very good relationship with China and with the president."

"I have a lot of respect for President Xi," Trump said. 

TOP FIVE TAKEDOWNS: KASH PATEL’S FBI HITS THE GROUND RUNNING WITH MAJOR EARLY VICTORIES

Trump emphasized that Chinese-owned farmland "has been an issue for years."

In a February Fox News op-ed, Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Ric Grenell echoed growing concern on the right over Chinese-owned farmland, calling it part of a "not-so-silent takeover."

"While conservative legislators and governors across the country are taking action to stop adversarial nations from buying U.S. farmland, we must recognize that there’s a much broader issue at play here — China’s end goal is not confined to land ownership," Grenell wrote. 

MORE THAN HALF A MILLION LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL BACK PATEL AS FBI DIRECTOR

Capitol Hill lawmakers have already begun taking action. In early March, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., introduced the PASS Act in the Senate, which would bar entities from "covered countries" — including China — from purchasing agricultural land near military bases or other sensitive sites.

The legislation, which also has Democratic support, would allow the Department of Agriculture to submit cases to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. for review if the department suspects there is a national security concern. 

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Likewise, Republican senators in January also announced the Not One More Inch or Acre Act, led by Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Katie Britt of Alabama. 

The legislation would require selling land owned or "influenced" by the Chinese Communist Party that is deemed to be a national security risk.

Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips and Michael Lee contributed to this report. 

All but one Senate Republican voted on Thursday to confirm President Donald Trump's nomination of Harmeet Dhillon to serve as an assistant attorney general.

While the 52-45 vote was almost entirely along party lines, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, joined Democrats in voting against Dhillon's confirmation.

Fox News Digital reached out to a Murkowski spokesperson on Friday morning to request a comment from the lawmaker, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

DR. OZ BECOMES NEXT HEAD OF MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES FOLLOWING APPROVAL FROM FULL SENATE

Then-President-elect Donald Trump announced in December that Dhillon was his choice to serve as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Justice Department.

"I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K. Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished Civil Liberties, including taking on Big Tech for censoring our Free Speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during COVID, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against their workers," Trump declared in his Truth Social post at the time.

SENATE CONFIRMS DR MARTY MAKARY AS TRUMP'S FDA CHIEF

"Harmeet is one of the top Election lawyers in the Country, fighting to ensure that all, and ONLY, legal votes are counted. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia Law School, and clerked in the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Harmeet is a respected member of the Sikh religious community. In her new role at the DOJ, Harmeet will be a tireless defender of our Constitutional Rights, and will enforce our Civil Rights and Election Laws FAIRLY and FIRMLY. Congratulations, Harmeet!" he added.

Trump recently accused Murkwoski, Maine Sen. Susan Collins, and Kentucky Sens. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell of having "Trump Derangement Syndrome."

TRUMP PRESSURES 4 GOP SENATORS AHEAD OF ANTI-CANADIAN TARIFF VOTE, ACCUSING THEM OF ‘TDS’

The president called out the four GOP senators ahead of a vote on a measure to scuttle his tariff policy on Canadian products. 

All four Republican senators voted for the joint resolution anyway, and it cleared the Senate with all Democrats voting in favor.

New York State Republicans are demanding the ouster of the city's transit chief, citing poor subway service despite an infusion of cash from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s "congestion pricing" Manhattan toll zone.

A press conference came on Wednesday, days after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited Dover, N.J., to assess a massive sinkhole that had closed down I-80. Republicans are also calling for an audit of the entire transit agency. 

There, Duffy criticized Hochul for failing to rescind congestion pricing and said New York officials need to get a better handle on subway crime. 

"If you want people to take the train, to take transit, then make it safe, make it clean, make it beautiful, make it wonderful, don’t make it a s---hole, which is what she’s done," he said. 

"We don’t have to be at war over this," Hochul reportedly said in that regard.

NY LAWMAKERS BLAST MTA AFTER COMMENTS ‘DISMISSIVE’ OF CRIME ISSUE

State Sen. Steve Chan, R-Bath Beach, announced a bill at the Albany conference that would add two more members to the state-owned MTA’s board: one representing NYPD transit police and another representing the transit police union.

Chan, a retired NYPD sergeant and immigrant from Hong Kong, condemned a string of dangerous incidents on the rails in and around his Brooklyn district, including the nationally reported case of a passenger set on fire in nearby Coney Island.

"If it takes two men two days to dig a half a hole, then how long would it take one guy to dig a hole?" Chan asked at the presser.

"The question can be answered by [MTA Chair] Janno Lieber, because that's what he does every year: dig himself a hole," he said.

"The motto of the MTA seems to be, ‘the higher the cost, the less we have to offer you.’ So every year around this time, the MTA comes with their hand with a tin cup, ‘We need more money,’ and year after year, the Democrats in Albany bend the knee to a mismanaged, misguided and bloated, lackluster transit system."

Chan said that during his decades as a cop, he saw the best and worst of the subways, but today they're leaning toward the worst. 

He said there was once a time only a few years ago when solo passengers could feel safe underground at 3 a.m., but not today. 

"I know private companies that could run the MTA better. I bet I can take a company and give them one single bus line. They'll turn a profit right away."

Chan lamented what he called a criminal "free-for-all" in the subway system, arguing that claims of reduced crime are the result of lax enforcement and downgraded charges.

SUBWAY MAYHEM SPURS CUOMO TO URGE HALT TO NEW NYC DRIVING TAX

Sen. Bill Weber, R-Clarkstown, said his constituents north of the city have had to pay a surtax to the MTA for what he called inefficient service and have to choose whether to brave the indirect transit options or the congestion pricing tolls.

He suggested the MTA is blaming NJTransit, which operates MTA trains that pass through the Garden State on their way to either Spring Valley or Port Jervis, and he also called for Lieber’s ouster.

"Two bills that I'm proposing today … will bring more money back into the pockets of Rockland [County] taxpayers and hopefully will get the MTA moving in the right direction," he said.

Sen. Jack Martins, R-Mineola, added that he hopes the MTA succeeds but has long doubted it.

"Their success is our success. Their success is New York State's success," he said, calling the agency’s $19.9 billion budget an appropriation without results.

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"[For] every dollar that comes out [of a New Yorker's] pocket that goes to fund the MTA, and frankly, we get nothing for it. It's time for congestion pricing to be repealed. It's time for an audit and a real audit that goes into the waste, fraud and abuse that exists at the MTA."

Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, R-Niagara Falls, closed the conference by saying the GOP caucus wants the MTA to succeed, and that harsh criticism should not be misconstrued as wishing for failure.

"[But] every time we throw them more money, we're part of the problem. If we want accountability, the easiest way is to say, ‘The spigot's turned off until you show us that you're willing to make changes with the billions of dollars that you get, then we can have a conversation about other things we can do financially.’"

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a top MTA official rejected the collective claims and criticized Martins in particular.

"The LIRR is operating with record on-time performance and crime on the subway is down 24% since last year. And the MTA has a balanced operating budget, so it’s mind-boggling how some politicians are apparently not capable of reading a budget," MTA chief of policy John J. McCarthy said.

"Mr. Martins has a track record of being wrong. He fought improvements on the LIRR, opposing the Third Track Expansion Project [in Nassau County] – a project that only moved forward when Martins left office."

"Now Mr. Martins is back in office, the project is done, and he is trying to make believe there is no improvement – meanwhile it only happened because he was out of the picture." 

An MTA official acknowledged that NJ Transit does run service to Rockland and Orange counties and that it could be better, in regard to Weber's critique.

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told an individual who said he had been fired from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that he likely deserved to be dismissed because he seemed "like a clown."

The GOP senator has not backed away from his comments, which were captured on camera.

Retweeting a post that featured video of the exchange, the lawmaker's @SenatorBanks X account declared, "Hard truth!" Banks is also using a screenshot of himself from the video as his new profile photo on that account.

HHS DOWNSIZING BEGINS AMID RFK JR. ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ PUSH: ‘WIN-WIN FOR TAXPAYERS’

In the video, an individual who is not on camera can be heard saying that he was an HHS worker who had been illegally fired on February 14.

The individual went on to claim that many have not been getting social services, particularly individuals with disabilities, and then asked Banks if he is going to "do anything to stop what's happening?"

Banks responded by saying, "You probably deserved it."

HHS SAYS IT WILL CUT WORKFORCE BY 10K, SAVING $1.8B ANNUALLY

When the questioner asked Banks why he deserved it, the senator replied, "Because you seem like a clown."

Fox News Digital reached out to a Banks spokesperson who provided a comment from the senator.

"Factory workers, mechanics, police officers, teachers and all hard working people in Indiana don’t deserve to see their tax dollars going to pay for woke and wasteful programs in Washington DC. Thank you President Trump for draining the swamp," Banks said in the statement.

GOP SENATOR THREATENS ‘REAL CONSEQUENCES’ IF UNIVERSITIES HIRE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

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The individual who confronted Banks in the video was Mack Schroeder, reports indicate.

"It felt very childish to hear someone in a leadership position whose constituents rely on these programs to say that," Schroeder said, according to USA Today. "I hope a lot of people in his state see the callousness that he demonstrated."

Banks, who previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, won election to the Senate last year and joined the upper chamber early this year.

President Donald Trump called out GOP Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, in an effort to apply public pressure before the Senate votes on a measure to scuttle his Canadian tariff policy.

The joint resolution would terminate the national emergency Trump declared regarding illicit drugs and Canada — in his executive order, Trump called for slapping tariffs on America's northern neighbor.

In s lengthy Truth Social post shortly before 1 a.m. on Wednesday, the president suggested that the four GOP senators have "Trump Derangement Syndrome." 

"Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul, also of Kentucky, will hopefully get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change, and fight the Democrats wild and flagrant push to not penalize Canada for the sale, into our Country, of large amounts of Fentanyl, by Tariffing the value of this horrible and deadly drug in order to make it more costly to distribute and buy," Trump declared.

TRUMP'S 11TH WEEK IN OFFICE SET TO FOCUS ON TARIFFS AS PRESIDENT TOUTS ‘LIBERATION DAY’

"They are playing with the lives of the American people, and right into the hands of the Radical Left Democrats and Drug Cartels. The Senate Bill is just a ploy of the Dems to show and expose the weakness of certain Republicans, namely these four, in that it is not going anywhere because the House will never approve it and I, as your President, will never sign it. Why are they allowing Fentanyl to pour into our Country unchecked, and without penalty," he continued.

Trump blasted the four lawmakers as "disloyal" to the GOP.

"What is wrong with them, other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly known as TDS? Who can want this to happen to our beautiful families, and why? To the people of the Great States of Kentucky, Alaska, and Maine, please contact these Senators and get them to FINALLY adhere to Republican Values and Ideals. They have been extremely difficult to deal with and, unbelievably disloyal to hardworking Majority Leader John Thune, and the Republican Party itself. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY SAYS ‘OLD RELATIONSHIP’ WITH US ‘IS OVER' AMID TENSION OVER TRUMP TARIFFS

Paul is a cosponsor of the joint resolution. 

Murkowski reportedly informed Politico's Lisa Kashinsky that she will vote for the resolution, while Collins has said she is "very likely" to back it, according to the outlet. 

RAND PAUL ENDORSES TRUMP 3 MONTHS AFTER ELECTION DAY, ADMITS ‘I WAS WRONG’

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McConnell declared in an op-ed earlier this year that "tariffs are bad policy." 

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, made her stance clear on whether transgender athletes should compete in girls’ and women’s sports on Monday.

Collins said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital that a Maine state law that allows biological males to compete against girls and women is the antithesis to the "spirit and intent of Title IX."

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"I believe that the State of Maine is under scrutiny because of the state law that allows biological males to play in girls’ sports. And that is contrary, not just to the President's executive order, but what I believe is the very spirit and intent of Title IX, which was to provide sports and other athletic activities to girls in a safe and fair way," Collins wrote.

The state refused to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order to keep biological males from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. The Health and Human Services Department’s Office of Civil Rights referred the state’s "noncompliance with Title IX" to the Justice Department on Friday.

"It is critically important to treat people who are transgender with respect and dignity. But that does not change the fact that Title IX, which was passed in 1972, has greatly expanded opportunities for girls and young women to participate in organized sports at the high school and college levels," Collins added. "It did so, in part, by mandating equal access to athletic resources and facilities on the basis of sex – not on the basis of gender identity. Safe and fair athletic competition has been one of the keys to the success of Title IX. That is why I do not believe that transgender athletes should compete in girls’ and women’s athletics.

"I will continue to advocate for Maine to receive its fair share of federal funding, something I have done successfully so far, but I support the original intent behind Title IX."

Maine school officials explained why they refused to comply with Trump’s executive order on Monday.

"The Maine Principals’ Association is bound by the law, including the Maine Human Rights Act (MHRA), which our participation policy reflects," officials wrote. "We are unable to sign any resolution agreement that would mandate we create a new policy that would violate the law and MHRA.

"As such, we have not signed and will not sign the resolution agreement sent by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services. With respect to the Federal Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, resolution agreement, we were not a direct recipient of that agreement, so we are not required to respond."

MAINE SCHOOL OFFICIALS EXPLAIN WHY STATE WAS IN 'NONCOMPLIANCE WITH TITLE IX' AFTER REFERRAL TO DOJ

Maine School Administrative District 51 also pointed to the Maine Human Rights Act.

"The MSAD #51 Board of Directors is guided by the Mission, Vision, and Core Values of our district. This includes promoting a safe, caring and ethical learning environment where each person will be treated with respect and fairness; and individuals are recognized, valued and supported," its letter reads.

"To our students: Thank you for your maturity, perseverance, and dedication to learning through these distractions. Please continue to lead the way.

"To our teachers and staff: We deeply appreciate your unwavering commitment to our students. Your dedication makes a profound impact, and we are grateful for your resilience and compassion. Please note that no Board policies have changed at this time. We encourage you to continue supporting every student, socially and academically, as you always have."

The Maine Human Rights Act was amended four years ago to add gender identity as a protected class and specifically stated that denying a person an equal opportunity to participate in sports is discrimination against education. The Maine Principals’ Association updated its policy to allow athletes to compete against the gender they identify as last year.

A University of New Hampshire poll released Thursday showed that 64% of Maine residents believe transgender athletes "definitely should not" or "probably should not" participate in girls’ and women’s sports. Only 29% of Maine residents believed that transgender athletes "probably should" or "definitely should" compete against girls and women in sports.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey and Maine’s Education Department have not responded to requests for comment.

Fox News’ Julia Johnson and CB Cotton contributed to this report.

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President Donald Trump earned a wave of backlash from the political right after endorsing Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. for re-election last week.

A torrent of replies flooded Trump's Truth Social post as people disagreed with the president's move, including retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who very briefly served as national security advisor during Trump's first term. 

"Not someone I can get behind. I’ll go to the gates with you but I won’t take one step forward with him," Flynn wrote.

Trump declared in the Truth Social post that Graham has his "Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election" and that the senator "WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN."

Negative sentiment about the senator and Trump's endorsement also appeared on X.

TRUMP ENDORSES SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM FOR RE-ELECTION: ‘HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN’

"Sorry... I am not with Trump at all with this one. Not one bit," conservative commentator and crack Trump impressionist Shawn Farash tweeted.

"Just say NO to Lindsey Graham," conservative commentator Chad Prather wrote.

Townhall columnist Scott Morefield opined, "Trump endorsing Lindsey Graham, in a state where an eggplant with an R beside their name would win, with the promise that he ‘will not let us down’ no less, while at the same time castigating real, non-RINO conservatives like Chip Roy, Bob Good & Thomas Massie, just shows that, while we should appreciate how he’s running the country, his ‘endorsements’ should be taken with a heavy grain of salt."

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., hauled in hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations this month after Trump trashed him on Truth Social for opposing a government-funding measure to avert a partial government shutdown.

"HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED, and I will lead the charge against him," Trump vowed. "He reminds me of Liz Chaney [sic] before her historic, record breaking fall (loss!)"

In a statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday, Massie likened Graham to former Rep. Liz Cheney.

"I don’t begrudge anyone for an endorsement, but Senator Graham is objectively the ideological twin of Liz Cheney," Massie said in the statement.

Graham's campaign manager Mark Knoop said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday, "Senator Graham shares President Trump's frustration with Rep. Massie. Rep. Massie has become the most reliable vote for Democrats on critical issues opposing President Trump's agenda."

TRUMP PLEDGES TO ‘LEAD THE CHARGE’ AGAINST REP. MASSIE, LIKENS HIM TO LIZ CHENEY

Trump attacked conservative House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, last year, declaring in a Truth Social post, "The very unpopular ‘Congressman’ from Texas, Chip Roy, is getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory - All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself."

While Trump wanted the debt ceiling raised, Roy indicated in a December tweet, "Currently, I’m against raising the debt ceiling without major spending cuts/reform. Congress needs to feel the pain of their actions and confront reality."

Fox News Digital reached out to request a comment from the congressman, but no comment was provided by his office. The White House also declined to provide comment on the president's endorsement of Graham. 

"There’s no bigger endorsement than President Trump’s and Senator Graham is honored to have his support. He has earned it. Senator Graham looks forward to playing golf this weekend with Trey Gowdy and President Trump. When it comes to conservative organizations endorsing Senator Graham, stay tuned," Knoop said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Friday.

Figures from pro-life groups are slated to appear at a press conference on Monday as the groups back Graham's re-election bid, according to a campaign press release provided to Fox News Digital.

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Graham, who thanked Trump for the endorsement in a post on X, has also shared another post with a video highlighting the president's support.

"President Trump is on team Graham," a voiceover declares during the video, describing Graham as "a conservative leader, trusted by Trump, endorsed by Trump."

But while Trump, who previously endorsed Graham in 2020, is on the senator's side, time will tell whether voters share the same sentiments.

While Graham decisively won his 2020 primary with more than 67% of the vote, he was met with a chorus of boos when he spoke at a Trump rally in his own state of South Carolina in 2023.

The lawmaker, who has served in the Senate for more than two decades, is up for re-election in 2026.

One senator's pooch is digging up "bipawtisan" goodwill on Capitol Hill this week.

Babydog Justice, famous sidekick to West Virginia Republican Sen. Jim Justice, visited the Senate Thursday, and senators across the political spectrum couldn't hold back their appreciation.

Rolled along in her soft-sided wagon, the English bulldog canine ambassador is a welcome sight in the Senate chambers.

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Babydog took to X to share a post meeting four senators who work with her famous dad, saying, "Loved getting some bipawtisan pets by the Senate floor today!"

Babydog was photographed with Republican and Democratic senators alike, including Democrats Ruben Gallego of Arizona and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.

One eager commentator wrote, "The real senate majority leader."

BABYDOG GOES TO WASHINGTON: WEST VIRGINIA'S JUSTICE FLIPS SENATE SEAT RED

Sen. Jon Hustsed, R-Ohio, also posted a photo of the lovable pooch, writing, "Just another day at work for Ohio’s four-footed neighbor, Baby Dog."

"Babydog is happy to be pet by anyone that comes along – she shows no political bias, especially if treats are involved," Justice told Fox News Digital. 

"She loves coming with me over to the Senate floor, where senators can walk off and immediately come to visit with her. I think if Babydog moderated spending discussions going on around here, we might get more across the finish line. There is no doubt in my mind that both sides of the aisle agree Babydog as Senator No. 101 is the most popular member in Congress."

Babydog sparked headlines nationally last year at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where she took the Fiserv Forum stage with Justice, who was West Virginia's governor at the time.

"I know that a lot of you want to meet my little buddy. So, if Babydog could come on out here," Justice said before the crowd erupted in cheers.

The 5-year-old pooch was a fixture on the campaign trail with Justice and has shown no signs of ending her support for her dad now that he's in the Senate.

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Her official X account bio says, "My favorite things are @JimJustice_WV, Wendy’s nuggets, riding shotgun in dad’s Suburban, and napping."

Justice successfully flipped his seat for the GOP after longtime Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin announced he would not seek re-election last year.

Justice received 68.8% of the vote after gaining a key endorsement from President Donald Trump.

EXCLUSIVE: A top DOGE leader in the Senate is trying to reel in a massive federal grant from a nonprofit focused on promoting fishing, boating and outdoors that she alleges is being used to pad executive salaries, a characterization the organization rejected.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and her colleagues have been scouring federal grants for appearances of waste, fraud or abuse of taxpayer funds, and came upon a $27 million grant to the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF). 

More than $26 million of the grant had been paid out, and long-term figures showed RBFF received $164 million in funding since 2012, with nearly $13 million of that coming in 2024.

From the government website USA Spending, the grant’s purpose highlights RBFF’s "Take Me Fishing" consumer campaign that includes a social and digital media component, as well as ads on Walt Disney Company-branded streaming services and "mobile fishing units" that cater to urban communities and "underserved audiences."

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The Disney contract is worth $1.99 million, and other expenditures included $204,000 in SEO consulting, $5 million to a Minnesota agency for media, creative development and design, and $189,000 to an Atlanta hotel.

The Alexandria, Virginia-based nonprofit recorded six-figure salaries for several top officials, totaling more than $1.5 million. The group’s president is reportedly paid about $318,000 per year. Most others fell in the mid-$100s.

However, RBFF officials defended their work in a statement to Fox News Digital, and suggested government funds are being spent responsibly.

"RBFF has a proud tradition of attracting Americans to the sport of fishing and boating," the statement read.

DOGE CAUCUS SENATOR PUSHES FOR END TO SLUSH FUND FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

"By significantly increasing participation over the past 10 years, local communities, independently-owned businesses and manufacturers have directly benefited from increased spending."

RBFF said American anglers contribute nearly $150 billion in economic output and 1 million jobs nationwide.

"In fact, we know that fishing produces $1,500 in commerce per participant per year – a figure that drives economic activity in every state in the union," the organization said.

"We are wholly funded via a competitive grant that is awarded through the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service via the Sport Fish Restoration excise tax, and our organization is supported by state fish and wildlife agencies, as well as industry manufacturers and retailers from Alaska to Florida."

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Ernst was not convinced, telling Fox News Digital that "Washington fell hook, line, and sinker into padding the pockets of overpriced recreational consultants."

She quipped that "special interests" should instead be told "to ‘go fish.’"

"The Department of Interior needs to claw back the remaining $650,000 and tell these consultants that there are other fish in the sea." 

Fox News Digital also reached out to the Interior Department for further comment on the grant, which preceded the current agency leadership.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., unleashed on Kenneth S. Stern, attorney and director at the Bard Center for the Study of Hate, during a Senate committee hearing on Thursday, challenging his recent comments on NPR that the Trump administration’s cancellation of Columbia University’s federal grants makes Jewish students "less safe."

"I see that five or six days ago you gave an interview in which you said that the removal of Mahmoud Khalil, the pro-Hamas foreign rioter, is a form of McCarthyism and makes Jewish students less safe. Now this is an individual that has been accused of endorsing and espousing terrorist activity, who has been accused of lying on his green card application in the U.S., who is currently being sued for terrorizing and assaulting Jewish students. Do you still believe this?" Hawley probed.

In response, before Hawley cut him off, Stern said he'd "been very clear that OCR has a very important role, that there are complaints that should go through the process." 

ANTI-ISRAEL IVY LEAGUE STUDENT IN US ON VISA BEING URGED BY ICE TO SURRENDER: COURT DOCS

"When you start using the Department of Justice and threatening universities' funding," Stern began, but Hawley interrupted.

"I just want to get this on the record: You are opposed to investigating Columbia University and others for antisemitism?" Hawley said, cutting off Stern.

"No," Stern said.

"That's what you said, six days ago," Hawley interjected.

"I am not opposed to doing it the right way," Stern said.

Hawley further pressed Stern about the Trump administration's investigation into the failure to protect Jewish students, pointing out that Stern had previously claimed such an investigation would be "weaponizing antisemitism" and make students less safe.

Stern responded by agreeing that it was indeed weaponizing antisemitism when the Department of Justice had "a list of places they want to go to."

ICE NEARING HISTORIC DEAL WITH IRS TO AID IN DEPORTATIONS: REPORT

Stern pointed to Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Edward Markey's earlier statements in the hearing in which he said "the answer to antisemitism will never be authoritarianism. We cannot guarantee freedom if we let Trump march in and steal freedom."

Hawley responded that he had heard Markey's comments and called them "insane."

"I heard his whole speech. I thought it was insane," Hawley said. "I just want to say, for the record, I thought it was totally insane. And I think your positions are similarly insane. I think the idea that we would bend over backwards to hug and kiss and make nice to a pro-Hamas rioter, because that's what Khalil is, and that we would say, 'Heavens, we have, we can't remove him.' And that makes Jewish students less safe on our campuses? That's nuts."

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TELLS FEDERAL JUDGE IT MIGHT INVOKE STATE SECRETS ACT ON HIGH-PROFILE DEPORTATION CASE

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Mahmoud Khalil, an anti-Israel activist and Columbia University student, faces allegations from the Trump administration for allegedly omitting details about his employment history on his green card application. 

Specifically, he purportedly failed to disclose his role as a "political affairs officer" with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees between June and November 2023, as well as his extended tenure with the Syria Office at the British Embassy in Beirut beyond 2022. As such, the administration has initiated proceedings to revoke Khalil's visa.

Concurrently, the administration pulled $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University over its handling of anti-Israel campus riots last year. The Ivy League university announced major changes on Friday to align its student policies with Trump's demands.

Several Ivy League students holding visas or green cards have since filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, alleging First Amendment violations.

The Trump administration has filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court seeking approval to slash hundreds of millions of dollars in grants from the Education Department as part of its efforts to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the department. 

The Justice Department is asking the court to lift a nationwide injunction which is preventing it from terminating the grants under two federal programs.

Earlier this month, Boston-based U.S. District Judge Myong Joun ordered the Trump administration to restore the grants – via a temporary restraining order -- which are disseminated via the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) and Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) programs.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SIGNIFICANTLY DISMANTLED IN NEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER

Days later the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to pause Joun’s order, leading to today’s filing. Joun was appointed by former President Joe Biden.

Eight states, including California, accused the Linda McMahon-led department of illegally terminating the grants that Congress had established as a solution to critical teacher shortages, especially in rural and underserved communities. The grants provide more than $600 million in grants for teacher preparation programs, often in subject areas such as math, science and special education, the states have argued.

The Trump administration blasted the injunction in its filing and argued that federal courts were exceeding their jurisdiction.

"This case exemplifies a flood of recent suits that raise the question: Does a single district-court judge who likely lacks jurisdiction have the unchecked power to compel the Government of the United States to pay out (and probably lose forever) millions in taxpayer dollars?" acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris wrote.

"Unless and until this court addresses that question, federal district courts will continue exceeding their jurisdiction by ordering the executive branch to restore lawfully terminated grants across the government, keep paying for programs that the executive branch views as inconsistent with the interests of the United States, and send out the door taxpayer money that may never be clawed back."

TRUMP STILL NEEDS CONGRESS' HELP WITH PLAN TO ABOLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

The filing argues that the case presents an "ideal candidate" for the Supreme Court to impose restraint on federal courts and the Justice Department argues that its case will likely succeed on the merits.

"This court should put a swift end to federal district courts’ unconstitutional reign as self-appointed managers of executive branch funding and grant-disbursement decisions," Harris wrote.

The appeal will go to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson based on jurisdiction and she will likely ask her colleagues to weigh in. A briefing schedule will be set and an order on temporary enforcement will follow.

The Supreme Court is requesting a response by the opposing parties by Friday at 4 p.m. As well as the state of California, the opposing parties are Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin.

The Education Department previously said the programs teach "divisive ideologies" such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and the "instruction on white privilege and white supremacy."

The Republican president signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Education Department, and his administration has started overhauling much of its work, including cutting dozens of contracts it dismissed as "woke" and wasteful.

A wave of lawsuits has slowed down the Trump administration’s agenda with the Justice Department filing four other emergency appeals of court rulings, including in relation to birthright citizenship and an appeal to halt an order requiring the rehiring of thousands of federal workers.

The justices previously rejected a bid to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid and did not immediately allow Trump’s firing to proceed of the head of a federal watchdog agency.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE: Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leaders in the Senate will be releasing an NCAA-style bracket of the craziest items of federal waste needing to be cut, as the public will be able to actively vote for their picks in successive Elite Eight and Final Four rounds.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the leader of the upper chamber’s DOGE caucus, told Fox News Digital on Friday that while college basketball’s March Madness only lasts a month, the federal government’s "spending madness" is a year-round, debt-defying event.

"The Senate DOGE Caucus is dividing and conquering to bring waste to a squealing halt," Ernst said.

"This March, we will be scoring buckets for taxpayers by increasing transparency, stopping the silly spending, and making government actually start to work for the American people it serves."

Sixteen "seeds" of waste will be posted in a bracket and put up for public polling on X to determine which eight waste items are bad enough to advance; followed by the next-worst four, and championship two.

DOGE CAUCUS SENATOR PUSHES FOR END TO SLUSH FUND FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Each DOGE caucus member received or picked priority waste items for the tournament. While there may not be any major upsets, like Lehigh University’s 2012 win over #1-seed Duke, each item’s introduction to the public may cause the same surprise.

Sen. Cyntha Lummis, R-Wyo., has her spot on the bracket represented by a Biden administration appropriation of $4.5 million to "combat disinformation" in Kazakhstan.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., who coached Auburn’s football team for many years, will be represented in the tourney by an allocation of $168,000 for an "Anthony Fauci Exhibit" at the National Institutes of Health Museum in Maryland.

A $7.9 million expenditure on teaching journalists in Sri Lanka to avoid "binary-gendered language" will be in the bracket under Sen. John Kennedy’s, R-La., name.

Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., picked a $45 million Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) scholarship program for Burmese people to be featured at the event.

DRAIN THE SWAMP ACT SEEKS TO MOVE DC BUREAUCRACY OUT OF CRAZYTOWN, DOGE LEADER SAYS

Ernst, meanwhile, will be represented by the $4 million that the Departments of Agriculture and Interior spent on setting up a farming infrastructure for insect-based food consumption for humans.

Some of the other DOGE Madness bracket "teams" include billions in costs associated with the ATF illegally miscategorizing bureau employees as "law enforcement" (Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa), $690,000 to study cannabis use among "sexual-minority gender-diverse individuals" (Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.), $12 million for a Las Vegas pickleball facility (Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont.) and $1.75 million for MoMA – a New York City museum with already $5 billion in assets (Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah).

Additionally, Sen. James Lankford’s, R-Okla., waste bracket includes $2 billion sent to the Taliban since the Biden administration’s 2021 withdrawal.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is represented by a six-figure line item for vegetable gardens in El Salvador, and Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., has a $1.3 million subsidy for equity and advocacy for Long Island transgender "youth of color."

Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Johnson’s, R-Wis., bracket position is dubbed the "liberal four corners."

Johnson is represented by a $100,000 EPA grant to a major city’s teachers' union foundation to hold a 14-day Environmental Justice Freedom School that the DOGE caucus said touches on the quartet of climate change, teachers' unions, indoctrinating children and paid activism.

Elsewhere in the Sweet 16 bracket, Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s, R-Tenn., position is represented by a $22 billion allocation from the Department of Health and Human Services to provide free housing and vehicles for illegal immigrants – and Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., sought to highlight millions in wasteful spending on gender transition procedures for U.S. service members.

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The final spot in the bracket is for $1.45 billion in FEMA funds for luxury hotels for illegals, an item called out by Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho.

Risch notably introduced legislation to end the practice, called the End FEMA Benefits for Illegal Immigrants Act.

Amid the tournament’s division of varying types of government waste, the Senate DOGE caucus will also announce Friday that it is divvying up "priority areas" for groups of senators to focus on.

Acquisition reform, digitizing antiquated government systems, transparency efforts, restoring "‘service’ to the civil service," fraud, non-strategic foreign aid, and cost-efficiency are all areas of study being assigned across the DOGE caucus as the legislative year heats up, Fox News Digital has learned.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he was "skeptical" of Dr. Mehmet Oz’s views, particularly on transgender procedures for minors and abortion, and released a series of questions Wednesday that he plans to ask President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) during his road to confirmation. 

"I’ve been reading up on Dr. Oz - I see he’s praised trans surgeries for minors and supported hormone treatments & puberty blockers for kids in the past," Hawley wrote on X on Wednesday. "And has also criticized state laws protecting life. I hope he’s changed his views to match President Trump! We need the Trump agenda at CMS." 

In a series of written questions for Oz, Hawley asked the former heart surgeon and TV personality if his views have changed since hosting a television show. 

DR. OZ BATS BACK DEMOCRATIC ATTEMPTS TO PAINT HIM AS A 'SNAKE OIL' SALESMAN IN SENATE HEARING

Hawley noted that Oz had on his show "various transgender advocates as well as a surgeon who performed transgender surgery" and "also invited children to discuss switching genders and praised parents for helping their children ‘transition’."  

"Do you support President Trump’s position that gender transition procedures for minors should be banned?" one question directed at Oz and shared by Hawley’s press office asked. 

The senator also asked if Trump’s nominee supported the president’s executive order barring biological men from competing in women’s sports. 

"Do you believe that CMS has a role in promoting or supporting gender transition surgery in any way?" Hawley asked. 

The senator asked Oz if he would commit to never issuing a National Coverage Determination at CMS for "gender reassignment surgery" or equivalent procedures, including the use of hormone and puberty blockers, in line with Trump’s policies. He also asked if Oz would support Trump’s efforts to halt federal funding to hospitals that provide so-called "gender-affirming care" to minors.

Hawley noted Oz had stated in the past that he did not want to "interfere" with doctors prescribing puberty blockers for minor children and asked if that was still his position. 

"Do you believe the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which every Justice appointed by President Trump supported, was correctly decided?" Hawley asked. 

The senator questioned whether Oz’s position has changed since he in 2019 opposed state limitations on abortion related to fetal heartbeat by describing it as "little electrical exchanges in the cell that no one would hear or think about as a heart." 

In 2019, Oz predicted a state would face a "big sucking sound of business leaving" over its pro-life law, the senator noted, asking Trump’s nominee to answer if he would allow his decisions as head of CMS to be "influenced by corporate preferences." 

Oz testified last week that CMS would abide by the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal taxpayer dollars from funding abortions.

3 THINGS DR. OZ CAN DO AS CMS ADMINISTRATOR TO HELP FIX AMERICAN HEALTH CARE

"As a physician, I’ve been in the room when there’s some difficult conversations happening. I don’t want the federal government involved with that at all," Oz stated in 2022, according to Hawley's office. The senator cited how Oz also said he did not want the federal government "impinging" on actions the states may make regarding abortion.

"But many federal laws and regulations implicate life issues," Hawley said. "President Trump’s administration has opposed federal funding for abortion, for example, at home and abroad. Will you support the President’s position and commit to upholding existing laws that prevent federal funds from being used for abortions?" 

Hawley asked Oz if he would uphold protections for conscience rights related to abortion, including under the Weldon, Church and Coats-Snowe Amendments. 

The senator noted that CMS under Trump approved waivers allowing states to exclude abortion-performing clinics from the Medicaid program and asked Oz if he would support the president’s policy and back similar waivers if he is confirmed by the Senate. Hawley questioned whether Oz would "support action at the federal level to directly exclude abortion providers from the Medicaid program." 

"The Biden administration issued guidance via CMS suggesting that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) required hospitals to perform abortions, overriding state laws," Hawley noted. The senator asked Oz if he would return to the Trump policy and "clarify that EMTALA does not mandate abortions." 

Finally, Hawley noted that CMS under Trump required separate billing plans that covered abortion in Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketing plans and the Biden administration eliminated that requirement. He asked if Oz would support returning Trump’s policy of "transparent billing practices and ensure that consumers pay properly separate charges for abortion." 

The 64-year-old was a respected heart surgeon who turned into a popular TV pitchman. He sold everything from supplements to private health insurance plans on "The Dr. Oz Show," which ran for 13 seasons and helped him amass a fortune.

If confirmed, Oz will oversee health insurance for about 150 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid or ACA coverage. As CMS administrator, he could wield significant power over most health companies operating in the U.S., because he can make decisions about who and what is covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

Oz faced over two and a half hours of questioning Friday before the Republican-controlled Senate Finance Committee, which has yet to vote on whether to forward his nomination to the full Senate for consideration. Hawley is not a Finance Committee member and did not question Oz during the hearing last week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

As the fifth anniversary of COVID-19 lockdowns approaches, bipartisan lawmakers and medical professionals across the country are rallying behind a bill that would address a growing crisis in the healthcare field.

Dr. Lorna Breen was chief of the ER department at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. Known by colleagues as a tireless worker who cared about patients and protocol, Breen committed suicide while on a short break in Virginia in the midst of the pandemic to get a break from the high-pressure world of emergency medical care.

A New York Times story quoted Breen’s father as calling her death a "casualty" of the pandemic and said she had no history of mental illness, but had seemed "detached" as of late.

Proponents of the Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act told Fox News Digital that the mental strain, burnout, and stress of working in a high-pressure, life-saving field demand stronger support systems.

A recent study from a North Carolina healthcare group showed that more than half of doctor-respondents said they wouldn’t go into the primary care field if they could "do it all over again."

According to its proponents, the Lorna Breen Act provides billions of dollars in resources to help prevent suicide, burnout, and mental and behavioral health conditions among healthcare professionals.

Two longtime ER physicians who are leading the charge on the nongovernmental side of things spoke with Fox News Digital this week.

Dr. Randy Pilgrim – chief medical officer for SCP Health – and Dr. Bentley Tate, the emergency room company’s chief wellness officer – both have decades of experience working in the high-pressure field and said that now, as the U.S. looks back at the COVID-19 pandemic, is the time to bring this issue to the fore.

SCP Health works across 35 states and is a leading voice on mental healthcare for physicians, they jointly said.

Doctor wellness must be a major priority, and is often overlooked, Pilgrim said, noting that patients come to doctors to better their own health, and that it is, rightly for the patient, a one-way street in that regard.

"Patients can't be faulted for the fact that when they come to their clinician, their physician or other clinician, they really are thinking mostly about their own health and how they can improve that," he said.

AMERICANS SPLIT ON COVID 5 YEARS AFTER THE PANDEMIC

"For many, many centuries there has been this phrase ‘Physician, heal thyself’, which is variably interpreted. But in the context of this, it means the healthier the doctor is, the more available they are for the patients themselves."

"So, as mental health issues became more and more prevalent, more and more transparent, and more and more acknowledged that the stresses of the healthcare workforce are significant. It became very clear that destigmatizing that as well as providing resources to help, that was a very real phenomenon," Pilgrim added.

"Patients don't come to us saying, ‘Doctor, are you OK?’ But at the end of the day, they want to know that we are [well] and it's our responsibility to be that way."

Mental health strains on physicians were largely an "underground phenomenon" until COVID-19 put physicians’ well-being into the forefront of the news.

During the pandemic, gurneys were rolled out in front of overburdened urban hospitals, and physicians, both rural and otherwise, were working long shifts, resulting in burnout and strain.

"Physician suicide is the far end and very unfortunate far end of that spectrum," Tate said.

LINGERING LUNG DISORDERS 5 YEARS AFTER COVID

"But there are so many people who are frustrated, who are weary. And the reality is, we all lose when a physician retires ten years before they thought they were – or 10 years into their career, with so many years of training [goes and] transitions into where they’re not seeing patients directly, but some other aspect of health care because they just got so frustrated or worn down or frankly, in a bad mental state."

When doctors step away from patients for such personal reasons, the entire healthcare system loses, Tate said. When physicians are well and in the right frame of mind, patients benefit.

Pilgrim, who has also worked directly to push for Lorna Breen Act legislation, added that there is bipartisan acknowledgment that U.S. doctors need Congress’ full support.

"At the end of the day, people realize this is about helping clinicians, but mainly so that they can help patients – But this is a patient-centered act. So, that's really easy to unify around," he said.

With the advent of DOGE scrutinizing every dollar the feds spend, there is also a new focus on how to pay for things like this act, Pilgrim added.

"People are looking for relatively small amounts of dollars that will have a relatively large and outsized impact," he said.

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"And this actually is another thing that unifies congressmen and women is that this is a relatively small money in the grand scheme of things. And if you can impact just a single physician and make them him or her better, the hundreds to thousands of patients that benefit from that becomes an exponential impact."

Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va. and Roger Marshall, R-Kan. – a doctor himself – are leading the Senate version of the bill, but did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., who is joined by Reps. Jennifer Kiggans, R-Va., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., on the House version said Thursday that the act is truly bipartisan and that she will work hard to pass it so that "doctors, nurses, physicians, and all healthcare providers can take care of themselves as they care for their patients."

"Healthcare professionals dedicate their lives to serving their patients, often at the expense of their own physical and emotional well-being, and ensuring they have the resources to stay healthy is one of my top priorities," Dingell said.

Expect the Senate to take a test vote to break a filibuster around 2 p.m. ET today on the Republican stopgap spending bill. 

This vote is the key to the entire ballgame. If the Senate breaks the filibuster, we are on a glidepath to a vote to avoid a government shutdown. But if this test vote fails, a government shutdown is all but ensured at 12:00:01 a.m. ET Saturday. 

Reminder: THIS VOTE IS NOT THE FINAL PASSAGE OF THE BILL. 

We should have a result on the vote to break the filibuster sometime in the 2 p.m. hour. Certainly by 3 p.m., unless they drag their feet. 

BARELY: HOUSE GOP PASSES GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL WITHOUT HELP FROM DEMOCRATS

The calculus changed dramatically last night when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced that he would support the Band-Aid bill. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is also in favor. Sixty votes are needed to break the filibuster. 

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is the lone GOP nay. So a grand total of eight Democrats are necessary to join the 52 Republican yeas to hit the magic mark of 60.

Here’s whom to watch: Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., along with Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., John Hickenlooper, D-Co., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and others. 

If Democrats fail to cobble together eight votes, this is a major miscalculation by Schumer. As it is said, a leader without any followers is just a man out for a walk. 

CHUCK SCHUMER WILL VOTE TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT OPEN: ‘FOR DONALD TRUMP, A SHUTDOWN WOULD BE A GIFT’

Here’s what we don’t know:

It’s unclear when the Senate would vote on the actual bill to align with the House if the Senate breaks the threshold of 60 yeas on the test vote. That will likely come late this afternoon or this evening. But those Democrats who may be willing to break a filibuster might demand a series of votes on amendments (which won’t pass) in exchange for their votes. 

That includes a vote on the Democrats’ 28-day temporary spending bill, additional money for Washington and restrictions for DOGE. 

Don’t underestimate how livid the left is at Schumer. Progressives who oppose the temporary spending bill could demand some time on the floor to speak against the plan. 

But there is also an appetite to escape Washington since the Senate has been in session for 10 consecutive weeks. So, if they break the filibuster, that could accelerate things, too. 

EXCLUSIVE: Two top DOGE lawmakers are introducing a bill to claw back $3 billion authorized under former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which was designated to create an electric vehicle (EV) fleet for the United States Postal Service (USPS).

A South Carolina defense contractor responsible for the 60,000-vehicle order was already "far behind schedule" as of November. A Washington Post exposé revealed that by then, fewer than 100 of these vehicles had been delivered to USPS.

Citing that, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, DOGE Caucus chair, and Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, will be forwarding the "Return to Sender Act," seeking to recoup what is about 30% of the overall appropriation in Biden’s law that was intended to be geared toward reducing inflation.

The Postal Service was to receive an initial order of 50,000 EV delivery trucks from defense contractor Oshkosh within the next three years, but only 93 had been produced by November, according to the Post.

DOGE SENATOR SEEKS TO ENSURE FEDS CAN CONTINUE PURSUING COVID FRAUDSTERS

One person involved in the production told the outlet that the "bottom line [is] we don’t know how to build a damn truck."

That, along with a Post revelation that the government’s deliveryman agreed to pay more for the trucks after the contractor increased its prices, appeared to lead Ernst and Cloud to announce their bill.

The agreement forged between the Postal Service and the manufacturer ultimately finalized a $77,692 cost per EV truck for about 28,000 vehicles. While the company did not comment at the time of the exposé, its CEO told investors in October that Oshkosh "is really happy where we are" on the project.

"Biden’s EV postal fleet is lost in the mail," said Ernst, chief sponsor of the legislation.

DOGE SENATOR PUSHES TO END ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR FAILED PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

"The order needs to be canceled with the unspent money returned to sender, the taxpayers. I am defunding this billion-dollar boondoggle to stamp out waste in Washington. Tax dollars should always be treated with first-class priority."

Cloud told Fox News Digital the Inflation Reduction Act continues to be proven to be a misnomer, and that in this respect it "funneled billions into a failed USPS EV project that has delivered nothing but delays, defective trucks, and skyrocketing costs."

"Three years later, taxpayers are still waiting while the Postal Service refuses to provide basic transparency on where the money went. The Return to Sender Act takes back the $3 billion in taxpayer money that has been wasted in this project," Cloud said.

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In February, Ernst also cited the USPS EV project in her Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act that targets disclosures of government projects costing 10 figures or more over-budget, and/or five years behind schedule.

The text of the bill, which is less than one-page long, specifically directs "unobligated balances of amounts appropriated or otherwise made available by sections 70002 and 70003 of Public Law 117–169 (commonly referred to as the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’), as of the date of enactment of this Act are rescinded and those sections are hereby repealed."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a USPS spokesperson said the carrier's "fleet modernization is a core component of our Delivering for America plan." 

"From the start, USPS committed to purchase the most environmentally sustainable vehicles across the organization’s entire fleet, consistent with financial and operational considerations, with the understanding that both the electrification and delivery schedule for the fleet could change with additional vehicle acquisitions, our improving financial condition, and our evolving operational strategy," said public relations representative Kim Frum.

"Deliveries of new NGDVs to the Postal Service remain on track to the contracted schedule."

Several Republican senators have taken issue with the American Bar Association (ABA) and are calling for President Donald Trump to take drastic action against the group. In a letter to ABA President William Bay, lawmakers said the group, which plays a key role in judicial nominations, had become "biased and ideologically captured." Now, those lawmakers want President Trump to "remove the ABA from the judicial nomination process entirely."

Sen. Eric Schmitt, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Sen. Josh Hawley, Sen. Bernie Moreno and Sen. Mike Lee are also calling on their fellow senators to "disregard the ABA’s recommendations."

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In the explosive letter there are allegations, including that the ABA has taken political stances against the Trump administration and that the group has been quiet about its taking funds from USAID. The federal aid group has been a target of the Trump administration, something the ABA has criticized.

"The ABA states, ‘Americans expect better.’ But President Trump won both electoral and popular votes. It seems Americans expect — and want — the Trump administration," the senators’ letter reads.

Sen. Schmitt tweeted out the letter along with several criticisms of the ABA’s recent actions and statements. In particular, Schmitt took issue with statements the ABA published on Feb. 10 and March 3, both of which were critical of the Trump administration.

"It has been three weeks since Inauguration Day. Most Americans recognize that newly elected leaders bring change. That is expected. But most Americans also expect that changes will take place in accordance with the rule of law," the ABA wrote in its Feb. 10 statement. Additionally, the Feb. 10 statement condemns the "dismantling of USAID."

LAW PROFESSORS SAY NEW FOCUS ON RACE AND GENDER CAUSE THEM TO 'MASSIVELY' CENSOR THEMSELVES

The senators reference this statement in their letter, saying that the ABA made "inflammatory claims" against the Trump administration "without citing legal reasoning for those arguments."  One of these claims is that the "dismantling of USAID" is illegal, but the senators note that the ABA does not explain why these actions are not permitted under the law.

"It is questionable whether the ABA is committed to defending liberty or its own sources of funding," the senators wrote, referring to the organization’s defense of USAID.

The lawmakers also criticized the ABA’s March 3 statement in which the group slams purported "efforts to undermine the courts." In their letter, the lawmakers note that the association did not issue any statements against former President Joe Biden when he defied the Supreme Court on student loan forgiveness.

In their letter, the senators call out the ABA’s implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion policies, which the Trump administration has been working to root out of the government.

Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron on Thursday announced that he is running to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in the upper chamber of Congress. 

Cameron, who was Kentucky's first Black attorney general, announced his Senate campaign just minutes after McConnell said he would not seek re-election in 2026. 

"Kentucky, it's time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate. Let's do this," Cameron wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of himself, his wife and their children seen on the Daniel Cameron U.S. Senate campaign website. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Cameron's campaign for comment but did not immediately hear back. 

‘GOOD RIDDANCE': MAGA REACTS TO ‘RINO’ MITCH MCCONNELL SENATE EXIT

A seven-term senator, McConnell announced on his 83rd birthday that he would not seek re-election and would retire at the end of his term. McConnell recently voted against several of President Donald Trump's Cabinet picks: National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. McConnell voted in favor of Kash Patel, whom the Senate confirmed as Trump's FBI director on Thursday.

In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Tim Scott, R-S.C., said McConnell has "dedicated his life to public service and the state he loves" and "our country is grateful for his leadership and legacy of confirming conservative judges and justices, and safeguarding the Republican Senate Majority." 

"Kentucky is a red state, so the NRSC is confident that our eventual nominee will be a principled, America First conservative who will join our Majority’s fight for our nation’s Golden Era," Scott said. 

Cameron has long been groomed to become McConnell's replacement. He unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2023 against two-term Democrat Andy Beshear. 

In his first year as attorney general, Cameron handled the investigation into Breonna Taylor's shooting death during a March 2020 Louisville police raid at a time when George Floyd-era protests and riots swept the nation.

His office ultimately declined to charge two officers who opened fire, but indicted a third on wanton endangerment over bullets that entered a neighbor's apartment. That officer was acquitted in a state trial, but the Justice Department brought federal charges against all three. 

SEN MITCH MCCONNELL ANNOUNCES HE WILL NOT RUN FOR RE-ELECTION

Cameron, the current CEO of the 1792 Exchange, a non-profit that aims to hold companies accountable for pushing a "far-left ideology," might face GOP primary competition.

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., reiterated Thursday that he is "considering running for Senate because Kentucky deserves a Senator who will fight for President Trump and the America First Agenda." 

"I’ve done that every day in the House and would do so in the Senate," Barr said. "I’m encouraged by the outpouring of support and my family and I will be making a decision about our future soon." 

Nate Morris, an entrepreneur serving as chairman and CEO of the Louisville-based Morris Industries, said last week he was still considering a run for McConnell's seat, while slamming other potential candidates waiting for McConnell to back out first.

"If you're asking for a permission slip to run for office here in Kentucky from Mitch McConnell, then you shouldn't be running in the first place," Morris said. "The last thing Kentucky needs is another puppet for Mitch McConnell running for office."

As for Democrats, Beshear's spokesman Eric Hyers said in a post on X that the governor would not be running to fill McConnell's seat. 

Democratic state Rep. Pamela Stevenson of Louisville has long been fundraising to run for McConnell's seat, according to the Courier Journal. 

Kentucky leans red in federal elections, such as Senate races, but has been more competitive during gubernatorial contests.

Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Republican lawmakers are backing President Donald Trump’s insistence that Ukraine hold elections, even if they don’t share his belief that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a "dictator." 

"I think you have to give them some space… There is a negotiation going on," said Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

Trump on Tuesday night said Ukraine "never should have started" the war, and doubled down by calling Zelenskyy a "dictator" because Ukraine hasn’t held elections since Russia invaded the country in 2022.

"Ukraine clearly did not start this war," Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., wrote on X. "The fact is that Russia invaded Ukraine and must be held accountable. Otherwise, aggressors will be encouraged in their bad actions."

Still, the Nebraska senator commended Trump for trying to end the war.

TRUMP CALLS UKRAINE'S ZELENSKYY A 'DICTATOR WITHOUT ELECTIONS' AS RIFT WIDENS

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., backed up the president’s push for elections. "We held elections during World War Two. Britain held elections during World War Two. If they're a democracy, they should hold elections. I don't think that's difficult," he told reporters Thursday. 

"[Zelenskyy] is the elected leader of the country," said Hawley. "But, you know, at a certain point you've got to hold elections."

Vice President JD Vance was on Capitol Hill for a lunch with Republican senators, but the president's bold assertion about the Ukrainian leader was not a topic of discussion, according to Hawley. 

Zelenskyy was originally up for reelection in April 2024, but Ukraine’s constitution bars holding elections until the president lifts the martial law order he instituted after the 2022 invasion.

"Well, we've got to have elections," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said when asked about the comments.

"When it comes to blame for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I blame Putin above all others," Graham added in a post on X, claiming Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden were "pathetically weak in handling Putin and failed to protect Ukraine from invasion." 

Still, Graham called Trump Ukraine’s "best hope" to end the war. Trump "will achieve this goal in the Trump way," he said. 

Graham spoke with Zelenskyy on Wednesday, according to the Ukrainian leader. "As always, Senator Graham is constructive and doing a lot to help bring peace closer," he said. 

"Make no mistake about it, that invasion was the responsibility of one human being on the face of this planet. It was Vladimir Putin," Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters. 

Tillis said he believed Putin planned to roll through the Baltic States and "send the signal to China that now is the time" they can take over Taiwan. 

"That’s what this is about, and that’s what we have to communicate." 

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., signaled that he disagreed with Trump’s comments on Zelenskyy, calling Putin a "gangster" and an "evil person."

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., called Zelenskyy the "duly elected president of Ukraine" but said he did not believe U.S. policy was aligning with Ukraine. 

UKRAINE ADVOCATES SAY POST-WAR ELECTIONS WOULD BE A FAR BETTER OPTION, BUT ELECTIONS OFFER RUSSIA AN OPPORTUNITY TO SOW CHAOS.  

"I think he's factually wrong on those points," said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-S.D.  "I also don't know what his motive [is] behind it. As a negotiator, he’s always positioning, and he's in a negotiating mood these days."

Trump’s remarks came just after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet with their Russian counterparts. 

The team came back with an agreement to increase diplomatic presence in each other's nation and an agreed-upon need for elections in Ukraine. 

Russia has insisted it will not sign a peace agreement until Ukraine agrees to hold elections, and the U.S. is now "floating" the idea of a three-stage plan: ceasefire, then Ukrainian elections, then inking of a peace deal.

General Valerii Zaluzhny, likely Zelenskyy's most formidable opponent in a reelection campaign, said he would not entertain the idea of running against Ukraine's president until the war is over. 

"When such conditions come, I will be ready to give an answer to such a question. For now, our task is to endure and save our nation. And only after that will we think about other things."

Zelenskyy, according to Trump, "refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle.’"

"A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left. In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only ‘TRUMP,’ and the Trump Administration, can do," Trump said.  "Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going. I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died." 

Dmitry Medvedev, a top Kremlin security official, remarked: "If you'd told me just three months ago that these were the words of the US president, I would have laughed out loud. [Trump] is 200 percent right [about Zelenskyy]. Bankrupt clown."

President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation picked up support from a key Republican senator on his road to confirmation. 

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said Tuesday that he would vote to confirm Kash Patel to serve as FBI director for a 10-year term. 

"I've spoken to multiple people I respect about Kash Patel this weekend—both for and against," Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, wrote on X. 

"The ones who worked closely with Kash vouched for him. I will vote for his confirmation," Cassidy said. 

KASH PATEL HAMMERS ‘GROTESQUE MISCHARACTERIZATIONS’ FROM DEMS AMID FIERY FBI CONFIRMATION HEARING

The Senate overcame a procedural hurdle on Patel's nomination Tuesday with a party-line 48-45 vote, setting up a final vote on his nomination likely Thursday.

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Patel's nomination in a 12-10 party-line vote to be considered by the whole upper chamber of Congress last Thursday. After Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats held Patel's nomination for seven days, the committee's chair, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, defended Patel last week ahead of the vote. 

Grassley said Patel "spent his whole career fighting for righteous causes" and has "been a public defender, representing the accused against the power of the state."

 4 OF THE BIGGEST CLASHES BETWEEN PATEL, SENATE DEMS AT HIS CONFIRMATION HEARING

"He’s been a congressional staffer, investigating the partisan weaponization of our legal system. And he’s served in key national security roles, protecting Americans from foreign enemies," Grassely told the committee. "He’s received support from former FBI agents, former federal and state prosecutors, and organizations representing more than 680,000 law enforcement officers. But Mr. Patel’s resume, his accomplishments and his support aren’t why he’s the best man for the job."

Grassely said Patel "should be our next FBI Director because the FBI has been infected by political bias and weaponized against the American people." 

"Mr. Patel knows it, he’s exposed it, and he’s been targeted for it," he said, describing how Patel was "instrumental in exposing Crossfire Hurricane," and "he showed that the Democratic National Committee funded false allegations against President Trump, that the DOJ and FBI hid information from the FISA court to wiretap a presidential campaign and that an FBI lawyer lied in the process." 

"As reward for his efforts to uncover the truth, he was attacked by the media, and the DOJ secretly subpoenaed his records," Grassley said. "I know a thing or two about this kind of retaliation." 

At his confirmation hearing last month, Patel clashed with committee Democrats after he refused to share his grand jury testimony in the since-dropped classified documents case against Trump, as well as over Patel's defense of Jan. 6 rioters and critique of the "deep state." Democrats had pushed for a second confirmation hearing for Patel, but Grassley denied that request. 

Trump nominated Patel in November, moving to replace former FBI Director Chris Wray. Trump tapped Wray to lead the FBI in his first administration but later accused him of weaponizing the agency. 

Two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have not confirmed whether they will vote in support of Patel. 

Both Collins and Murkowski notably voted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's confirmation, for which Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.