NationalWatch

Moderate Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, revealed her plan to support Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI) on Monday evening. 

“After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence,” she said in a statement. 

“As one of the principal authors of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 that established this coordinating position, I understand the critical role the DNI plays in the Intelligence Community. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, however, has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size. In response to my questions during our discussion in my office and at the open hearing, as well as through her explanation at the closed hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Ms. Gabbard addressed my concerns regarding her views on Edward Snowden. I look forward to working with Ms. Gabbard to strengthen our national security.”

RFK JR SPENT WEEKEND TALKING TO KEY SENATOR WHO COULD MAKE OR BREAK HIS CONFIRMATION

Collins sits on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which will embark on a pivotal vote on Gabbard’s nomination on Tuesday, sources confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

The Maine Republican has developed a reputation for occasionally bucking her party, most recently doing so on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s confirmation vote. 

Her support for Gabbard at the committee level was thus far from certain. 

SEN. TILLIS OPENS UP ABOUT ROLE IN PETE HEGSETH’S CONFIRMATION AFTER HEGSETH’S EX-SISTER-IN-LAW’S ALLEGATIONS

She joins a handful of other committee Republicans who have already said they will vote to advance Gabbard to the Senate floor, including Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and James Lankford, R-Okla. 

However, another GOP senator on the committee is still considered one to watch, as Gabbard is expected to need all of the Republican members’ votes to move forward. 

DEMS DISMISS CALLS FOR APOLOGY AFTER JEFFRIES VOWS ‘FIGHT’ AGAINST TRUMP AGENDA ‘IN THE STREETS’

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., hasn’t said how he plans to vote in committee. Because of this, he’s managed to garner the criticism of Trump-aligned billionaire Elon Musk, who recently claimed on X that Young is a “deep state puppet” in regard to his uncertainty about Gabbard. The post has since been deleted.

A spokesperson for Young told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Senator Young and Mr. Musk had a great conversation on a number of subjects and policy areas where they have a shared interest, like DOGE.”

ELIZABETH WARREN GRILLED RFK JR ON DRUG COMPANY MONEY, BUT RECEIVED OVER $5M FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY

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Musk also shared on X over the weekend, explaining, “Just had an excellent conversation with [Young]. I stand corrected. Senator Young will be a great ally in restoring power to the people from the vast, unelected bureaucracy.” 

While Collins’ support bodes well for Gabbard’s fate at the committee level, it also forecasts a better outlook among the full Senate, given her vote against Hegseth. If she advances to a floor vote, Gabbard can afford to lose just three Republican votes, assuming she does not get any Democratic backing. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will face a pivotal test on Tuesday morning as the Senate Finance Committee votes on his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

At 10 a.m., the committee will meet to consider President Donald Trump’s HHS pick, following his hearing last week. 

The 27-member committee is composed of 14 Republican members and 13 Democrats. Kennedy will need a majority of the votes in order to advance out of the committee. 

RFK JR SPENT WEEKEND TALKING TO KEY SENATOR WHO COULD MAKE OR BREAK HIS CONFIRMATION

He will likely need the support of every committee Republican, assuming no Democratic senators get behind him. No Democrats on the committee have said they plan to vote to advance Kennedy. 

The HHS nominee has managed to get the support of two sometimes hesitant Republicans in Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., already. 

SEN. TILLIS OPENS UP ABOUT ROLE IN PETE HEGSETH’S CONFIRMATION AFTER HEGSETH’S EX-SISTER-IN-LAW’S ALLEGATIONS

However, he will still need the vote of Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a doctor who has expressed concerns over Kennedy’s claims about vaccines. 

Kennedy spoke with Cassidy over the weekend, as the senator had foreshadowed during one of his hearings. Representatives for each did not divulge details of the last-minute conversations. 

DEMS DISMISS CALLS FOR APOLOGY AFTER JEFFRIES VOWS ‘FIGHT’ AGAINST TRUMP AGENDA ‘IN THE STREETS’

If Trump’s nominee isn’t advanced out of the committee, it’s unlikely that it will make it to the Senate floor for a vote. 

Kennedy would become the first Trump nominee this term to hit such an obstacle, as the president’s other choices have been moving through the upper chamber and several have been confirmed and sworn in. Even Trump’s controversial Defense secretary pick, Pete Hegseth, made it past committee and ultimately was confirmed with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. 

ELIZABETH WARREN GRILLED RFK JR ON DRUG COMPANY MONEY, BUT RECEIVED OVER $5M FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY

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However, if he does fail to clear the committee, he may not be the only Trump pick to hit such a roadblock. 

In fact, on the same day, Trump’s choice to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, also faces the possibility of failing to get past her respective committee. 

Tulsi Gabbard is set to test her odds of Senate confirmation on Tuesday as the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence considers her nomination by President Donald Trump. 

Gabbard, a former Democrat congresswoman who has been tapped as the nominee for director of national intelligence (DNI), went before the committee last week. During her confirmation hearing, she was pressed about her past meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, her previous FISA Section 702 stance and her past support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. 

She notably refused to agree that Snowden was a traitor during the hearing. 

RFK JR SPENT WEEKEND TALKING TO KEY SENATOR WHO COULD MAKE OR BREAK HIS CONFIRMATION

The committee will vote on Gabbard’s nomination on Tuesday, two sources familiar confirmed to Fox News Digital. 

While Intel Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has continued to promote Gabbard for the role, at least one key Republican senator on the top committee is considered a potential defector on the nomination vote. 

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., hasn’t said how he plans to vote in committee. 

SEN TILLIS OPENS UP ABOUT ROLE IN PETE HEGSETH’S CONFIRMATION AFTER HEGSETH’S EX-SISTER-IN-LAW’S ALLEGATIONS

In a since-deleted post on X, Trump-aligned billionaire Elon Musk said Young was a “deep state puppet” in regard to his uncertainty about Gabbard. 

A spokesperson for Young told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Senator Young and Mr. Musk had a great conversation on a number of subjects and policy areas where they have a shared interest, like DOGE.”

Musk also shared on X over the weekend, “Just had an excellent conversation with [Young]. I stand corrected. Senator Young will be a great ally in restoring power to the people from the vast, unelected bureaucracy.” 

DEMS DISMISS CALLS FOR APOLOGY AFTER JEFFRIES VOWS ‘FIGHT’ AGAINST TRUMP AGENDA ‘IN THE STREETS’

At the same time, Gabbard has earned a number of key endorsements from Republicans on the committee. 

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., endorsed the nominee last month after she announced a reversal of her position against FISA Section 702.

ELIZABETH WARREN GRILLED RFK JR ON DRUG COMPANY MONEY, BUT RECEIVED OVER $5M FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY

She also received the backing of Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, after her hearing.

“Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 provides that the President shall appoint officers with the advice and consent of the Senate. Having won the election decisively, I believe President Trump has earned the right to appoint his own cabinet, absent extraordinary circumstances. Therefore, it is my intention to consent to the appointment of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence,” Cornyn said in a statement.

Moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced her support for Gabbard on Monday evening, saying in a statement, “After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence.”

“As one of the principal authors of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 that established this coordinating position, I understand the critical role the DNI plays in the Intelligence Community. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, however, has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size. In response to my questions during our discussion in my office and at the open hearing, as well as through her explanation at the closed hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Ms. Gabbard addressed my concerns regarding her views on Edward Snowden. I look forward to working with Ms. Gabbard to strengthen our national security.”

Collins’ crucial committee vote was not a certainty, especially given her habit of bucking her party. She most recently did this on the confirmation vote for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, joining Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in voting against him. 

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Gabbard will likely need the support of every single Republican on the committee, assuming no Democrats vote in her favor. None of the Democrat senators have said they will vote to advance her nomination.

President Donald Trump‘s attorney general nominee, Pam Bondi, will now move on to a final Senate floor vote for confirmation after senators voted to invoke cloture and limit the remaining floor debate.

Bondi, the former Florida attorney general who also spent 18 years as a prosecutor in Hillsborough County, earned praise this month for her composure during her confirmation hearing, which stretched for nearly six hours. She was also praised for her ability to deftly navigate thorny and politically tricky topics and lines of questioning from some would-be detractors. 

By a vote of 52-46, the Senate invoked cloture on the nomination on Monday night, defeating the legislative filibuster.

If confirmed, Bondi stressed, her primary goal would be to enforce federal law without political considerations.

“Politics has to be taken out of this system,” Bondi told the Senate Judiciary Committee, a refrain she returned to multiple times during her conversations with lawmakers.  

“This department has been weaponized for years and years and years, and it has to stop,” she said. 

 TRUMP AG PICK PAM BONDI CLEARS JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, WILL GET CONFIRMATION VOTE IN SENATE

Bondi’s experience and composure in her meetings with lawmakers, as well as during the confirmation hearing itself, won wide praise from Republicans on the panel, as well as some Democrats, who voted last week to approve her nomination. 

The vote clears Bondi’s nomination to the Senate floor for a full chamber vote.

Bondi’s experience also earned the backing of former senior officials at the Justice Department, who urged lawmakers in a letter this month to swiftly move to confirm her.

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY DEFENDS TRUMP’S FIRING OF INSPECTORS GENERAL

In letters previewed exclusively to Fox News Digital, the more than 110 senior Justice Department officials, including former U.S. attorneys general John Ashcroft, Jeff Sessions, Bill Barr and Edwin Meese, expressed their “strong and enthusiastic support” for Bondi, praising both her commitment to the rule of law and her track record as Florida’s former attorney general that they said make her uniquely qualified for the role.

“It is all too rare for senior Justice Department officials—much less Attorneys General—to have such a wealth of experience in the day-to-day work of keeping our communities safe,” they wrote.

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She was also backed by dozens of former Republican and Democratic state attorneys general, who sent a letter urging her confirmation earlier this month.

“Many of us have worked directly with Attorney General Bondi and have firsthand knowledge of her fitness for the office,” the former attorneys general said in the letter, also exclusively previewed to Fox News Digital. “We believe that her wealth of prosecutorial experience and commitment to public service make General Bondi a highly qualified nominee for Attorney General of the United States.” 

CEO Chris Wright has been confirmed by the Senate to serve as President Donald Trump‘s secretary of energy, where he will be at the helm of shaping the president’s “Drill, baby, drill” agenda.

Wright received bipartisan support from members of the Senate after being selected by Trump to lead the energy agency under his administration. 

The Trump nominee, who has served as the CEO and founder of Liberty Energy Inc. since 2011, advanced through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee before his nomination was put on the floor for a final vote.

He was confirmed on Monday night in a bipartisan vote, 59 to 38. 

TRUMP ENERGY NOMINEE HECKLED BY CLIMATE PROTESTERS, DERIDED BY DEM SENATOR AS ‘ENTHUSIAST FOR FOSSIL FUELS’

Upon his swearing-in, Wright will begin working closely with Trump to spearhead his energy agenda over the next four years.

TRUMP AG PICK PAM BONDI CLEARS JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, WILL GET CONFIRMATION VOTE IN SENATE

The 47th president has made energy a focus of his first two weeks in office, declaring an “energy emergency” on his first day in office, lifting former President Joe Biden’s pause on liquefied natural gas exports and axing climate standards set by the previous administration. 

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Wright’s energy vision aligns with that of Trump’s, telling lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that his first focus would be on unleashing American energy and increasing energy production in the U.S.

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans in New York’s congressional delegation are up in arms over reports that state Democrat leaders are considering legislative routes to delay the special election to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.

The six GOP lawmakers signaled they would seek intervention from the Department of Justice (DOJ) if the alleged legislative maneuver runs afoul of federal law.

“Your clear attempt at playing political games to limit Republican numbers in the House of Representatives is overreaching, corrupt, and undemocratic,” reads a letter led by Reps. Mike Lawler and Nick Langworthy.

“We demand you cease any and all such attempts to change this law, and in preparation of this conspiratory, corrupt act that clearly threatens the constitutional rights of American citizens, we will also be alerting the Department of Justice.”

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS

The letter was also signed by New York Republican Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, Nick LaLota, Andrew Garbarino and Claudia Tenney.

Their pressure on New York’s Democrat leaders is backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who told “Fox & Friends” on Monday morning, “This is open political corruption by state officials in New York.”

“They’re going to try to disenfranchise over 750,000 New Yorkers who live in that 21st District. It’s unconscionable,” he said.

New York lawmakers in the state Senate and Assembly met last week to discuss a rules change that could keep Stefanik’s seat empty until at least June, according to the New York Post.

Stefanik was tapped to be President Donald Trump’s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and is expected to easily pass a Senate confirmation vote. She and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s departure from Congress leave the House with a razor-thin GOP majority, leaving no room for Republican dissent to pass any legislation without Democrat support.

The letter noted that Stefanik could be confirmed “as early as this week,” which would leave residents of New York’s 21st Congressional District without representation in the House until the seat is filled.

The deep-red district is almost certainly going to stay in Republican control, as is the case with Waltz’s former Florida seat.

While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis acted quickly to set special elections for April, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has been silent.

Under current state law, Hochul has 10 days after Stefanik’s resignation to call a special election within a further 70 to 80 days.

But the rule change would reportedly consolidate the special elections date with the June primary race, allegedly in the name of saving resources and time.

GOP LAWMAKER CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING OVER DC PLANE CRASH

“Your claims that you’re doing this to be cost-effective or to promote equity are laughable and will do nothing more than leave every New Yorker in the 21st district with no representation in the House for additional months,” the GOP lawmakers wrote.

“Your scheme to alter the schedule for the special election is a serious abuse of power that is more alike to election processes in authoritarian countries than anything we see in the United States.”

They argued that any delay would run afoul of the Constitution’s clauses on filling House vacancies as well as Supreme Court precedent.

“Any delay or postponement in calling a special election to fill a vacancy in the House of Representatives is not just undemocratic, but it is unconstitutional as well,” they wrote. “It would be reminiscent of other failed efforts regarding New York’s elections in recent years, such as the unconstitutional attempts to gerrymander New York’s congressional districts.”

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The letter also cited a 2009 New York State Court of Appeals ruling that special elections to fill a vacancy should occur in the “shortest space of time reasonably possible.”

“The citizens of New York’s 21st Congressional District are constitutionally entitled to representation in the House and it is our hope that these reports have little basis in reality. If not, we strongly urge you to abandon this absurd, shameful scheme to deny representation for more than 750,000 New Yorkers and maintain current state election laws,” the lawmakers wrote.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office as well as the offices of New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

President Donald Trump on Monday slammed the FBI as “corrupt” and praised his nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, as the man to “straighten it out” as he declined to answer questions over whether his administration will remove bureau employees involved in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. 

Asked Monday by Fox News whether he believed anyone involved in the Jan. 6 investigation should be fired, Trump did not answer outright. Instead, he criticized the actions of a bureau he has repeatedly decried as “corrupt,” and one he insists has targeted him specifically.

“I think the FBI was a very corrupt institution, and I’m a victim of it in the true sense,” Trump told Fox News while addressing reporters Monday at the Oval Office. He also added that he believes the bureau’s reputation has been “damaged badly, as has the DOJ’s.”

“But you know what? We have to have pristine, beautiful, perfect law enforcement,” Trump said.

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“We have to bring the reputation of the FBI not even [back] to what it was, even better than it ever was,” Trump said. “But Kash has to be the one to do it,” he added. “Kash will straighten it out.”

Trump’s remarks come days after Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed the acting FBI director to terminate eight FBI employees and identify all current and former bureau personnel assigned to the Jan. 6 and Hamas cases for an internal review. 

“I do not believe that the current leadership of the Justice Department can trust these FBI employees to assist in implementing the President’s agenda faithfully,” Bove wrote in the memo, instructing that the eight employees be fired by Monday, Feb. 3, at 5:30 p.m.

Former FBI and Justice Department officials warned in interviews with Fox News Digital that such firings, while within Trump’s authority, could have a chilling effect on the rest of the bureau should the administration move to get rid of the personnel involved in the Jan. 6 investigations.

The Trump administration has not yet said if it will move to take action against the individuals involved.

But new concerns were raised after Bove sent a 12-page questionnaire to FBI personnel across the country asking them to detail their involvement in the Jan. 6 investigations, noting that the department would begin a “review process to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary.”

TRUMP’S ULTIMATUM TO FEDERAL WORKERS: RETURN TO OFFICE ‘OR BE TERMINATED’

The remarks come after Trump, in his second term as president, moved to immediately issue a blanket pardon and sentence commutation for all 1,600 criminal defendants in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, who he has repeatedly referred to as “hostages.”

Since taking office, Trump has also fired the inspectors general of 17 separate federal agencies, fired more than a dozen prosecutors involved in the special counsel investigations led by Jack Smith and ordered more than half a dozen FBI officials to either resign or retire from their posts or be fired.  

Combined, the actions have sparked new fears that the FBI could see the ousting of decades of expertise from within the bureau’s ranks, including employees well-versed in detecting and responding to counterterrorism threats, organized and violent crime, drug trafficking and more.

DOJ DIRECTS FBI TO FIRE 8 TOP OFFICIALS, IDENTIFY EMPLOYEES INVOLVED IN JAN 6, HAMAS CASES FOR REVIEW

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Others noted that the Jan. 6 investigation was originally launched under the Trump administration, a detail that the president and some of his supporters neglect to mention in their frequent criticisms against it.

“We’re in an extremely precarious time right now in a very chaotic world,” one former Justice Department official said in an interview. “The terrorism front is as concerning as I’ve seen it, ever. So it doesn’t make sense to me why we’d be taking a meat cleaver to agencies that defend against that.”

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman, David Spunt, Jake Gibson and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: Secretary of State Marco Rubio is accusing USAID of “rank insubordination,” adding “we had no choice but to bring this thing under control.”  The top U.S. diplomat made the comments in an exclusive interview with Fox News in El Salvador, just after announcing he would take over as acting director of the humanitarian agency.  

Rubio blasted USAID for being “completely unresponsive” telling Fox “they don’t consider that they work for the U.S., they just think they’re a global entity and that their master is the globe and not the United States, and that’s not what the statute says, and that’s not sustainable.”

US FOREIGN AID IS SUPPOSED TO SERVE AMERICAN INTERESTS, SAYS MARC THIESSEN

Rubio refused to say whether the agency “needs to die,” as DOGE chief Elon Musk is suggesting, instead stressing the goal was always to reform it.  

“There are things that we do through USAID that we should continue to do, that make sense, and we’ll have to decide, is that better through the State Department or is that better through something, you know, a reformed USAID? That’s the process we’re working through.”

Despite plans for restructuring, Rubio said the United States would remain the “most generous nation on Earth,” but added, in a way that makes sense, that’s in our national interests.

Asked if changes to USAID would open the door for Communist China to increase its influence around the world, Rubio said “No, I mean, first of all, they don’t do that now. If they did, they’d be out there competing with us in these places. But my point is this, even if they did that, why would we fund things that are against our national interests or don’t further our national interests, whether China is there or not? If China wants to waste our money on something that’s against their China, their national interests, go ahead and do it. We’re not going to do it.”

Monday evening, the group and labor union that represents U.S. foreign service workers, released a statement opposing the Trump administration’s actions regarding USAID. “The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) strongly objects to the administration’s decision to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This will undermine U.S. national security, may subvert Congressional authority, and demonstrates a lack of respect for the dedication of the development professionals who serve America’s interests abroad.”

RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AGENDA

The wide-ranging interview came after Rubio’s visit to Panama and amidst repeated warnings from President Trump that the United State would “take back” the Panama Canal over concerns the Chinese have de facto operational control over it.

Following his visit with the Panamanian President, Jose Raul Mulino announced the central American nation would leave China’s Belt and Road initiative. Rubio welcomes the move but tells Fox that’s not enough and that he hopes to see “additional steps in the days to come.”

President Trump announced 30-day pauses on tariffs on Mexico and Canada. Rubio acknowledge that “changes our economic relationship with our closest neighbors,” adding the State Department is not involved in any negotiations to make Canada the 51st state.

Despite Venezuela’s recent move to release U.S. hostages and accept migrants living illegally in the US, Secretary Rubio said there are still no plans to recognize the Maduro regime as legitimate.  Rubio added “Maduro knows the US has many options to inflict serious damage on his regime.”

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Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, says he has “no intention” of going to Havana as America’s top diplomat “other than to discuss when they’re going to leave.” Rubio continues his western hemisphere trip Tuesday with stops in Costa Rica and Guatemala.

President Donald Trump continues appointing new people to his second administration, naming three recent picks in a series of Truth Social posts on Monday.

Just two weeks after taking office, Trump announced that Michael Ellis will serve as deputy director of the CIA. Ellis, who will not need to be approved by the U.S. Senate, will work under CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

Trump wrote that the incoming deputy director, who is also a lawyer, will help “fix the CIA, and make it, once again, the Greatest Intelligence Agency in the World.”

“During my First Term, Michael served at the White House National Security Council, and helped expose abuses of the ‘unmasking’ process by the Obama Administration at the beginning of the Russia, Russia, Russia, Hoax,” the president wrote. “Michael was also General Counsel of the House Intelligence Committee under Devin Nunes, and was selected to be General Counsel of the National Security Agency before being corruptly purged by the Biden Administration.”

NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES ADVISES HOSPITALS TO IGNORE TRUMP EO ABOUT SEX-CHANGE PROCEDURES FOR MINORS

In another post, Trump named Joe Kent to serve as director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). According to the agency’s website, the NCTC operates within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and helps officials by “analyzing, understanding, and responding to the terrorist threat.”

“As a Soldier, Green Beret, and CIA Officer, Joe has hunted down terrorists and criminals his entire adult life,” Trump’s Truth Social post read. “Above all, Joe knows the terrible cost of terrorism, losing his wonderful wife, Shannon, a Great American Hero, who was killed in the fight against ISIS.”

“Joe continues to honor her legacy by staying in the fight. Joe will help us keep America safe by eradicating all terrorism, from the jihadists around the World, to the cartels in our backyard,” the president concluded.

TRUMP’S ULTIMATUM TO FEDERAL WORKERS: RETURN TO OFFICE ‘OR BE TERMINATED’

Finally, Trump named Sean Parnell to serve as the chief Pentagon spokesman, and to work as the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs.

“A Great American Patriot, Sean is a fearless Combat Veteran, who led one of the most decorated units in the Afghanistan War,” Trump said of Parnell. “He earned two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, while his platoon achieved an incredible record of eliminating over 350 enemy fighters.”

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“During my First Term, Sean was also instrumental helping pass the MISSION ACT, the BIGGEST VA Reform in History,” Trump added. “Congratulations to Sean, his wonderful wife, and their five children!”

As President Trump reportedly weighs his options for accomplishing his campaign promise of eliminating the Department of Education, experts spoke to Fox News Digital about what that process will look like and what hurdles the president will have to overcome. 

“The administration is right to push to eliminate the ineffective and unpopular Department of Education,” Jonathan Butcher, Will Skillman Senior Research Fellow in Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital shortly before the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump officials are mulling an executive order calling for a legislative proposal to get rid of the department.

“One thing I’ll be doing very early in the administration is closing up the Department of Education in Washington, DC, and sending all education and education work it needs back to the states,” Trump said in a 2023 campaign video.

A White House official told Fox News Digital on Monday night that Trump plans to fulfill his campaign promise by reevaluating the future of the department. 

TRUMP’S DEPT OF EDUCATION REVERSES BIDEN’S TITLE IX REWRITE: ‘COMMON SENSE RETURNS!’

Butcher told Fox News Digital, “Congress should heed the call and advance policy to eliminate most of the agency’s programs and spending while moving remaining programs to other federal agencies.”

“President Trump can declare that the Education Department’s powers are unconstitutional and request a memo from the Department of Justice to support such a position. The president could, conceivably, do the same for specific programs, the Higher Education Act, for example.”

“Another approach would be to relocate the agency someplace away from Washington, DC and require employees work in-person, 5 days per week,” Butcher added. “The White House can still remove any non-essential, or non-exempt, positions in the meantime. Even this process would need congressional support to void union contracts.”

Butcher told Fox News Digital that even with these possible actions from Trump, the executive branch “still has to spend appropriations as required.”

“So, the best-case scenario remains that Congress considers a proposal to close the agency,” Butcher said. 

 “In the proposal, Congress should consider creating block grants for large spending programs such as Title I so that states have more autonomy over what is best for schools within their borders,” Butcher explained. “And Heritage has proposed moving certain offices that we believe should remain to other agencies, such as the office of civil rights to the Department of Justice.”

Julian Epstein, longtime Democratic operative, attorney, and former chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News Digital that Trump will “likely need an act of Congress” to eliminate the department since it is a statutory created agency unless he can “figure out how to do it through reconciliation.”

However, Epstein explained that eliminating the department could ultimately cause Trump headaches.

“But Trump may want to think twice before he eliminates the department as it has important clubs to promote his agenda,” Epstein said. “The department is the principal enforcement agency to protect women’s sports, prevent discrimination through DEI quotas for favored groups, stop harboring antisemitism, and to address the rather blatant intellectually intolerant, partisan, anti Western ideological factories they have become. To do that, Trump might be well advised to keep the department of education and its core enforcement functions while scaling down its size.”

The DOE was established under former President Carter in 1979 when he split it from the Health and Human Services Department. It’s charged with regulating federal student aid funds and ensuring equal access to education, among other responsibilities.

TRUMP WANTS TO DISSOLVE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. EXPERTS SAY IT COULD CHANGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Republicans have called to dismantle the agency for decades since former President Carter established itt in 1979, making the case that decisions regarding schools should be determined at the local level.

Democrats argue the department provides stability and an opportunity to enforce more generalized policies – civil rights protections, reducing educational disparities and addressing systemic inequalities.

Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk, who was tasked with leading the Trump administration’s effort to cut back government waste through the DOGE effort, has previously voiced support for eliminating the department. 

Experts who spoke to Fox News Digital in November echoed the belief that any effort to fully abolish the department would need the help of Congress. 

WISCONSIN MOM URGES TRUMP ADMIN TO LAUNCH ‘PIVOTAL’ PROBE INTO ALLEGED RACE-BASED DISCRIMINATION AGAINST SON

“President Trump does not have the ability to eliminate a federal department. Eliminating it would require congressional action, including a supermajority of 60 votes in the Senate,” Andrew Stoltmann, an attorney and law professor, said. 

“So, even if Trump can follow through with what he says, he has to pull in some Democrats in the Senate, and that will likely be impossible.”

Stoltmann explained that Trump‘s “best bet is to appoint somebody who will effectively be a figurehead at the Department of Education.”

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“This doesn’t eliminate the department, but it effectively neuters it during his term,” Stoltman said. 

The timing of a Trump executive order is unclear although some believe the administration will wait until Trump’s pick to lead the department, former SBA Administrator Linda McMahon, is confirmed, although no timetable for that confirmation is currently set. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady, Liz Elkind, and Taylor Penley contributed to this report

Members of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee voted favorably Monday for President Donald Trump’s nominee, Brooke Rollins, to head up the Department of Agriculture (USDA), a widely expected outcome that clears her for a vote in the full Senate later this week.

Rollins was passed favorably out of committee on a unanimous vote. 

Rollins, who served as a White House aide during Trump’s first administration and then as the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, is widely viewed as an uncontroversial nominee. 

TRUMP TAPS TEXAN BROOKE ROLLINS AS AGRICULTURE SECRETARY

Her nomination earned the backing of a coalition of more than 415 farmers, agricultural, and growers groups earlier this month. Signatories urged the Senate to swiftly confirm Rollins, praising what they described as her foundational knowledge of agriculture, as well as her policy and business bona fides that they said made her uniquely qualified for the role of U.S. agriculture secretary.

The committee vote comes at a crucial time for U.S. growers’ groups and agribusinesses across the country. Lawmakers in Congress have stalled on a new farm bill and on other key priorities for farmers and industry groups.

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They also failed to secure the full extent of farm aid and agriculture subsidies considered necessary by many groups in their eleventh-hour government spending bill passed late last month. 

Rollins vowed at her confirmation hearing that, if approved, she would use her post as agriculture secretary to embark on a “fast and furious” effort to distribute those funds to farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. She also vowed to combat fast-spreading animal disease in the U.S. and North America, including bird flu, which has hampered the poultry industry and sent egg prices soaring. 

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If confirmed, Rollins said last week, she would “immediately begin to modernize, realign, rethink the United States Department of Agriculture.”

“We understand that serving all American agriculture and all the American people means ensuring that our rural communities are equipped and supported to prosper, not just today, but tomorrow and the day after that in the many tomorrows to come,” she told lawmakers.

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Those supporting Rollins’ nomination have also praised her “close working relationship” with the president, which they said will “ensure that agriculture and rural America have a prominent and influential voice at the table when critical decisions are made in the White House.”

Rollins was not expected to face staunch opposition to her nomination to head up the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and lawmakers who have spoken out have largely praised both her experience and strong knowledge of the agriculture sector. 

Referee Shawn Hochuli educated football fans recently on Rule 12, Section 3, Article 4 of the NFL rulebook.

Hochuli threatened to give the Philadelphia Eagles an automatic touchdown after the Washington Commanders committed three consecutive penalties at the goal line during the NFC Championship Game.

Washington linebacker Frankie Luvu launched himself twice – mimicking Superman in mid-flight – diving over the line of scrimmage before the Eagles snapped the ball at the one-yard line. Luvu was trying to prevent Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts from sneaking into the end zone behind his massive linemen.

Hochuli slid the ball closer to the goal line after each infraction. “Half the distance to the goal line” is the sanction, meaning the ball advanced a few centimeters each time and Philadelphia got a new set of downs. But following the second infraction, Hochuli announced he’d assess Luvu an unsportsmanlike penalty if he did it again.

SPENDING SHOWDOWN: REPUBLICANS WILL NEED TO CORRAL VOTES – BUT THEY HAVEN’T ASKED, YET

Luvu didn’t.

But on the third play, Washington defensive tackle Jonathan Allen hopped briefly offside before the snap.

Hochuli blew the whistle, assessed a penalty for encroachment and moved the ball forward until its nose practically kissed the goal line chalk.

The referee then tutored the nation on one of the most obscure rules in any athletic rulebook.

“Washington has been advised that the referees can award a score if this type of behavior happens again,” said Hochuli, much to the delight of the partisan crowd stuffed into Lincoln Financial Field in south Philly.

The rule declares the following:

“A player or substitute shall not interfere with play by any act which is palpably unfair. Penalty: For a palpably unfair act: Offender may be disqualified. The referee, after consulting the officiating crew, enforces any such distance penalty they consider equitable and irrespective of any other specified code penalty. The referee may award a score.”

THE POLITICAL FIRESTORM THAT’S ABOUT TO SINGE CAPITOL HILL

In short, had Washington committed another penalty, Hochuli could have quit creeping the ball toward the goal line. He would have just given the Eagles six points on the scoreboard.

Rule 12, Section 3, Article 4 does not exist in governance or politics. Except the voters, there is no referee like Shawn Hochuli to assess penalties, mete out discipline and dock a team yardage.

And this is what vexes Democrats – and some Republicans – when it comes to Trump Administration moves to freeze money appropriated by Congress across the board.

Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution is clear about which branch of government controls the purse strings:

“No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.”

In other words, Congress is responsible for spending money. The executive branch just cannot unilaterally thwart what Congress spends. President Richard Nixon tried this in the mid-1970s with “impoundment.” Nixon’s administration blocked spending money which Congress allocated.

MUSK’S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST’ FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

This is why Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” or “DOGE” is so controversial. First of all, it’s not a “department” like the State Department or the Department of Energy. It’s really the “U.S. DOGE Service,” positioned under the umbrella of a small agency within the executive branch: The U.S. Digital Service.

But President Trump has granted Elon Musk and his team access to probe ways to cut spending. The DOGE service can’t just cut spending on its own. At least not constitutionally. And it certainly can’t eliminate another agency, like the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID.

Unless Congress says so.

That’s why the drama last week about an automatic freeze on federal grants and loans rattled lawmakers from both parties on Capitol Hill. Granted, the administration called for a “temporary” pause. And even some powerful Republicans were okay with that.

“I think that’s a normal practice at the beginning of administration until we have an opportunity to know how the money is being spent,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., about the halt. “I think it’s just this is kind of a preliminary step that I think most administrations take.”

But Congress generally safeguards its prerogatives of spending very closely. It would be remarkable for lawmakers to fork over fiscal responsibilities to the executive branch without a fight.

THE POLITICAL FIRESTORM THAT’S ABOUT TO SINGE CAPITOL HILL

This is why when granting a restraining order to quash moves by the administration to usurp congressional authority over spending, U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan declared that there was potential for “irreparable harm” to federal agencies and that the administration’s actions could be “catastrophic.”

Republicans raised few hackles about the administration’s decisions. But Democrats and their allies spelled out the gravity of the circumstances.

“This is a profound Constitutional issue,” argued Sen. Angus King, I-Maine. “What happened last night is the most direct assault on the authority of Congress, I believe in the history of the United States. It is blatantly unconstitutional. Article two does not give the executive the power to determine budgets or expenditures that powers vested in article three in the Congress.”

USAID shuttered Monday and staffers were locked out of the computer system. Musk said that the agency should be closed.

House and Senate Democrats marched down to USAID headquarters in Washington Monday to protest the move by DOGE and Musk.

“If you want to change an agency, introduce a bill and pass a law. You cannot wave away an agency that you don’t like,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

“Just like Elon Musk did not create USAID, he doesn’t have the power to destroy it,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. “We don’t have a fourth branch of government called Elon Musk.”

USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN

The moves by the administration last week and over the weekend to trample on congressional spending powers were so egregious that Democrats may have hoped that referee Shawn Hochuli was around to award them a score. Democrats contended the move was so far beyond the pale it may qualify as a “palpably unfair act.” They might say the maneuvers were so constitutionally abhorrent that they should award Democrats a “score.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared himself the new head of USAID.

“They’re supposed to take policy direction from the State Department and they do not. Their attitude is they don’t have to answer to us. That is not true and that will no longer be the case,” said Rubio.

During an appearance on Fox, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said that it was incumbent to find savings in order to pay for the pending renewal of the Trump tax cuts.

“We’ve got to find those savings,” said Johnson. “We’re going to have massive savings by making government more efficient and effective.”

House Transportation Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., noted that he was hearing from state departments of transportation, trying to understand what programs were now suspended.

THE POLITICAL FIRESTORM THAT’S ABOUT TO SINGE CAPITOL HILL

“A lot of money has been frozen,” said Graves. “There are some programs that the president and Congress don’t want to move forward, and we need to readjust many of those programs.”

A deadline to fund the government looms in about five weeks. With their narrow majority, it’s generally believed that Republicans may need help from Democrats to keep the government open. But Democrats may now revolt since they believe GOP members may be willing to cede spending authority to the executive branch.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., is the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. She asks what happens if the sides do reach an agreement “and this administration says that’s bunk. We don’t have to go by that.”

Murray added that “the level of trust is at the lowest I have ever seen it here in Congress.”

In politics, there is no referee. There will be lawsuits. Court challenges. Battles which will rage for years.

But it’s up to the voters to determine if what the Trump administration is now carrying out constitutes a “palpably unfair act.”

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And voters won’t have the chance to award a score until November of next year at the earliest.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., slammed President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on Monday for their efforts to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), while also accusing the president of starting a dictatorship.

Omar and several other Democratic lawmakers spoke outside the USAID building in Washington, D.C., damning the efforts made by Trump and Musk to take control of independent agencies like USAID and strip them down to cut away wasteful spending.

“It is a really, really sad day in America. We are witnessing a constitutional crisis,” Omar said. “We talked about Trump wanting to be a dictator on day one. And here we are. This is what the beginning of dictatorship looks like when you gut the Constitution, and you install yourself as the sole power. That is how dictators are made.”

She continued, saying Trump, Musk and their “cronies” are attempting to take away Congress’ constitutional power of deciding where money is allocated.

MUSK’S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST’ FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

Fifty senior USAID staff have been placed on administrative leave, sources told Fox News over the weekend. Staff have also been barred from communicating with anyone outside the agency without approval.

Omar said she was “exceptionally upset” about USAID, explaining she lived in a refugee camp as a child for four years, and in that camp, USAID provided programs that kept her and her family fed and safe.

GOP HARLINERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP, MUSK SCALING BACK USAID

“Privileged billionaires who don’t give a damn about America and Americans should not be making decisions that put Americans at harm,” she said. “And a billionaire that hasn’t been vetted has not gone through confirmation, has not been elected by the American people who we still do not understand what in the world he’s doing should not be telling American employees that they cannot access the building they work at.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., also weighed in on the matter, telling Musk he did not create USAID, but Congress did.

“Just like Elon Musk did not create USAID, he doesn’t have the power to destroy it. And who’s going to stop him? We are!” Raskin said. “We’re going to stop him. Elon Musk, you may have illegally seized power over the financial payment systems of the United States Department of Treasury, but you don’t control the money of the American people. The United States Congress does that under Article One of the Constitution.”

As the lawmakers spoke from outside the USAID building, Musk fired back at them on social media.

RUBIO PAUSES FOREIGN AID FROM STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID TO ENSURE IT PUTS ‘AMERICA FIRST’

“The corrupt politicians ‘protesting’ outside the USAID building are the ones getting money from USAID,” Musk wrote on X. “That’s why they’re there – they want your stolen tax dollars!”

While lawmakers on the left side of the aisle are shouting in opposition to the changes being made at the agency, GOP hardliners are in favor of what they say are much-needed modifications.

USAID is an independent agency in the federal government that provides civilian foreign aid to help encourage development, fight poverty and disease and promote democracy overseas.

However, conservatives argue that the agency has strayed from its intended purpose and have called for steep cuts to its multi-billion-dollar budget.

For instance, the White House claims $1.5 million was sent to USAID to “advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities,” while another $2 million was sent to Guatemala for sex changes and “LGBT activism.”

The White House also says $6 million was used to fund tourism in Egypt, and hundreds of thousands of meals were sent to al Qaeda-affiliated fighters in Syria.

“USAID is a corrupt governmental organization run by unelected bureaucrats created to shovel taxpayer dollars to Democrats’ pet projects overseas,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital.

AFTER RAUCOUS FIRST WEEK IN OFFICE, DONALD TRUMP TO KEEP HIS FOOT ON THE GAS

“At nearly $37 trillion in national debt – and a $1.8 trillion annual deficit – we can’t afford to continue giving money to countries that hate America and everything we stand for,” he said.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital that shutting down USAID “will help reduce our national debt and relieve the burden on taxpayers, while compelling aid-dependent countries to achieve true self-reliance, snapping them out of the dependency cycle USAID has perpetuated under the false banner of ‘development.’”

The U.S. State Department posted on X that USAID has “long strayed” from its mission of responsibly advancing American interests abroad, adding that it is now clear that significant portions of USAID funding are not aligned with national interests.

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“As an interim step toward gaining control and better understanding over the agency’s activity, President Donald J. Trump appointed Secretary Marco Rubio as Acting Administrator,” a statement from the State Department read on X. “Secretary Rubio has also now notified Congress that a review of USAID’s foreign assistance activities is underway with an eye towards potential reorganization. As we evaluate USAID and ensure it is in alignment with an America First agenda and the efforts of the State Department, we will continue to protect the American people’s interests and ensure their tax dollars are not wasted.”

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

The U.S. Treasury and Commerce Departments will establish a sovereign wealth fund in accordance with a new executive order President Donald Trump signed on Monday. 

The sovereign wealth fund, a state-owned investment fund with various financial assets like stocks and bonds, could foot the bill for purchasing TikTok, according to Trump. 

“We’re going to be doing something perhaps with TikTok, and perhaps not,” Trump told reporters Monday. “If we make the right deal, we’ll do it. Otherwise, we won’t.”

“But we could put that as an example in the fund,” Trump said. “And we have a lot of other things that we could put in the fund. And I think in a short period of time we’d have one of the biggest funds.”

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER DELAYING TIKTOK BAN FOR 75 DAYS AS FUTURE OF APP REMAINS UNCERTAIN 

Countries like Norway and Saudi Arabia utilize sovereign wealth funds, as do multiple U.S. states. 

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said the sovereign wealth fund would be created within the next 12 months. 

“I think it’s going to create value and be of great strategic importance,” Bessent told reporters Monday. 

Bessent and Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick are instructed to devise a plan in the next 90 days for the creation of the fund, according to the White House. The proposal will include recommendations on funding mechanisms, investment strategies, fund structure and a governance model. 

More details on the sovereign wealth fund were not immediately available, and it’s unclear whether Congress will sign off on it.  

TRUMP NAMES TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT AS ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU 

However, Trump signaled on the campaign trail in 2024 that he was interested in a sovereign wealth fund, using revenue from tariffs to pour into the wealth fund and then use that money to pay for projects like highways, airports and medical research. 

Additionally, Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., introduced legislation in September 2024 called the American Sovereign Wealth Fund Exploration Act to research ways to create a sovereign wealth fund in the U.S. 

Meanwhile, Trump has weighed in a few times on the future of TikTok in recent weeks and said that he’s spoken with multiple parties who are interested in purchasing the app. 

Although TikTok briefly went offline for U.S. users in January after the Supreme Court upheld a ban on the social media platform, Trump signed an executive order just hours after his inauguration on Jan. 20 delaying a ban on TikTok for 75 days.

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The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling on the TikTok ban cited national security concerns, specifically due to the “relationship with a foreign adversary” and the app’s data collection practices. 

But Trump said in the executive order delaying the ban that he has “the unique constitutional responsibility for the national security of the United States, the conduct of foreign policy, and other vital executive functions.”

“To fulfill those responsibilities, I intend to consult with my advisors, including the heads of relevant departments and agencies on the national security concerns posed by TikTok, and to pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans,” Trump said in the executive order. “My Administration must also review sensitive intelligence related to those concerns and evaluate the sufficiency of mitigation measures TikTok has taken to date.”

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Andrea Margolis contributed to this report. 

Following President Donald Trump’s controversial day-one executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants, several Senate Republicans have introduced a bill that would reform U.S. law to accomplish exactly that.

Titled the “Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025,” the bill would end the practice of automatically conferring citizenship status on people born in the U.S. of parents who are either illegal aliens or who are in the country legally on a temporary basis. The bill was introduced in the Senate on Jan. 31 by Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas.

The bill’s sponsors said in a statement that the measure would address what they called “one of the biggest magnets for illegal immigration,” which they believe poses a weakness to national security.

TRUMP ORDER ENDING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IS CONSTITUTIONAL, EXPERT SAYS

The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) estimates there are 33,000 births to tourist women in the U.S. annually. CIS further estimates that there are hundreds of thousands more births to illegal aliens or aliens present on temporary visas.

A 2022 report by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs revealed the existence of several “birth tourism” companies in the U.S., including one called “Miami Mama” that catered to wealthy Russian clients looking to gain legal status in the U.S.

“It is long overdue for the United States to change its policy on birthright citizenship because it is being abused in so many ways,” Graham said in the Friday statement. 

He pointed to the practice of birth tourism, which he said was enabling “wealthy individuals from China and other nations to come to the United States simply to have a child who will be an American citizen.”

NEARLY 2 DOZEN STATES SUE TRUMP ADMIN OVER BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER: ‘UNPRECEDENTED’

“When you look at the magnets that draw people to America, birthright citizenship is one of the largest,” said Graham. “I also appreciate President Trump’s executive order to address birthright citizenship. It is time for the United States to align itself with the rest of the world and restrict this practice once and for all.”

Currently, standard practice in the U.S. is to grant automatic citizenship to all children born on U.S. soil. This has been the practice only since the 1960s and is based on what some believe is a flawed interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which reads that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025 would clarify that to meet the “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” clause, a person born in the U.S. must have at least one parent who is a citizen, national, legal permanent resident, or legal alien serving in the U.S. military on active duty.  

The law clarifies that it would not affect the citizenship of anyone born before the law’s passage and would only restrict the citizenship of those born in the U.S. after.

22 STATES CHALLENGE TRUMP’S ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’ BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER 

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This comes after Trump signed an executive order titled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship” on his first day in office. The order, which has since been temporarily blocked by a court ruling, directed government agencies to refrain from issuing any documents recognizing the citizenship of any children born in the U.S. to illegal and temporary migrants.

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that he believes “if this issue gets to the Supreme Court, and it is highly likely that it will, if the court applies the actual text of the amendment and looks at its legislative history — what the sponsors of the bill said at the time — and follows its own precedents in the three cases that looked at this issue, then they will rule in Trump’s favor. This bill would simply clarify what we already know about the amendment and its intent.”

“The most important point here is that this bill is not trying to amend the 14th Amendment,” he said. “It is simply explaining what the terms of the 14th Amendment mean.”

“I think it is important for Congress to reemphasize what it said when it first sponsored and passed the 14th Amendment: that the phrase ‘subject to the jurisdiction’ of the U.S. would not apply to the child of an alien who is illegally in the U.S. and is, when born, a citizen of the country of the child’s parents, and therefore not subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S.,” he went on. “The current statute, 8 USC 1401, simply repeats the language of the 14th Amendment. It has been totally misinterpreted in recent decades by those who mistakenly say the amendment and the federal law only require birth in the U.S.” 

TRUMP ADMIN HITS BACK AS ACLU LAUNCHES LAWSUIT ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: ‘READY TO FACE THEM’

Echoing the language used in Trump’s order, Britt said that “the promise of American citizenship should not incentivize illegal migration, but that’s exactly what has happened for far too long.” 

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“It’s time to fix this,” said Britt. “Senator Lindsey Graham’s and my Birthright Citizenship Act would codify President Trump’s commonsense stance and end the abuse of birthright citizenship that I do not believe is consistent with the original meaning of the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause. This will protect our nation’s sovereignty, disincentivize illegal migration, and ensure America’s citizenship practices are stronger and better aligned with peer countries around the globe.”

This comes after House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Brian Babin, R-Texas, introduced a bill on Jan. 21 to similarly clarify that the 14th Amendment does not include children of those who are in the country illegally or on a temporary basis. 

FIRST ON FOX: Republican Sens. Tim Scott and Bernie Moreno rolled out a measure to provide President Donald Trump with tools to sanction bad actors “fueling” illegal immigration, Fox News Digital has learned. 

Scott, R-S.C., and Moreno, R-Ohio, rolled out the Stop Madness Act on Monday, which they said would give the president the power to place economic sanctions on foreign entities facilitating illegal immigration into the United States. 

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Specifically, the bill would ensure the president can impose sanctions on foreign governments that refuse to accept the return of their citizens who have unlawfully entered the U.S. — denying them access to the U.S. financial system. 

The bill also would sanction individuals and entities that knowingly facilitate unlawful immigration, including human smuggling networks and financial institutions that enable their operations.

TRUMP-ERA SOUTHERN BORDER SEES MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS PLUMMET BY OVER 60% AS NEW POLICIES KICK IN

It would also authorize Trump to invoke his authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to block assets and restrict transactions related to sanctioned individuals and entities. 

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The bill also would mandate a report from the president on actions taken pursuant to the bill, providing transparency to Congress for further legislative action.

“If a foreign entity shows resistance to repatriation or enables illegal immigration to the United States, they should be met with the full force of our economic and national security tools,” Scott told Fox News Digital on Monday. “The American people gave President Trump — and Congress — a mandate to crack down on illegal immigration, and this bill will ensure the president has important tools to hold accountable countries and criminal organizations who refuse to comply with our immigration laws.” 

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Scott added: “I’m proud to lead this important effort to help protect the safety of Americans.” 

Moreno told Fox News Digital that the bill will give the president “all the authority he needs to apply maximum pressure against corrupt  individuals within foreign governments who refuse to allow the US to secure our borders.” 

“Socialist dictators like Gustavo Petro are going to learn they have two options with President Trump when it comes to migrant reparations: the easy way and the hard way,” Moreno told Fox News Digital. 

Oklahoma State School Superintendent Ryan Walters pushed back after a clash on CNN over his openness to allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers into schools – with Walters doubling down and rejecting “sanctuary schools.”

Walters had told local media that he would not rule out allowing federal agents into schools to remove illegal immigrants, amid an ongoing deportation operation since President Donald Trump took office.

The Trump administration has lifted a Biden-era “sensitive places” mandate, which prevented agents from entering schools amid concerns that illegal immigrants could use such places to hide from enforcement. It has sparked pushback from some local officials.

CNN ANCHOR SPARS WITH OKLAHOMA SUPERINTENDENT OVER ICE RAIDS ON SCHOOLS: ‘JUST ANSWER MY QUESTION’ 

However, Walters, in an interview with Fox News Digital, said that such moves could be necessary to avoid family separation.

“Are the Democrats and now the left-wing media the party of family separation? If you have adults that are going to be deported from this country, do you not want the Trump administration to know where their kids are, where they’re enrolled in school, so that if the family is to be deported, they’re actually deported together?” he asked.

It led to a furious back-and-forth with CNN host Brianna Keilar, who asked him if it would be traumatic for kids.

“Do you think it would be traumatic for students to witness a raid in their school and students forcibly removed from their school? Do you think that would be traumatic?”

TRUMP-ERA SOUTHERN BORDER SEES MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS PLUMMET BY OVER 60% AS NEW POLICIES KICK IN 

Walters answered, “I think what would be traumatic is if you didn‘t give President Trump the information necessary to keep families together. So what you would prefer is to just deport the parents and have the kids have no idea what happened to their parents? What we‘re—”

“That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking you….That’s not at all what I’m asking, superintendent,” Keilar interrupted again.

Many members of the media have also taken issue with a recent rule change by the Oklahoma State Board of Education, titled “Enhancing Enrollment Transparency,” which requires each school district to report the number of students enrolled in schools who are unable to provide proof of citizenship or legal status. According to the rule, the new policy is designed to “provide greater transparency” and to “support the needs” of the schools and students.

“We’re saying we want to see your driver’s license, we want to see which country you came from, if you’ve come into the country illegally. I think that is a very commonsense requirement that we’re putting out there. We want to make sure that we’re asking for this information so that we can accurately use resources and personnel in the state to educate our children,” Walters explained. “I think that our taxpayers or our citizens understand that. And the left tries to gaslight the American people into acting like this is some kind of absurd ask.”

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Speaking to Fox Digital, Walters stood by his stance, noting Trump’s victory at the voting booth in November.

“We’re talking about families, we’re talking about adults, the adults are in the country illegally. And we’re trying to make sure the Trump administration has the information to move forward with the most aggressive deportation policy in our nation’s history that the American people clearly support,” he said.

“The president won an overwhelming victory with his election. He won every swing state. He won every county in Oklahoma. So you look at this and you say: ‘CNN, left wing media, Democrats, you don’t want to have the real conversation because it requires you to admit you created this problem.’ Now the adults are in charge trying to fix it by shutting down the border, deporting illegal immigrants,” he said.

MORE ILLEGAL MIGRANTS BUSTED RUNNING MASSIVE GUN-RUNNING OPERATIONS

Walters also pointed to the impact of illegal immigration on schools in Oklahoma, including the necessary diversion of resources.

“While the left continues to go out and defend and champion the cause of illegal immigrant criminals, we’re looking at the American citizen, Oklahomans, and we’re sitting here saying, ‘listen, what about the kid that’s over a year behind in reading who we’ve now put in a tutoring program? They’re getting caught back up, now all of a sudden, all the tutors have to be diverted because of illegal immigrants that have flocked to their city and flocked to their hometown,’” he said.

“Outlets like CNN and other left-wing outlets refuse to talk about the compassion for the victims’ families who have been targeted by the crimes committed by illegal immigrants. They refuse to talk about compassion when it’s your students of American citizens that have fallen behind in school, are working to get caught back up and yet, all of their resources are being moved at the last minute. They refuse to talk about compassion when you see the deaths caused by fentanyl, that oftentimes what a student tries it for the first time and they drop dead,” he said. “Americans are tired of it.”

He also pointed to the flow of drugs and criminals into the U.S. via the porous southern border.

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“And we know that over 99% of that fentanyl has come across the border. So the left, they can cry their crocodile tears. It’s complete phony outrage that they act like that,” he said. “They have compassion for illegal immigrants. They have no compassion for the American citizens, for the American people, for the American worker. And Americans are tired of it.”

Walters also said that other states should be following Oklahoma’s example and backing the deportation and border security effort by the Trump administration.

“This country is a law and order country. We cannot continue to allow criminal activity, we cannot continue to allow sanctuary schools,” he said. “Listen, you don’t get to…harbor any other criminals in a school system. We should not be allowing illegal immigrants to enroll in our schools, work in our schools, and not get that information for the president, for the entire country,” he said.

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“Americans want to see an America First policy. They’ve got that in President Trump,” he added. “They will see that here in Oklahoma with our schools. We will put our students first. We will put American citizens first. And we will continue to work with President Trump and his team as they are doing a tremendous job in not only getting our schools back on track but getting our country back on track by bringing law and order back.”

Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick and Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.

A newly formed outside group aligned with President Donald Trump says it’s taking aim at Republican senators who remain undecided on Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as it pushes to confirm Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary.

Patient First Coalition (PFC), a nonprofit advocacy group launched last week, says it’s now beginning what it describes as a “massive grassroots effort” to encourage Republican senators to support Kennedy, the vaccine skeptic and environmental crusader who ran for the White House in 2024 before ending his bid and endorsing Trump.

Kennedy survived back-to-back combustible Senate confirmation hearings last week, where Trump’s nominee to lead 18 powerful federal agencies that oversee the nation’s food and health faced plenty of verbal fireworks over past controversial comments, including his repeated claims in recent years linking vaccines to autism, which have been debunked by scientific research.

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The move by PFC, which says it’s a collective group of organizations committed to advancing Kennedy’s so-called “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, comes ahead of Tuesday’s key confirmation vote by the Senate Finance Committee.

“All uncommitted Republican Senators will be targeted in this grassroots effort,” PFC highlighted.

Shannon Burns, the group’s senior advisor, shared that “our grassroots phase will include television, radio and podcast interviews with our advisory board members, as well as guest columns in newspapers across the country.”

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“We will enable thousands of calls and emails into Senate offices from millions of Americans who support this agenda. We want to organize them, mobilize them, and make sure their voices are heard before the Senate votes,” Burns added.

PFC pointed out that it will initially give “special focus” to GOP senators in Louisiana, Maine, Alaska, Kentucky and North Carolina.

Those states are home to Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana physician and chair of the Senate Health Committee, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who are often at odds with Trump, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former longtime Senate Republican leader, and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

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“Your past of undermining confidence in vaccines with unfounded or misleading arguments concerns me,” Cassidy told Kennedy at the end of Thursday’s confirmation hearing.

PFC is one of a handful of outside groups targeting GOP senators in the fight to confirm Trump’s nominees.

A source in Trump’s political orbit tells Fox News that those groups could “exact consequences” on Republican senators who don’t support the president’s Cabinet nominees.

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And Trump on Sunday took to social media to demand that Senate Republicans ‘GET TOUGH VERY FAST” in confirming the rest of his Cabinet.

The Senate Republican campaign committee is touting that it is off to a strong fundraising start as it aims to defend and expand its majority in the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) announced on Monday that it raked in a record $8.5 million in January, which the committee says is its best ever off-year January haul.

“To deliver on the promises President Trump made to the American people, we must protect and grow our Republican Senate Majority,” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the new NRSC chair, said in a statement.

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Scott teased that “the NRSC’s record-breaking January is just the beginning. We will work tirelessly to ensure Republicans have the resources and operations needed to win in battleground states across the Senate map.”

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However, in a memo sent to Senate Republican chiefs of staff, NRSC Executive Director Jennifer DeCasper noted that the committee will “enter this cycle with nearly $24 million in debt and unpaid bills from last cycle and limited cash on hand.”

The NRSC ended 2024 with $2.7 million in its coffers.

The rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has yet to announce its January fundraising.

Republicans won control of the Senate in November’s elections by flipping an open seat in West Virginia, and ousting Democratic incumbents in Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The GOP currently holds a 53-47 majority in the Senate.

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Senate Republicans enjoyed a very favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they won back control of the majority. An early read of the 2026 map shows they will continue to play offense in some states, but will be forced to play defense in others.

The GOP will target an open Democrat-held seat in battleground Michigan, where Sen. Gary Peters announced last week that he would not seek re-election in 2026. They will also target first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff in battleground Georgia and longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in swing state New Hampshire.

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However, Democrats plan to go on offense in blue-leaning Maine, where GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, as well as in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also up in 2026.