NationalWatch

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday aimed at stopping the Washington, D.C., local government from blocking parts of President Donald Trump’s new tax law.

D.C.’s progressive city council passed a local measure to stop certain parts of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act from going into effect due to their expected effect of cutting city revenues. 

Policies that would have been blocked include Trump’s elimination of taxes on tipped and overtime wages, as well as certain tax cuts aimed at businesses.

The legislation was led by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who told Fox News Digital he did not expect any Democrats to support his bill. It passed the House entirely along party lines in a 215 – 210 vote.

GOP UNVEILS PLAN TO CUT DEFICIT BY $1 TRILLION WITH SECOND ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

“Republicans want more money to be in the hands and in the pockets of working-class families, and Democrats want that money to be in the hands of government,” Gill said.

The D.C. government generally conforms with large swaths of the federal tax code, as a federal territory itself.

But according to local officials, including non-voting Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., enacting the full Trump tax bill would amount to a $600 million revenue loss for the city.

TRUMP SIGNS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ BILL IN SWEEPING VICTORY FOR SECOND TERM AGENDA, OVERCOMING DEMS AND GOP REBELS

“This resolution is nothing short of unprecedented and deliberate administrative and fiscal sabotage of D.C.,” Norton said in a statement.

But Republicans, including Gill, argue that the capital’s progressive officials are blocking Trump’s signature legislation for political reasons at the cost of working-class residents.

“Whenever we passed that tax law, we expected Washington, D.C., to conform to those tax provisions. And unfortunately, they decided that they were going to try to separate from them,” Gill said.

“So to give you a few examples, you have no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime pay, a variety of pro-growth, pro-business tax provisions that they decided they wanted to decouple from. So what we’re saying is, we think that that’s bad policy on D.C.’s part, and we’re gonna stop them.”

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Congress has the ability to overturn most local laws set by D.C. thanks to the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973.

If passed by both the House and Senate, however, Republicans’ bill could complicate the tax season for D.C. residents who have already begun filing for their annual returns.

A historic nuclear arms reduction treaty is set to expire Thursday, which will thrust the world into a nuclear situation it has not faced in more than five decades, one in which there are no longer any binding limits on the size of Russia’s or America’s nuclear arsenals and no inspection regime to verify what Moscow does next.

Matt Korda, associate director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, said the expiration of the New START treaty forces both countries to rethink assumptions that have guided nuclear planning for more than a decade. 

“Up until now, both countries have planned their respective nuclear modernization programs based on the assumption that the other country is not going to exceed those central limits,” Korda said. “Without those central limits … both countries are going to be reassessing their programs to accommodate a more uncertain nuclear future.”

TRUMP WARNS RUSSIA: US HAS WORLD’S GREATEST NUCLEAR SUBMARINE ‘RIGHT OFF THEIR SHORES’

Russia had already suspended its participation in New START in 2023, freezing inspections and data exchanges, but the treaty’s expiration eliminates the last legal framework governing the size of the two countries’ nuclear arsenals.

With no follow-up agreement in place, the administration has insisted it cannot agree to arms control without the cooperation of China. 

“The president has been clear in the past that in order to have true arms control in the 21st century, it’s impossible to do something that doesn’t include China because of their vast and rapidly growing stockpile,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday.

Experts are skeptical that China would ever agree to limit its nuclear stockpile until it’s reached parity with the U.S., and Russia has said it would not pressure China to come to the table. 

China aims to have 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, but even that figure pales in comparison to the aging giants of the Cold War. As of early 2026, the global nuclear hierarchy remains top-heavy, with the U.S. and Russia holding roughly 86% of the world’s total inventory. Both the U.S. and Russia hold around 4,000 total warheads, with close to 1,700 deployed by each. Global nuclear stockpiles declined to about 12,000 in 2025, down from more than 70,000 in 1986.

In February 2023, Russia announced it was suspending its participation in the New START treaty, halting inspections and data-sharing under the pact while saying it would continue to respect the numerical limits. But, more recently, it floated the idea of extending the treaty by another year.

TRUMP STUNS WITH CALL TO RESUME NUCLEAR TESTS — WHY NOW, AND WHAT IT COULD MEAN

Korda said that proposal reflected shared constraints rather than a sudden change in Russian intentions. 

“It’s not in Russia’s interest to dramatically accelerate an arms race while its current modernization programs are going so poorly and while its industrial capacity is tied up in Ukraine,” he said.

Korda said that without inspections and data exchanges, countries are forced to rely on their own intelligence, increasing uncertainty and encouraging worst-case planning. 

“Without those onsite inspections, without data exchanges, without anything like that, all countries are really left with national technical means of being able to monitor each other’s nuclear forces,” Korda said.

With New START’s limits gone, experts said the immediate concern is not the construction of new nuclear weapons but how quickly existing warheads could be deployed. Ankit Panda, a Stanton senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Russia could move faster than the United States in the near term by “uploading” additional warheads onto missiles already in service. 

“Uploading would be a process of adding additional warheads to our ICBMs and submarine-launched missiles,” Panda said. “The Russians could be much faster than the United States.”

PUTIN PRAISES TRUMP’S ‘SINCERE’ PEACE EFFORTS, SIGNALS POSSIBLE US-RUSSIA NUCLEAR DEAL

Korda said a large-scale upload would not happen overnight but could still alter force levels within a relatively short window. 

“We’re looking at maybe a timeline of about two years and pretty significant sums of money for each country to execute a complete upload across the entire force,” he said, adding that, in a worst-case scenario, it could “roughly result in doubling the sizes of their deployed nuclear arsenals.”

That advantage, however, is constrained by longer-term industrial realities. Panda noted that the U.S. nuclear weapons complex lacks the production capacity it once had, limiting how quickly Washington could sustain a larger arsenal over time. 

“The United States is currently unable to produce what is going to be a target for 30 plutonium pits,” a fraction of Cold War output, he said.

Nicole Grajewski, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Russia’s ability to produce nuclear weapons may be faster than the U.S. in some, but not all, parts of the development chain. 

“Russia is very good at warhead production,” she told Fox News Digital. “What Russia is really fundamentally constrained on is the delivery vehicle side of it.”

Grajewski added that this is particularly true as the war in Ukraine continues. Russia’s production of missiles and other delivery systems relies on facilities that also support conventional weapons used in the war, limiting how quickly Moscow could expand the intercontinental missiles, submarine-launched weapons and bombers that made up the core of New START.

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As a result, Grajewski said she is less concerned about a rapid buildup of those treaty-covered forces than about Moscow’s continued investment in nuclear systems that fall outside traditional arms control frameworks. 

“What is more concerning is Russia’s advances in asymmetric domains,” she said, pointing to systems such as the Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo and nuclear-powered cruise missiles, which are not covered by existing treaties.

President Donald Trump has previously said he wants to pursue arms control with both Russia and China before suggesting the U.S. should resume nuclear testing.

“If there’s ever a time when we need nuclear weapons like the kind of weapons that we’re building and that Russia has — and that China has, to a lesser extent, but will have — that’s going to be a very sad day,” Trump said in February 2025. “That’s going to be probably oblivion.”

But, in October, he declared, “Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.”

White House border czar Tom Homan mocked anti-ICE agitators who have set up roadblocks and checkpoints in Minneapolis as a “joke” on Wednesday, saying they are only harming their own communities.

Homan made the statement during a press conference in Minnesota on Wednesday, telling reporters that local police were dismantling the checkpoints.

“When I was made aware that the roadblocks exist, I called the chief of police, and he went and disbanded them after I got off the phone with him. He has promised to take enforcement action,” Homan said after being asked about the issue.

“This is illegal. You can’t do that,” he continued. “My message to those folks is, what are you doing? You really think you’re stopping ICE and CBP from doing their job? It’s a joke. The only people you’re hurting is your own community who wants to go and get groceries and pick up their dry cleaning or go to work, whatever. You’re just hindering them. Stop. Stop.”

‘BORDER CZAR’ TOM HOMAN SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT ABOUT HIS MISSION IN MINNEAPOLIS

Homan made the statement minutes after announcing a drawdown of federal presence in the Twin Cities, saying 700 federal agents would be withdrawing from the area.

Homan highlighted meetings he had with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, urging them all to allow local jails to communicate with federal law enforcement about when they planned to release illegal immigrants being detained there.

“We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets. Unprecedented cooperation,” Homan said Wednesday. “I’ll say it again: This is efficient, and it requires only one or two officers to assume custody of a criminal alien target, rather than eight or 10 officers going into the community and arresting that public safety threat.”

TRUMP HAS ‘VERY GOOD’ CALL WITH MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR FREY, ANNOUNCES BORDER CZAR HOMAN MEETING

“Given this increase in unprecedented collaboration, and as a result of less need for law enforcement officers to do this work in a safer environment, I have announced immediately we will draw down 700 people effective today,” he said.

Homan went on to note that federal authorities are not requiring jails to hold illegal migrants beyond their normal release time.

“We’re not asking anyone to be an immigration officer,” he said.

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Walz expressed support for the drawdown soon after it was announced on Wednesday, but he said more needs to be done.

“Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, but we need a faster and larger drawdown of forces, state-led investigations into the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and an end to this campaign of retribution,” Walz wrote on X.

President Donald Trump doubled down on his call for Republicans to “nationalize” voting, this time defending the idea directly to the press.

Trump made the comments during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office on Tuesday, flanked by prominent congressional Republicans. White House officials have said Trump is primarily interested in defending election integrity.

“I want to see elections be honest, and if a state can’t run an election, I think the people behind me should do something about it,” Trump told reporters at the event, referencing the GOP lawmakers.

“Take a look at Detroit … take a look at Philadelphia, take a look at Atlanta,” Trump continued. “The federal government should not allow that. The federal government should get involved. These are agents of the federal government to count the vote. If they can’t count the vote legally and honestly, then somebody else should take over.”

TRUMP DOJ DEMANDS MINNESOTA VOTING RECORDS OVER SAME-DAY REGISTRATION ‘VOUCHING’ CONCERNS

Prominent Republicans have hesitated to fall in behind Trump on the issue. Senate Majority Leader John Thune outright rejected the idea when asked about it later Tuesday.

“I’m not in favor of federalizing elections, no. I think that’s a constitutional issue,” he told reporters.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PUSH ELECTION OVERHAUL WITH VOTER ID, MAIL-IN BALLOT CHANGES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

House Speaker Mike Johnson sought to make excuses for Trump’s suggestion when he was asked about the issue. He argued Trump was simply “expressing his frustration” about election issues. Nevertheless, he ultimately said he would not support federalizing elections either.

Trump first called for federalizing elections during a podcast interview with former Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino that aired Monday.

“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,'” Trump told Bongino. “We should take over the voting … in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked and they’re counting votes.”

FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN PARTS OF TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER ON CITIZENSHIP VERIFICATION FOR VOTER REGISTRATION

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pounced on Trump’s statement during remarks on the floor of the Senate.

“Just a few hours ago, Donald Trump said he wants to nationalize elections around the country. That’s what Trump said. You think he believes in democracy? He said, ‘We want to take over, the Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,'” Schumer said Monday. “Does Donald Trump need a copy of the Constitution? What he is saying is outlandishly illegal.”

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson later clarified Trump’s comments in a statement to ABC News. She argued Trump was expressing his desire for the U.S. to have free and fair elections.

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“President Trump cares deeply about the safety and security of our elections – that’s why he’s urged Congress to pass the SAVE Act and other legislative proposals that would establish a uniform standard of photo ID for voting, prohibit no-excuse mail-in voting, and end the practice of ballot harvesting,” Jackson said.

Ryan Routh was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison plus seven years following his 2024 assassination attempt against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in Florida. 

The sentencing comes after Routh was convicted last September on five federal criminal counts, including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and multiple firearms offenses. 

Prosecutors pushed for the 59-year-old to get a life sentence, while Routh’s attorney, Martin Roth, asked the judge for 20 years in prison on top of a seven-year, mandatory sentence for one of the gun convictions. 

Routh’s sentencing in Fort Pierce, Fla., had initially been scheduled for December, but U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon agreed to move the date back after Routh decided to use an attorney during the sentencing phase instead of representing himself as he did for most of the trial.  

ATTEMPTED TRUMP ASSASSIN TO LEARN SENTENCE, WITH PROSECUTORS SEEKING LIFE

Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as the then-Republican presidential candidate played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach, Fla., country club. 

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At Routh’s trial, a Secret Service agent helping protect Trump on the golf course testified that he spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and run away without firing a shot.  

Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Andre Tinoco and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

In her 2019 book, “Where the Light Enters,” former first lady Jill Biden described her feeling of devastation that her first marriage ended in divorce.

William “Bill” Stevenson, who currently faces a murder charge in connection with the death of his wife Linda Stevenson, is Jill Biden’s ex-husband, reports indicate.

“My parents loved each other until they left this earth,” Jill noted in her book, according to People. “Even in their old age, they were playful and affectionate. They loved faithfully and unconditionally. Marriage, for them, meant forever. And I knew, deeply, unquestioningly, that was what I would have as well. So, when my marriage fell apart, I was lost. I watched, devastated, as it slipped from my fingers before I could even figure out how to hold on.”

JILL BIDEN’S EX-HUSBAND CHARGED WITH MURDER IN DEATH OF WIFE

“I’m not sure if I knew anyone who was divorced back then,” she noted, according to the report. “The very idea horrified me. It meant failure, and in my still-young life, I had never failed at anything serious.”

“I felt ugly and inadequate; I was embarrassed and ashamed,” she explained, according to the outlet. “In a single devastating year, I went from thinking I had it all to feeling shattered and alone. I questioned if I would ever find love, if I would ever have a family of my own. How could I give my heart to someone again? How could I again risk this humiliation, this hurt? And how could I figure out who, exactly, I was?”

BIDEN NEARLY INVISIBLE IN OWN CHRISTMAS FAMILY PHOTO AS HUNTER TAKES CENTER STAGE

But her second marriage worked out — Jill and Joe Biden married in 1977 and remain together nearly five decades later.

The New Castle County Police Department announced Tuesday that detectives from the Division’s Criminal Investigations Unit, in coordination with the Delaware Department of Justice, presented the case to a grand jury on Monday following “an extensive weeks-long investigation into the death of 64-year-old Linda Stevenson.” 

DEMS ‘LOSE CREDIBILITY’ WHEN THEY ‘STAY SILENT’ ON THIS, ARGUES FORMER JILL BIDEN CHIEF SPOKESPERSON

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“As a result, an indictment was returned by the New Castle County Superior Court charging 77-year-old William Stevenson with Murder in the First Degree,” the department noted.

For weeks, President Donald Trump has promised the Iranian people that “help is on the way” while positioning a massive U.S. naval armada within striking distance of Iran’s coast. But as the White House pivots toward a diplomatic summit in Istanbul Friday, analysts warn the president may face a growing credibility test if threats are not followed by action.

By threatening “speed and fury” against a regime accused of killing thousands of protesters, Trump has drawn a red line — one that analysts say echoes President Barack Obama’s 2013 warning over Syria’s use of chemical weapons. Obama ultimately chose diplomacy over military strikes, a decision critics said weakened U.S. credibility and emboldened adversaries, while supporters argued it avoided a broader war and succeeded in removing large portions of Syria’s chemical arsenal. Trump now faces a similar debate as he weighs whether to enforce his own warnings against Iran.

Trump’s envoys have been set to meet Friday in Istanbul with Iranian officials to press for an end to Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, curbs on ballistic missiles and a halt to support for proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah — terms Tehran, Iran, has shown little public sign of accepting. Trump has also demanded an end to the regime’s violent crackdown on protesters.

But signs of strain are already emerging around the talks. 

Iran is now seeking a change in venue to Friday’s meeting — wanting it to be held in Oman, according to a source familiar with the request — raising questions about whether the summit will proceed as scheduled or produce substantive progress.

TRUMP CREDITS HALTED IRAN EXECUTIONS FOR HOLDING OFF MILITARY STRIKES

Tensions on the ground have continued to rise even as diplomacy is pursued. This week, U.S. Central Command said American forces shot down an Iranian drone after it aggressively approached the USS Abraham Lincoln while the aircraft carrier was operating in international waters in the Arabian Sea. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the drone ignored de-escalatory measures before an F-35C fighter jet downed it in self-defense. 

No U.S. personnel were injured.

Hours later, Iranian naval forces harassed a U.S.-flagged, U.S.-crewed commercial tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to CENTCOM. Iranian gunboats and a surveillance drone repeatedly threatened to board the vessel before the guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul intervened and escorted the tanker to safety. 

CENTCOM warned that continued Iranian harassment in international waters increases the risk of miscalculation and regional destabilization.

Despite weeks of delay, foreign policy analysts say the pause does not mean military action has been taken off the table.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS

“If you just look at force movements and the president’s past statements of policy, you would have to bet on the likelihood that military action remains something that is coming,” Rich Goldberg, a former Trump National Security Council official now at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.

“I don’t think the window is closed,” said Michael Makovsky, president of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. “If the president doesn’t do something militarily, it would damage his credibility.”

The standoff is reviving comparisons to President Barack Obama’s 2013 decision not to carry out military strikes in Syria after warning that the use of chemical weapons would cross a U.S. “red line” — a moment that became a touchstone in debates over American deterrence. Critics of Obama argued the move signaled weakness and emboldened adversaries, while supporters said diplomacy avoided a broader war and succeeded in removing large portions of Syria’s chemical arsenal.

The Syria episode remains a touchstone in Washington’s red-line debates. Critics argued Obama’s decision not to strike emboldened adversaries, while supporters said diplomacy prevented war — a divide resurfacing as Trump weighs his next move.

“They have challenged the president now to try to turn him into Obama in 2013 in Syria, rather than Donald Trump in 2025 in Iran,” Goldberg said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Obama’s office for comment.

Trump has publicly encouraged Iranian protesters to continue their demonstrations, telling them in early January to “KEEP PROTESTING” and promising that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”

U.S. officials, however, have previously said the pause reflects caution rather than retreat, pointing to concerns about retaliation against American forces and uncertainty over who would lead Iran if the regime were significantly weakened. Trump himself raised those questions in January, publicly casting doubt on whether any opposition figure could realistically govern after decades in exile.

“As for the president, he remains committed to always pursuing diplomacy first,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. “But in order for diplomacy to work of course it takes two to tango, you need a willing partner to engage.”

“The president has always a range of options on the table, and that includes the use of military force,” she added. 

TRUMP SAYS GULF ALLIES KEPT IN DARK AS US NEGOTIATES WITH IRAN: ‘CANT’ TELL THEM THE PLAN’

Some analysts reject the premise that the administration has meaningfully slowed its military posture.

“I don’t think they’ve paused action,” said Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum. “The more assets that the president deploys to the theater gives the U.S. more maneuvering room, rather than less.”

Roman pointed to continued U.S. force movements into the region, arguing the buildup signals preparation rather than restraint.

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“That’s not the behavior of a country backing away from military options,” he said.

Fox News’ Aishah Hashnie contributed to this report. 

The gunman convicted of trying to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in 2024 is set to be sentenced Wednesday, with prosecutors pushing for a life term. 

Ryan Routh, 59, was found guilty last September on five federal criminal counts, including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and multiple firearms offenses. After the verdict was read, Routh reportedly appeared to try to stab himself in the neck with a pen before four U.S. Marshals restrained him. 

“Routh remains unrepentant for his crimes, never apologized for the lives he put at risk, and his life demonstrates near-total disregard for law,” prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum filed last month in which they argued he should spend the rest of his life in prison, in accordance with federal sentencing guidelines. 

Routh’s new defense attorney, Martin L. Roth, is asking the judge for a variance from sentencing guidelines: 20 years in prison on top of a seven-year, mandatory sentence for one of the gun convictions.

TRUMP GOLF CLUB GUNMAN FOUND GUILTY AFTER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT; TRIES TO STAB SELF IN COURT

“The defendant is two weeks short of being sixty years old,” Roth wrote in a filing. “A just punishment would provide a sentence long enough to impose sufficient but not excessive punishment, and to allow defendant to experience freedom again as opposed to dying in prison.” 

Routh’s sentencing in Fort Pierce, Fla., had initially been scheduled for December, but U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon agreed to move the date back after Routh decided to use an attorney during the sentencing phase instead of representing himself as he did for most of the trial. 

RYAN ROUTH’S DAUGHTER SCREAMS AND RUNS FROM COURTHOUSE AFTER GUILTY VERDICT READ

Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as the then-Republican presidential candidate played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach, Fla., country club.

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At Routh’s trial, a Secret Service agent helping protect Trump on the golf course testified that he spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and run away without firing a shot. 

Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who served during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, is running for U.S. Congress again after a 2024 bid fell flat.

“I will never forget that day. The shouting. The pounding. The sound of glass breaking. The shattering of American democracy. January 6 was violent, lawless. A lie turned into an attack,” Dunn declared in a campaign video. “And Donald Trump lit the fuse. And he never put the match down.” 

NBC News reported that Dunn has said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement must be “abolished.” 

CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER ON JAN. 6 ANNOUNCES MARYLAND CONGRESSIONAL RUN, VOWS ‘TO STOP TRUMP’S MAGA EXTREMISTS’

In the campaign video, Dunn declared, “I see the same aggression in ICE agents that I saw from January 6 insurrectionists. Unchecked force. American citizens murdered. And lies to cover it up.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Dunn’s campaign to request a comment from the candidate on Wednesday.

ICE DEPUTY DIRECTOR RESIGNS FROM AGENCY TO RUN FOR CONGRESS

Dunn, who came in second place in the 2024 Democratic primary in Maryland’s 3rd District, is running this year in the state’s 5th district.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, a Democrat who currently represents Maryland’s 5th District, announced last month that he will not seek another term.

HOYER WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION, SAYS HOUSE HAS STRAYED FROM FOUNDERS’ VISION

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Hoyer has served in the House for more than four decades.

Democrats participating in Tuesday night’s California gubernatorial debate unanimously condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with some calling for it to be abolished outright.

“People are afraid to even see a doctor. When I am governor, I will restore universal health care for all, including undocumented immigrants in the state of California because we know health care is a right,” said State Schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond.

“I will work with Congress until we abolish ICE. We [will] create a pathway to citizenship, a better California is possible,” he added.

Thurmond’s message was echoed across the stage in San Francisco, from billionaire Tom Steyer to former Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra.

BORDERS STATE SENATOR WANTS ICE TO BE ‘TOTALLY TORN DOWN’

“This country was built by immigrants. This state doesn’t work without immigration. Of course, we need to have a fair, just system, but this is the exact opposite of that,” Steyer told the audience.

“You really can’t reform an organization which is absolutely wrong and criminal from top to bottom,” he continued.

Becerra meanwhile vowed he would “police the immigration police.”

TRUMP-ERA ICE AGENTS TARGETED FOR ‘IMMORALITY’ BY DEM TRYING TO BLACKLIST THEM FROM COP, CLASSROOM JOBS

The two California mayors on the stage, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and ex-Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, fell short of calling for ICE to be abolished outright. Mahan accused federal agents of threatening people’s “rights and civil liberties.”

Villaraigosa was more aggressive, comparing ICE officers to the “Ku Klux Klan,” describing them as “dressed from head to toe, all covered up like the Ku Klux Klan with assault weapons, flash bang grenades, beating up on women, children and innocents.”

Former California state controller Betty Yee was the most muted on the issue, saying she encouraged migrants and protesters to take a “know your rights” training and claiming that immigrants in the state are taxpayers.

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“When people understand that immigrants are such a contributor to our economy and to our society here in California … and that’s what we’re going to build together. We are a sanctuary state,” Yee said. “Ice has no business coming in and tearing up communities, tearing up families.”

Tuesday’s debate was the second of the state’s democratic primary race, with the primary election scheduled for June 2.

Republican Louisiana state Sen. Blake Miguez, who last year mounted a primary challenge against incumbent GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy, has announced that he is switching to run for U.S. House.

Miguez’s move comes after President Donald Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., jumped into the U.S. Senate race last month.

“When I announced my campaign for the U.S. Senate last year, I promised Louisianians I would stand with President Trump and fight for an America First agenda that puts Louisiana families first,” Miguez said, according to a press release. “I remain committed to that promise, and I’m ready to deliver the kind of representation that will support President Trump and help advance the mission to Make America Great Again.”

TRUMP ENDORSEMENT ROCKS LOUISIANA SENATE RACE AS LETLOW JUMPS IN

Miguez had declared in a campaign video that he was “running for the U.S. Senate because Bill Cassidy sucks.”

Cassidy was one of the Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump after the House impeached him in 2021 — the Senate vote, which occurred after Trump had already departed from office, fell short of the threshold needed for conviction.

REPUBLICAN DROPS PRIMARY CHALLENGE AGAINST INCUMBENT SEN CASSIDY AFTER TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE ENTERS RACE

Letlow announced a U.S. Senate bid last month after Trump urged her to run and pledged to back her.

“Should she decide to enter this Race, Julia Letlow has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JULIA, RUN!!!” Trump declared in a Truth Social post.

Louisiana state Rep. Julie Emerson also nixed her U.S. Senate bid after Letlow entered the contest.

GOP LOUISIANA STATE SENATOR SAYS HE’S RUNNING FOR US SENATE BECAUSE INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN ‘SUCKS’

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“With Congresswoman Letlow’s entrance into the race, the path to victory that was visible a couple of months ago has diminished. I support President Trump and respect his decision to endorse Julia Letlow to defeat Bill Cassidy. Because of this, I’m choosing to end my campaign now,” Emerson said in a statement last month.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stood in the way of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE) this week, claiming that it represents “Jim Crow” segregation laws, leading many on social media to bring up his identical claim about a Georgia voting law that resulted in record Black turnout.

Schumer pushed back on a Republican plan to add the SAVE Act, which would require states to obtain proof of citizenship in-person when people register to vote and remove non-citizens from voter rolls, to the spending package being debated in Congress.

“I have said it before and I’ll say it again, the SAVE Act would impose Jim Crow-type laws to the entire country and is dead on arrival in the Senate,” Schumer said on Monday. “It is a poison pill that will kill any legislation that it is attached to… The SAVE Act is reminiscent of Jim Crow era laws and would expand them to the whole of America. Republicans want to restore Jim Crow and apply it from one end of this country to the other. It will not happen.”

Many on social media quickly pointed to Schumer previously calling a Georgia election integrity law “Jim Crow 2.0” before the law resulted in record Black turnout in the 2022 state election.

RECORD TURNOUT IN GEORGIA PRIMARY DESTROYS LEFT’S LIES ABOUT ‘VOTER SUPPRESSION’

“Schumer used the same line to describe Georgia laws that indisputably expanded voter access back in 2022,” commentator and writer AG Hamilton posted on X. “It’s incredibly offensive and unserious to pretend that every voting law equates to a renewal of Jim Crow.”

Many Democrats, from Schumer, to President Joe Biden, to failed Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, warned that the Georgia voter integrity law would be “Jim Crow 2.0” and Major League Baseball even pulled its All-Star Game from Atlanta in 2021 amid public pressure.

TRUMP UNDERCUTS GOP PUSH TO ATTACH SAVE ACT TO SHUTDOWN BILL AS CONSERVATIVES THREATEN MUTINY

Ultimately, the Georgia Secretary of State revealed that the law did not suppress turnout, but rather increased it, particularly among minority voters.

“Chuck Schumer sounds like a broken record,” Honest Elections Project Executive Director Jason Snead told Fox News Digital. “When Georgia passed a new voting law in 2021, Schumer labeled it ‘Jim Crow’ even though the state went on to see explosive turnout in 2022.”

Snead pointed to a University of Georgia poll after the 2022 election finding that 0% of Black respondents had a poor experience voting. 

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Snead continued, “Now, Schumer is smearing the SAVE Act the same way because he has no legitimate excuse for opposing a law that makes sure only American citizens are voting—which more than 80% of Americans support. Schumer’s smears were false then, and they are false now.

“Schumer and the Democrats keep trying to rig the rules of our elections by pushing failed, California-style election laws that invite chaos and fraud. That’s not what Americans want.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for comment.

A stunning setback for Republicans at the ballot box in a ruby red part of right-leaning Texas has some saying the defeat was a “wake-up call” for the GOP ahead of this year’s midterm elections, when the party is defending its narrow congressional majorities.

The double-digit shellacking, in a special state Senate election this past weekend in a Fort Worth area district that President Donald Trump won by 17 points in 2024, comes amid backlash over the Trump administration’s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration and, as the latest polling indicates, the president and his party are well underwater.

The Democrats’ victory, their latest win or over performance in a slew of special elections since Trump returned to power in the White House a year ago, is further energizing them as they work to win back control of the House and possibly the Senate.

“It’s clearly a wake-up call for Republicans,” longtime Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News Digital.

AFFORDABILITY: THE ISSUE THAT BOOSTED TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS IN 2024 DEFLATED THEM IN 2025

And he warned that the results in Saturday’s special election to fill a vacant GOP-controlled seat in state Senate District 9 “does show that Democrats are energized and Republicans did not turn out in the numbers they should have.”

“If Democrats can win this seat, it puts a lot of other seats in play,” Steinhauser warned.

But Republican sources involved in midterm messaging tell Fox News Digital that while they’re not discounting the Democrats’ victories, there’s no talk right now of a wholesale revamping of the GOP’s playbook.

2025 SHOCKERS: THE BIGGEST MOMENTS THAT ROCKED THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

In Texas, Machinist and Air Force veteran Taylor Rehmet topped Republican Leigh Wambsganss by roughly 14 points in Saturday’s runoff election, despite Republicans dramatically outspending Democrats in the race, along with support from top Republicans including Gov. Greg Abbott and a last-minute endorsement and a social media push by Trump.

This is the first time the seat, in the northern part of Fort Worth anchored Tarrant County, has been represented by a Democrat in four decades.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) called it a “Shockwave Victory” and highlighted that “Democrats have now flipped 26 state legislative seats since Trump retook office, while Republicans have flipped zero.”

The results of special elections are often over-hyped and are not always the best indicator or barometer of things to come. But regardless, Republicans aren’t trying to sugarcoat the results.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the defeat “a wake-up call for Republicans across Texas. Our voters cannot take anything for granted.”

And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis noted on X, “Special elections are quirky and not necessarily projectable re: a general election. That said, a swing of this magnitude is not something that can be dismissed.”

“Republicans should be clear-eyed about the political environment heading into the midterms,” DeSantis emphasized.

RNC CHAIR BETS ON ‘SECRET WEAPON’ TO DEFY MIDTERM HISTORY, PROTECT GOP MAJORITIES

Thanks in part to their laser focus on the issue of affordability amid persistent inflation, Democrats scored decisive victories in the 2025 elections, and have overperformed at the ballot box in other off-year and special elections since the start of Trump’s second administration. But some of those victories and overperformances came in contests in small state legislative districts, where large swings can take place amid low voter turnout.

That wasn’t the case in Texas, where the 9th state Senate district is home to roughly one million people, more populous than the 800,000 people in a typical congressional district.

Republicans, as the party in power in the nation’s capital, are facing traditional political headwinds in the midterms and a rough climate.

More than half (54%) surveyed in the latest Fox News national poll said the nation was worse off than it was a year ago, when Trump took office, with only 31% saying the U.S. was in a better position.

Only 30% said the economy was in excellent or good shape, and Trump’s overall approval ratings remain in negative territory (44%-56%), according to the poll.

The survey was the latest national poll to spell trouble for the GOP.

Trump’s emphasis on inflation was a key factor in Republicans winning back the White House and Senate and holding on to the House in the 2024 elections. But Trump’s approval on combating inflation stood at just 35% in the Fox News survey.

FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE 2026 MIDTERMS

Border security and immigration were also winning issues for Trump and the GOP in 2024. But in the wake of two fatal shootings by federal agents of U.S. citizens in Minnesota protesting against the administration’s aggressive deportation efforts, the president’s poll numbers on immigration have slipped.

While Trump’s approval ratings on border security stood at 52%-47% in the latest Fox News poll, he was at 45%-55% on how he was handling immigration.

Tarrant County is Texas’ third most populous, and nearly a third of its population is Hispanic.

Trump made major gains with Hispanic voters in Texas and across the county as he won back the White House in 2024.

“I think we might have expected that the support among Hispanic voters in Texas for Trump might translate to all Republicans. That may not be the case,” Steinhauser noted.

And he suggested that “some of the other imagery coming out of Minnesota is giving people pause, especially Hispanic Texans.”

CASH SURGE: HOUSE GOP SMASHES FUNDRAISING RECORDS AS REPUBLICANS GEAR UP TO DEFEND SLIM MAJORITY

Looking ahead to November’s midterms, when the Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to recapture the House majority, DNC Chair Ken Martin said that the results in the Texas special election “prove that no Republican seat is safe.”

Two veteran Republican strategists told Fox News Digital Republicans need to showcase their successes to change the narrative heading into the midterms.

Pointing to the GOP’s sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which includes numerous tax cuts that many voters will feel this spring, Lance Trover said “Republicans have passed significant legislation. It’s on us to go out and sell it and remind voters that if Democrats have their way we are on a fast track to socialism.”

And Colin Reed emphasized that “if the economy starts booming on the backs of the One, Big Beautiful Bill’s provisions taking hold, the Republican Party need to remind America that this was a policy uniformly supported by one party and opposed by another. That’s the GOP’s big bet heading into the midterms.”

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And back in Texas, Patrick was optimistic as he looked head to the midterms.

“I know the energy and strength the Republican grassroots in Texas possess. We will come out fighting with a new resolve, and we will take this seat back in November,” the lieutenant governor predicted.

Fox News’ Dana Blanton and Victoria Balara contributed to this report.

A Senate Republican suggested Wednesday that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., had his feelings hurt by not being included in the Trump-Schumer deal to fund the government. 

The House passed the five-bill funding package, along with a two-week funding extension for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on Tuesday. Jeffries and most House Democrats, save for 21, voted against it as the partial government shutdown entered its fourth day. 

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said it was because Jeffries was “butt hurt” that he was not looped into the deal brokered between Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and President Donald Trump. 

HOUSE SENDS BILL ENDING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN TO TRUMP’S DESK AFTER 21 DEMS BREAK WITH JEFFRIES

“He’s butt hurt that President Trump didn’t call him, too,” Marshall told Fox News Digital. “But I think that’s on Schumer.”

Marshall described the scene in the Oval Office last week, where top-ranking Senate Republicans met with Trump as the funding deadline neared, and Senate Democrats were digging in deeper into their demands to renegotiate the DHS funding bill. 

“The president says, ‘Get Schumer on the phone.’ They get Schumer on the phone. They broker a deal,” Marshall said.

SENATE REPUBLICANS PUSH FOR HOUSE GOP REBELLION AGAINST FUNDING PACKAGE, VOTER ID LEGISLATION

“So really, it’s on Schumer that he agreed to this deal, really, before bringing Hakeem in,” he continued. “And really it comes down to that Hakeem’s feelings are butt hurt, and to him, he’s fighting for his political life and really struggling.”

While the deal does fund 11 out of the 12 agencies under Congress’ purview, DHS remains an open question.

Senate Democrats, following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during an immigration operation in Minneapolis, demanded that the bipartisan bill to fund the agency be sidelined in order to cram in more restrictions and reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Turning to a two-week continuing resolution (CR) to further negotiate the bill has Republicans concerned that they will end up in the same position within the next few days, given the truncated timeframe to hash out major issues with one of the most politically perilous funding bills.

HAKEEM JEFFRIES SAYS DEMS WILL NOT BACK FUNDING BILL FOR ‘KILLING MACHINE’ DHS EVEN IF NOEM IS FIRED

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that negotiations with Senate Democrats would be carried out by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who chairs the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. 

He acknowledged, however, that Trump would be the deciding factor. 

“Ultimately, that’s going to be a conversation between the President of the United States and the Democrats here in the Senate,” he said.

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But Schumer insisted that Thune needed to be in on the negotiations. 

“If Leader Thune negotiates in good faith, we can get it done,” Schumer said. “We expect to present to the Republicans a very serious, detailed proposal very shortly.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer and Jeffries for comment.

President Donald Trump has signed legislation ending the partial government shutdown that started Friday at midnight. 

The legislation Trump signed funds agencies, including the Departments of State, Treasury and War and others, through the end of September and the end of the fiscal year. 

However, it only funds the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through Feb. 13, meaning Republicans and Democrats will be forced to work together to secure a longer-term funding plan for the agency. 

While the House had previously passed funding bills to keep the government open through the end of September, Democrats failed to get on board with the measures in response to Trump’s ramped-up immigration efforts in Minneapolis. 

DHS announced Operation Metro Surge in December 2025 to dispatch thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into the city. 

SENATE REPUBLICANS TEE UP KEY SHUTDOWN TEST VOTE AS DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON DHS FUNDING

As a result, Senate Democrats refused to get behind the deal due to its funding for DHS after two Customs and Border Protection agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, while he was recording federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis in January. 

Ultimately, the Senate passed the compromise spending measure Friday that would fund key agencies, but the House was out of session and couldn’t pass its version of the measure in time to prevent a partial government shutdown. The House ultimately passed the compromise deal Tuesday by a 217–214 margin.

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The most recent shutdown comes on the heels of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history in fall 2025, where the government remained shuttered for more than 40 days in October and November 2025. 

On Nov. 12, 2025, Trump signed legislation that would continue to fund the government at the same levels during fiscal year 2025 through Jan. 30 to provide additional time to finalize a longer appropriations measure for fiscal year 2026.

New York and New Jersey sued the Trump administration Tuesday for cutting off $16 billion in federal funding for a new rail tunnel project under the Hudson River connecting the two states.

The federal government is accused of “illegally withholding” funding committed to the Gateway project and the two states are seeking emergency relief to force the release of funds frozen by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). 

With construction already underway, the states are seeking a quick ruling because the project could be forced to shut down as early as Friday, potentially eliminating thousands of jobs and saddling the states with significant new operating costs.

The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of New York, comes after the Trump administration froze billions of dollars during the government shutdown last fall tied to the project, as well as funding for the extension of New York City’s Second Avenue Subway.

TRUMP ADMIN SEEKING TO PULL FUNDING FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SLAPPED WITH JUDGE’S PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

“Donald Trump’s revenge tour on New York threatens to derail one of the most vital infrastructure projects this nation has built in generations, putting thousands of union jobs and billions of dollars in economic benefits in jeopardy and threatening the commutes of 200,000 riders,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

She said New York “will fight this illegal effort by the Trump Administration to steal the funding the federal government committed to get the Gateway Tunnel built with everything we’ve got.”

“My message to Donald Trump and Sean Duffy is simple: we’ll see you in court.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and the Department of Transportation for comment.

DEMOCRAT AGS SUE TRUMP FOR ‘UNCONSCIONABLE’ FREEZE ON $6.8B IN K-12 SPENDING

The large-scale project would create new tunnels and rehabilitate an existing Hudson River rail crossing connecting northern New Jersey and New York City.

The overhaul is considered necessary because the existing rail tunnels are more than 115 years old and suffered severe damage from saltwater flooding during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The tunnels carry about 70,000 New Jersey commuters daily, and Amtrak has warned that failure of one tunnel could cut rail traffic into New York City by up to 75%.

The project has been under construction for more than a year, but the Trump administration put a hold on federal funding in September, citing the government shutdown — a move the two states argue is “jeopardizing the economic future of the Northeast region.”

ZOHRAN MAMDANI VOWS TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST TRUMP’S THREAT TO WITHHOLD FEDERAL FUNDING FOR NYC

“Every time the Trump Administration gets involved, costs go up and working people suffer. The illegal attack on the Gateway Tunnel is yet another example,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement. “New Jersey will not back down from this fight. If this project stops, 1,000 workers will immediately lose their jobs and hundreds of thousands of commuters will lose the chance at finally having reliable train service that makes their lives easier.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James added in a statement posted on X that stopping the Gateway project “would cost thousands of good-paying jobs and put one of the country’s most heavily used transit corridors at risk.”

Jennifer Davenport, New Jersey’s acting attorney general, delivered a blunt message to the Trump administration.

DUFFY THREATENS TO YANK NEW YORK FEDERAL FUNDS OVER ILLEGALLY ISSUED COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSES

“Our promise to our residents is clear: we will protect them from attacks on their rights and on their pocketbooks, whatever the source,” she said.

“The President’s decision to freeze funding for the Hudson Tunnel Project jeopardizes safe and reliable infrastructure and puts thousands of jobs at risk,” she added. “The Federal Government has left us no choice: we must challenge this illegal action in court, and demand emergency relief that will protect us from these unlawful harms.”

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A separate lawsuit over tunnel funding was filed Monday against the federal government by the Gateway Development Commission, which oversees the project.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Twenty-one Republicans broke with President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Tuesday evening in an attempt to derail a $1.2 trillion spending bill to end a government shutdown, citing concerns that the legislation didn’t do enough to advance GOP priorities.

Among a range of reasons, lawmakers argued the bill needed to include provisions shoring up election integrity, come with full-year funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and eliminate Democrat-requested earmarks.

The lawmakers that voted against the measure included:

Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Eric Burlison, R-Mo., Kat Cammack, R-Fla., Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Byron Donalds, R-Fla., Randy Fine, R-Fla., Brandon Gill, R-Texas, Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Cory Mills, R-Fla., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Scott Perry, R-Pa., Chip Roy, R-Texas, David Schweikert, R-Ariz., Keith Self, R-Texas, Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., Greg Steube, R-Fla., and William Timmons, R-S.C.

TRUMP UNDERCUTS GOP PUSH TO ATTACH SAVE ACT TO SHUTDOWN BILL AS CONSERVATIVES THREATEN MUTINY

Thomas Massie, R-Ky., condemned what he saw as a failure to shore up election integrity with the exclusion of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act — a bill requiring photo ID for registering voters looking to participate in federal elections.

“And most importantly… BLOCKED: the inclusion of the SAVE Act to protect our elections from illegal aliens — a top priority for conservatives,” Massie said in a long list of reasons he posted to X on why he had voted against the package.

Massie alongside other Republicans like Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., had called for Republicans to tie the SAVE Act into the 2026 funding bill.

He wasn’t the only Republican to vent frustrations online.

Other lawmakers voted against the bill because of a distrust that Democrats would negotiate in good faith over outstanding considerations to fund DHS.

“The fact that Chuck Schumer is able to somehow get Republicans to pass a version that includes all of their stuff — but only a two-week funding measure for Homeland Security, I think, is a fool’s bet,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R- Mo. said.

The bill, which now heads to the desk of President Donald Trump for his signature, includes funding for the departments of War, Education, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services.

REPUBLICANS, DEMS BREAK THROUGH RESISTANCE, MOVE FORWARD WITH TRUMP-BACKED FUNDING PACKAGE

Despite the opposition from the 21 Republicans, the bill passed by a bipartisan 217-214 vote.

Tuesday marks the second time the House of Representatives has considered this legislation.

The bill hit roadblocks after the House passed it for the first time in January, when Democrats in the Senate balked at its lack of safeguards for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the wake of two fatal confrontations in Minnesota between immigration enforcement and civilians.

Democrats across both chambers of Congress have demanded new restrictions on ICE’s operations, such as a prohibition against wearing masks, an elimination of ICE’s roaming patrols, body camera requirements, stronger warrant restrictions and visible law enforcement identification.

As a part of the package, lawmakers included a two-week extension to DHS funding, giving negotiators time to work through disagreements on provisions for ICE while avoiding a broader government shutdown.

Having passed that compromise bill, lawmakers have until the end of next week to hammer out an agreement on funding for DHS or else risk a lapse in its funding.

In addition to ICE, the DHS bill covers funding for the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Lawmakers concerned about that funding also voted against the bill on Tuesday, expressing disappointment Republicans hadn’t used the moment to push for DHS fundng. 

“I voted NO on the 5-bill minibus,” Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said in a post to X on Tuesday.

“Republicans have the trifecta and we should fund DHS at Trump levels for strong border security,” Boebert said.

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Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., blasted the bill for, in his view, not utilizing Republican negotiating power.

“We gotta start negotiating from power,” Burchett said in a video he posted. “Trump will tell you: negotiate from power.”

Federal lawmakers are demanding answers from the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) over its partnership with a Chinese Communist Party-controlled agribusiness and its push for DEI initiatives, citing national security concerns and questions about its tax-exempt status.

The inquiry is being led by the House Ways and Means Committee and the Congressional FFA Caucus, which say the organization’s relationship with Syngenta Group raises concerns about foreign influence and whether FFA is operating in line with its stated mission as a tax-exempt nonprofit.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith and Congressional FFA Caucus co-chair Tracey Mann sent a letter to National FFA CEO Scott Stump demanding documents and answers related to the partnership, Syngenta’s role in shaping internal policies and the organization’s compliance with federal tax law.

“Working with our nation’s foreign adversaries and prioritizing woke policies over your mission raises serious concerns regarding whether the National FFA is complying with the requirements to maintain tax-exempt status,” the lawmakers wrote.

MOST SHOCKING EXAMPLES OF CHINESE ESPIONAGE UNCOVERED BY THE US THIS YEAR: ‘JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG’

In the letter, the committee emphasized FFA’s role in educating future agricultural leaders, noting the organization serves more than one million students through thousands of chapters across the country.

The lawmakers devoted a significant portion of the letter to detailing Syngenta Group’s ownership structure and its ties to the Chinese government, arguing the relationship raises red flags for a U.S.-based, tax-exempt youth organization tied to agriculture.

Syngenta has been wholly owned since 2017 by China National Chemical Corp., or ChemChina, a Chinese state-owned enterprise that later merged into Sinochem Holdings.

AMERICA HAS TO RESPOND WITH A UNITED FRONT TO CHINA’S MASSIVE ECONOMIC WARFARE

Both ChemChina and Sinochem were designated during the first Trump administration as Communist Chinese military companies, a classification used to identify firms linked to Beijing’s military-civil fusion strategy and restrict their access to U.S. government funding.

Lawmakers noted that while those designations were removed in 2021 under the Biden administration, Syngenta was later redesignated as a Chinese military company, underscoring ongoing concerns about its ties to the Chinese state.

The letter also pointed to actions by U.S. states and federal agencies to limit Chinese ownership and influence in American agriculture. It included efforts to force Syngenta subsidiaries to divest farmland and initiatives aimed at preventing the sale of U.S. agricultural land to Chinese entities on national security grounds.

MORE THAN 160 HOUSE DEMS VOTE AGAINST CRACKDOWN ON FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN US SCHOOLS

Against that backdrop, lawmakers said Syngenta’s access to FFA leadership, programming and students raises concerns about the influence a Chinese state-owned company could exert over future American agricultural leaders.

“The CCP has a well-documented history of economic espionage to steal biotechnology and agriculture-related intellectual property, and the fact that the National FFA has provided one of their state-owned companies direct access to the future leaders of America’s farming industry is alarming,” the letter states.

The lawmakers also criticized FFA’s embrace of DEI initiatives, arguing the programs risk shifting the organization away from agricultural education and toward identity-based priorities that could divide students.

HOUSE GOP LAUNCHES BLITZ OF BILLS TO SHUT DOWN CCP INFILTRATION OF US SCHOOLS: ‘COMMONSENSE’

They questioned whether Syngenta’s role in DEI-related efforts gave the company undue influence over FFA’s strategic direction.

“The goal of the National FFA should be to bring student members together as a community — not force them into specific categories,” the lawmakers wrote.

Smith and Mann said the inquiry is part of broader congressional oversight of tax-exempt organizations and their exposure to foreign influence, particularly as farm and food security are increasingly viewed as matters of national security.

FCC, STATE AGS TO JOIN FORCES IN CRACKDOWN ON CHINA-LINKED COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

Smith and Mann cited a statement from USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins that “farm security is national security.”

Ultimately, the letter directs National FFA to turn over documents and provide detailed answers about its partnership with Syngenta Group, including contracts and financial contributions, the role Syngenta employees play in leadership or advisory positions, and the company’s involvement in shaping FFA’s diversity and strategic programs.

In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, Smith said the committee is expanding its investigation to include the FFA over concerns about foreign influence and its impact on the organization’s mission.

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“The Ways and Means Committee is expanding our investigation into the malign foreign influence in the U.S. tax-exempt sector to include the FFA in light of deeply concerning reports that the organization has maintained ties to an entity controlled by the Chinese Communist Party — a relationship that appears to have influenced its decision-making,” Smith said. “The FFA plays a vital role in educating the next generation of farmers, strengthening American agriculture, and safeguarding our nation’s food supply and national security. That important mission must not be compromised.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the National FFA for comment on the matter.

The White House has approved the Medal of Honor for fallen Army Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, a Staten Island, New York, native who died in Afghanistan in 2013, while shielding an allied soldier, according to Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., who said she was notified of the decision in a statement posted to social media.

The decision follows years of advocacy from veterans’ groups, elected officials and the Staten Island community to formally recognize Ollis’ actions, which supporters have long argued met the standard for our nation’s highest military honor.

In a Facebook post, Malliotakis said she had been notified directly by the White House.

“We were notified by the White House that Staten Island’s hometown hero, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Michael Ollis, has been approved for the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary act of heroism,” Malliotakis wrote.

REP BRIAN MAST: CONGRESS HAS THE PERFECT WAY TO HONOR OUR NATION’S FALLEN HEROES

Ollis was killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 28, 2013, when he used his body to shield a Polish Army officer during a suicide bombing. He was 24 years old.

“In 2013, Staff Sergeant Ollis gave his life to save an allied soldier, and his courage, selflessness, and sacrifice represent the very best of our nation,” she continued.

Malliotakis credited years of advocacy efforts, adding: “After years of advocacy from the American Legion, our elected officials, and the Staten Island community, we are grateful to President Donald Trump for recognizing Staff Sergeant Ollis’ extraordinary heroism with our nation’s highest military honor.”

The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military decoration and is awarded for acts that go above and beyond the call of duty. While the standards for awarding the medal have evolved over time, it has always recognized “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life,” according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

The current criteria were established in 1963 during the Vietnam War.

TRUMP SIGNS MEDAL OF HONOR ACT TO RAISE PENSIONS FOR AMERICA’S MILITARY HEROES

Under those standards, the medal may be awarded for actions taken against an enemy of the U.S., during military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force, or while serving alongside friendly foreign forces engaged in armed conflict in which America is not a belligerent party.

Awarding the Medal involves a rigorous review process. Each recommendation requires detailed reports on the act itself and battlefield conditions, at least two sworn eyewitness statements, and additional corroborating evidence. 

Recommendation packets must be approved through the full military chain of command before reaching the president, who serves as commander-in-chief.

Federal law also imposes strict timelines on the process, with recommendations requiring submission within three years of the valorous act and the medal awarded within five years. Any submission outside those limits requires an act of Congress to waive time restrictions.

NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS ATTACKED BY AFGHAN REFUGEE IN DC HONORED BY UNANIMOUS HOUSE VOTE

Ollis’ family also addressed the reports in a statement shared by the SSG Michael Ollis Freedom Foundation.

“We are extremely grateful to the President of the United States for recognizing the heroism of our son, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Michael Ollis, with the Medal of Honor,” the statement said. “Knowing that Michael’s life, legacy and final act of courage have not been forgotten leaves us with a feeling of overwhelming pride and eternal gratitude.”

The statement also thanked supporters in a separate statement who have advocated for the recognition.

“We also greatly appreciate the letters, emails and phone calls of support from government and military officials, local leaders, non-profit organizations and the many friends we are blessed to know here in Staten Island and beyond. It is deeply moving to know that you haven’t forgotten Michael or our family.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and the Department of War for additional details regarding the Medal of Honor process, including timing and ceremony plans. 

The Ollis family did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment.

A new slogan and accompanying red hat made its debut at the White House on Tuesday as President Donald Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, reopening the federal government with a room full of Republican lawmakers in attendance.

The hat, bearing the phrase “America Is Back!” sat on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office during the bill-signing ceremony, as House Speaker Mike Johnson praised the message while standing alongside the president.

“This is good for the country, and America is back,” said Johnson, who added that the hat was “appropriate” and “the right slogan.”

Trump confirmed the item’s novelty during the signing event, looking toward the hat held in Johnson’s hands. 

“It’s a new hat,” Trump said. “[It] just came out. America is back.”

Trump noticed CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in the press pool and quipped, “Look, CNN is thrilled [about the hat]. Look at her. She never smiles. I’d never see her [smile]. But someday I’ll see her smile.”

‘OPENING PANDORA’S BOX’: MIKE JOHNSON BACKS TRUMP AFTER WARNING WHITE HOUSE ABOUT DEAL WITH DEMOCRATS

While the event focused on passage of the sweeping government funding package, the hat quickly became a visual focal point. As of Tuesday afternoon, however, the “America Is Back!” hat had not yet appeared for sale on the Trump Store official site, which currently features other Trump-branded merchandise, including MAGA hats.

Johnson’s remarks came as Republicans sought to champion the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) after days of uncertainty, with Johnson standing behind Trump as the president signed the bill reopening the government.

The CAA signed Tuesday funds most federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year, though separate negotiations remain ongoing over longer-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENDS AS TRUMP SIGNS BILL, BUT DHS FUNDING DEADLINE LOOMS

Trump later argued that the new phrase does not replace his longtime political slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

“We’ll never forget MAGA,” he said. “But I thought this was very appropriate.” Sen. Barasso, R-Wyo., added, “Love it.”

It is unclear when or if the “America Is Back” hat will be made available for purchase in the Trump online store.

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Upon request for comment, the White House referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s stated remarks.

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this reporting.