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A partial government shutdown began at 12:01 on Saturday morning after Congress failed to pass a stopgap spending measure before the deadline and send it to President Biden’s desk.

However, the Senate is actively working through amendment votes and other considerations in order to send the measure to Biden. The stopgap bill is expected to be passed in the Senate in the coming hours. 

The partial shutdown comes only days before Christmas and New Year’s. 

As of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and was continuing to climb rapidly. 

A partial government shutdown began at 12:01 on Saturday morning after Congress failed to pass a stopgap spending measure before the deadline. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)

During a partial government shutdown, federal agencies and non-essential services are stopped, but some functions that are considered “essential” will continue. Certain national security functions, such as border patrol, law enforcement and disaster response, will remain active during the shutdown. 

However, because the Senate is expected to move the bill forward imminently, the disruption to government function will be minimal, if at all noticeable.

An original agreement on a short-term spending bill was released earlier in the week, totaling 1,547-pages and including a number of policy provisions and disaster aid. 

TOP SENATE DEMS POUR COLD WATER ON LATEST GOP SPENDING BILL PLANS: ‘READY TO STAY’ THROUGH CHRISTMAS

Musk’s public criticism of the bill preceded Trump’s statement. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

But soon after its release, billionaire Elon Musk and other conservative critics publicly blasted the measure, ultimately resulting in it being condemned by President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. 

The initial spending measure would have extended government funding levels for fiscal year 2024 through March 14 and provide over $100 billion in disaster aid for those affected by storms Helene and Milton in the U.S. Southeast earlier this year. There was also a $10 billion provision for economic assistance to farmers in the bill. 

TIM SCOTT’S SENATE CAMPAIGN ARM STAFF REVEALED AHEAD OF CRUCIAL 2026 SWING STATE RACES

The size of the bill, along with several of its other provisions, including a cost of living raise for lawmakers, prompted the public reaction from Musk and others. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, co-chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), arrives on Capitol Hill with his son on Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington, DC.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

After heading back to the drawing board, House Republicans emerged on Thursday with a new proposal. The revised measure would have extended current funding levels for three months and included a debt limit suspension for two years, per the request of Trump. 

‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ CAUCUS LAUNCHED BY SEN MARSHALL AFTER RFK JR MEETING

Additionally, it had economic relief for farmers and about $110 billion in disaster aid. 

But the bill failed on the House floor Thursday night as Democrats united against it and a significant group of Republicans opted to oppose it as well.

By Friday morning, there appeared to be no agreement between Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work together on a new bill. In fact, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the government would go into a partial shutdown at midnight if Republicans did not return to the original stopgap bill. 

DOGE CAUCUS LEADER JONI ERNST EYES RELOCATION OUT OF DC FOR THIRD OF FEDERAL WORKERS

Rep. Chip Roy speaks to the media after the House of Representatives failed to pass a government funding bill at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 19, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“I’m ready to stay here through Christmas because we’re not going to let Elon Musk run the government,” Murray said in a statement. 

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The House managed to pass a third version of the spending bill on Friday. It was similar to the second version, including both economic relief for farmers and disaster aid, but did not have the debt ceiling suspension that Trump had been adamant about. 

The bill received broad bipartisan support in the House and the green light from Biden, as the White House said he’d support it. Even Schumer released a statement after the House’s passage, saying he was “confident” it would pass the Senate. 

Senators voted to pass a new version of a stopgap spending bill early Saturday morning after the midnight deadline for a partial government shutdown came and went.

The Senate advanced the third version of a short-term spending bill, and it will now head to President Biden’s desk, who has already signaled that he will sign it. 

An original agreement on a short-term spending bill was released earlier in the week, totaling 1,547-pages and including a number of policy provisions and disaster aid. 

But soon after its release, billionaire Elon Musk and other conservative critics publicly blasted the measure, ultimately resulting in it being condemned by President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. 

SENATE DEMS RAIL AGAINST ‘SHADOW SPEAKER’ BILLIONAIRE ELON MUSK: ‘NOT ELECTED TO ANYTHING’

Congress passed a short-term spending bill with only hours until the shutdown deadline. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH. If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF. It is Schumer and Biden who are holding up aid to our farmers and disaster relief,” Trump and Vance said in a lengthy statement opposing the bill on Wednesday afternoon.

The initial spending measure would have extended government funding levels for fiscal year 2024 through March 14 and provide over $100 billion in disaster aid for those affected by storms Helene and Milton in the U.S. Southeast earlier this year. There was also a $10 billion provision for economic assistance to farmers in the bill. 

Meanwhile, as of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and was continuing to climb rapidly. 

SENATE REPUBLICANS TRY TO FAST-TRACK EMERGENCY MILITARY PAY AS THEY BRACE FOR SHUTDOWN

Elon Musk was vocally against the first iteration of the bill.  (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The size of the bill, along with several of its other provisions, including a cost of living raise for lawmakers, prompted the public reaction from Musk and others. 

“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” he wrote on X. 

After heading back to the drawing board, House Republicans emerged on Thursday with a new proposal. The revised measure would have extended current funding levels for three months and included a debt limit suspension for two years, per the request of Trump. 

Additionally, it had economic relief for farmers and about $110 billion in disaster aid. 

But the bill failed on the House floor Thursday night as Democrats united against it and a significant group of Republicans opted to oppose it as well.

TOP SENATE DEMS POUR COLD WATER ON LATEST GOP SPENDING BILL PLANS: ‘READY TO STAY’ THROUGH CHRISTMAS

Johnson was left to find a new stopgap bill after Musk’s opposition. (Jean Catuffe/GC Images/Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“Old bill: $110BB in deficit spending (unpaid for), $0 increase in the national credit card. New bill: $110BB in deficit spending (unpaid for), $4 TRILLION+ debt ceiling increase with $0 in structural reforms for cuts. Time to read the bill: 1.5 hours. I will vote no,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on X ahead of the vote. 

Roy was one of 38 House Republicans that opposed the stopgap bill. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, left, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Reuters)

By Friday morning, there appeared to be no agreement between Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work together on a new bill. In fact, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the government would go into a partial shutdown at midnight if Republicans did not return to the original stopgap bill. 

“I’m ready to stay here through Christmas because we’re not going to let Elon Musk run the government,” Murray said in a statement. 

TIM SCOTT’S SENATE CAMPAIGN ARM STAFF REVEALED AHEAD OF CRUCIAL 2026 SWING STATE RACES

Democrats did not get their wish, which was a return to the original bill. (Reuters)

Schumer said in remarks on the Senate floor that the original bill would pass in the House if Speaker Mike Johnson brought it to the floor for a vote. 

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The third measure, which ultimately passed the House and Senate, was similar to the one that failed the night prior. The bill included economic relief for farmers and disaster aid for those affected by recent storms. However, the final stopgap bill did not include a suspension of the debt ceiling, which Trump had requested himself. 

The House passed the short-term spending bill with 366 yes votes, surpassing the necessary two-thirds.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre volleyed away reporters’ questions on Friday about President Biden’s lack of public appearances amid the ongoing government funding fight as a partial shutdown looms. 

Jean-Pierre refused to answer why the president has not spoken to the American public about his position, and she instead blamed Republicans, President-elect Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and their “billionaire friends” like Elon Musk for the chaos on Capitol Hill. 

“Why hasn’t President Biden said anything in the public about this? Don’t the American people deserve to know why millions of federal workers could enter this holiday period without a paycheck?” Jean-Pierre was asked during her daily press briefing. 

RAND PAUL SUGGESTS REPLACING MIKE JOHNSON WITH ELON MUSK AS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday. (Ting Shen/AFP via Getty Images)

“All Americans need to know that Republicans are getting in the way here and they are the ones who have created this mess. That’s the reality. That’s the fact,” she responded. “This is not the first time we’ve been here. And the president has had this approach before. He understands how Congress works. He’s been around for some time. He understands what strategy works here to get this done.”

Jean-Pierre said Friday that Biden has held phone calls with Democratic leaders in Congress — Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. — but would not say if the president has spoken to the House speaker with regard to the ongoing discussions. 

“He has been getting regular updates from his team. His team has been in touch with congressional members from both sides of the aisle,” she said. 

A streamlined version of a bill backed by Trump to avert a partial government shutdown failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday night.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre volleyed away reporters’ questions on Friday about President Biden’s lack of public appearances amid the ongoing spending bill crisis as a government shutdown looms. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images | AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

The bill, which needed two-thirds of the House chamber to pass, failed by a vote of 174 to 235. The national debt has soared to over $36 trillion, and the national deficit is over $1.8 trillion.

Jean-Pierre said Republicans went back on their word and “blew up this deal.”

“Republicans need to stop playing politics with a government shutdown. And they are doing the bidding. They’re doing the bidding of their billionaire friends. That’s what we’re seeing at the expense of hard-working Americans,” she said. 

SENATE REPUBLICANS TRY TO FAST-TRACK EMERGENCY MILITARY PAY AS THEY BRACE FOR SHUTDOWN

“There is a bipartisan agreement that Republicans tanked because of what they were directed to do by Elon Musk and President-elect Trump. That’s what happened. That is the reality that we’re in now.”

Musk, an outspoken critic of government waste, has weighed in on the spending bill debate and led a conservative revolt against the first 1,547-page bill due to its bloated spending provisions, calling for lawmakers who supported the bill to lose their seats.

He supported the newer, slimmer version, which was ultimately rejected by House members. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s, R-La., handling of the talks was criticized by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

Reporters tried several different ways to try and get Jean-Pierre to comment on the president’s role in the matter, but she continued to sidestep.

“The president is the President of the United States, and he is leading,” she told a reporter, to which he responded: “To be clear, the strategy is he is leading by staying in the background?”

“The strategy is that Congress, Republicans in particular, need to do their jobs and get out of their own way and focus on the American people, not their billionaire friends. That is what needs to happen. And that’s what the president wants to see,” she replied.

Jean-Pierre also warned that a shutdown could disrupt the presidential transition process for the incoming administration.

“If there is a shutdown — and I don’t want to get too much into hypotheticals — but this is the reality, transition activities will be restricted with limited exceptions, obviously, such as to prevent imminent threats to the safety of human life or the protection of property,” she said.

President-elect Trump, right, and Elon Musk were in favor of Thursday’s failed bill. (Brandon Bell)

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Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Friday that Republicans have a “good plan” to avoid a partial government shutdown. 

Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., added: “I think you come to an agreement, then you get together and sit down and figure out, you know, if we can get across the finish line. And that’s probably what we’re about to do now.”

As President Biden’s term comes to an end, he is reportedly considering commuting the sentences of most, if not all, of the 40 men on the federal government’s death row.

The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that the move would frustrate President-elect Trump’s plan to streamline executions as he takes office in January.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, who oversees federal prisons, recommended that Biden commute all but a handful of egregious sentences, the sources said.

The outlet reported that possible exceptions could include Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 2013 Boston Marathon bomber who killed three and wounded more than 250; Robert Bowers, who killed 11 people in the 2018 attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh; and Dylann Roof, who in 2015 killed nine at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

TRUMP EXPECTED TO END BIDEN-ERA DEATH PENALTY PAUSE, EXPAND TO MORE FEDERAL INMATES

President Biden speaks about his administration’s economic playbook and the future of the American economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington Dec. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Those who could see their death sentences commuted to life in prison include an ex-Marine who killed two young girls and later a female naval officer, a Las Vegas man convicted of kidnapping and killing a 12-year-old girl, a Chicago podiatrist who fatally shot a patient to keep her from testifying in a Medicare fraud investigation and two men convicted in a kidnapping-for-ransom scheme that resulted in the killings of five Russian and Georgian immigrants.

TRUMP VOWS TO CREATE COMPENSATION FUND FOR VICTIMS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIME

The move came after Biden, a lifelong Catholic, spoke with Pope Francis Thursday. In his weekly prayer, Pope Francis asked for the commutation of America’s condemned inmates.

A decision from the president could come by Christmas, some of sources said. The outlet noted that the biggest question is the scope of the commutation of the death row inmates.

President Biden speaks at a podium (AP )

Biden is the first president to openly oppose capital punishment, and his 2020 campaign website declared he would “work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level and incentivize states to follow the federal government’s example.”

In January 2021, Biden initially considered an executive order, sources familiar with the matter told The Associated Press, but the White House did not issue one.

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Six months into the administration, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a moratorium on federal capital punishment to study it further. The narrow action has meant there have been no federal executions under Biden.

Aurora Police have confirmed that several members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) were involved in an “incredibly violent” armed home invasion and kidnapping that left two victims seriously injured in an apartment complex this week. 

“I will say without question, in my opinion, that this is TdA activity. Some of these individuals have been identified as TdA gang members,” Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said. “It’s something that we are working very close with our partners in HSI [Homeland Security Investigations] and DHS [Homeland Security] to establish their relationship with gangs.”

Chamberlain said authorities have little way of confirming that a suspect is a member of TdA since gang members do not typically broadcast their affiliation. 

“It is a real challenge to try to say, ‘Hey, 100%, you are a gang member,’” he said.

TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS ARRESTED IN NYC APARTMENT NEXT TO DAYCARE FACILITY

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain speaks to the media during a press conference Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

Chamberlain said it was not a “big step” for him to identify them as members of the notorious Venezuelan gang.

“But when you look at the circumstances of this, when you look at the events of this, when you look at the individuals involved in this, when you look at the veracity and the violence involved in this, again, it is not a big step for me to say that they are TdA gang members,” he said.

The gang members allegedly forced their way into a couple’s apartment at the Edge at Lowry Apartments in the Denver suburbs and bound, beat, stabbed and kidnapped the victims, leaving them hospitalized. The perpetrators also allegedly stole jewelry from the victims.

SANCTUARY CITY DENVER SPENDING A WHOPPING $356 MILLION ON MIGRANTS: STUDY 

While the department cannot yet confirm whether all 19 of the suspects detained in the incident are TdA members, Chamberlain said he could categorically confirm that several are part of the gang that has been terrorizing Aurora residents in recent months. 

WATCH:

Chamberlain said one of the detained TdA members was also involved in the violent apartment takeover in Aurora earlier this year. 

According to Chamberlain, this was not an isolated incident. He said the TdA members and their affiliates have regularly mistreated the couple and were extorting them for $500 every two weeks. He believes the couple were not the only victims being intimidated and extorted by the gang members. 

Chamberlain also said Aurora Police are fully cooperating with ICE, DHS and Homeland Security Investigations to determine the identities and potential gang affiliation of those involved in the incident. 

Aurora Police prepare to search in Aurora, Colo., Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Fox News Digital)

A total of 19 suspects were detained for questioning, three of whom have since been released and eight of whom are now in ICE custody. He said eight are still under investigation. 

“Those pending charges range from everything from second-degree kidnaping, aggravated robbery, first-degree assault, extortion and burglary,” he said.

Police have not released the names of the 16 arrested individuals.

Apartment buildings at 12th and Dallas in Aurora, Colo., Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (Fox News Digital)

The police chief reiterated that authorities did not conduct a “mass sweep” for the suspects, but instead went door to door to thoroughly investigate all parties involved.

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During a press conference, Chamberlain emphasized that Aurora Police would respond to calls and help any victim in trouble “regardless of immigration status.”

Over 30 House Republicans voted Friday against a bill to avert a partial government shutdown.

Lawmakers scrambled to reach consensus on a spending package ahead of the looming partial government shutdown deadline Friday. An initial 1,547-page bipartisan deal that would have extended the government funding deadline until March 14 was released Tuesday night, but the proposal crumbled after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy criticized the spending bill.

A more condensed, Trump-backed version was brought to the floor Thursday night but failed to pass. 

In a last-minute vote Friday, the House succeeded in passing a funding bill with 34 Republicans voting against the legislation and zero Democrats voting against it. One Democrat, Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, voted present.

HOUSE PASSES FUNDING BILL WITH JUST HOURS UNTIL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., voted against the spending bill. (Getty Images)

Among those who voted against the bill was Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who told Fox News Digital, “I don’t know why we’re giving Joe Biden $100 billion to play with in 30 days.

“Oddly enough, it didn’t have what Trump wanted most of all.”

Other House members who voted against the bill:

WHITE HOUSE PRESSED ON BIDEN REFUSING TO SPEAK PUBLICLY AHEAD OF SHUTDOWN

Rep. and Sen.-elect Jim Banks, R-Ind.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.

Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C. 

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.

Asked why she voted against the bill, Boebert told Fox News Digital, “I’m just ready for president Trump to be back.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert  R-Colo., leaves the U.S. Capitol after the last votes of the week of Feb. 15, 2024 (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla.

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo.

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga.

Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz.

Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah

Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn.

Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas

Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., voted against the spending bill. (Getty Images)

Rep. Bob Good, R-Va.

Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas

Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.

Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn.

Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas

Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz.

Rep. Greg Lopez, R-Colo.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.,

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference in the U.S. Capitol June 6, 2023.  (Getty Images)

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla.

Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va.

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn.

Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa.

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas

Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis.

Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas

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After passing in the House, the bill will head to the Senate for a vote. 

President Biden signaled his intention to sign the bill if it reaches his desk. 

House lawmakers voted Friday to approve a newly negotiated spending bill that included many of the same components of the earlier legislation — but without the debt limit provision that had sparked consternation among many in the party.

Republican leaders shared the text late Friday, shortly before lawmakers approved the spending legislation, 366-34.

Lawmakers were scrambling for a path forward after an initial bill was tanked by President-elect Trump and his allies on Wednesday, and a later bill approved by Trump failed on the House floor Thursday.

HOUSE PASSES SPENDING BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks briefly to reporters just before a vote on an amended interim spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The bill, unlike the version rejected Thursday night, removes a debt limit extension sought by President-elect Donald Trump, which would have included a two-year suspension of the debt limit.

That version failed to garner support among Democrats, who were more broadly opposed to the idea, and from fiscal conservatives within the Republican Party. 

The new legislation includes provisions such as $10 billion in aid to farmers and agriculture subsidies included in the earlier version of the bill — which were considered must-pass provisions by many lawmakers.

It also includes $100 billion in disaster aid for U.S. residents, including victims of devastating hurricanes in some U.S. states.

“We will not have a government shutdown, and we will meet our obligations for our farmers who need aid, for the disaster victims all over the country, and for making sure that military and essential services, and everyone who relies upon the federal government for a paycheck is paid over the holidays,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters before Friday’s vote.

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The bill now heads to the Senate for a vote. 

Senate Democrats labeled billionaire Elon Musk “co-president” and “shadow speaker” among other titles as they reacted to the original stopgap spending deal’s implosion on Wednesday after he and ultimately President-elect Trump came out against it. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Musk “seems to be the guy in charge of the country now,” reacting to his apparent ability to influence the bill’s prompt failure despite it having been agreed upon by bipartisan leaders in Congress. 

If a measure to provide funding for the government is not passed by Congress and signed by President Biden by midnight on Saturday morning, a partial government shutdown will go into effect. 

As of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and continues to climb rapidly. 

SENATE REPUBLICANS TRY TO FAST-TRACK EMERGENCY MILITARY PAY AS THEY BRACE FOR SHUTDOWN

Elon Musk, left, was credited with taking down the first version of the spending bill. (Brandon Bell)

After a 1,547-page short-term spending bill was debuted this week. Musk quickly took to X to trash it, pointing out various seemingly irrelevant provisions as well as its cost and length. 

He was soon joined by other critics, and Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance issued their own statement opposing the bill. 

This led to significant criticism from Democrats unhappy with Musk’s apparent ability to influence Trump and the Republicans in Congress. 

TOP SENATE DEMS POUR COLD WATER ON LATEST GOP SPENDING BILL PLANS: ‘READY TO STAY’ THROUGH CHRISTMAS

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Musk “seems to be the guy in charge of the country now.” (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“He’s the one who seems to be calling the shots,” Warren told reporters. 

“Elon Musk is the one evidently in charge of the Republican Party and has blown that deal up. So I don’t know how the Republicans are planning to recover from that,” she said. 

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., suggested that Musk is “already the shadow speaker of the House,” in a slight against House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

TIM SCOTT’S SENATE CAMPAIGN ARM STAFF REVEALED AHEAD OF CRUCIAL 2026 SWING STATE RACES

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., called Musk the “shadow speaker.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“I think he’s unelected, and he’s created a whole lot of damage,” said Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.

He claimed Republicans in Congress were “busy listening to Co-President Musk and co-President Trump.” 

“I’m listening to the people of Georgia, especially the farmers who are struggling to get disaster relief. And, we need to make sure that we get that over the finish line,” said Warnock.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., reiterated that Musk is not an elected official. “He doesn’t have any official government job,” he said. 

‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ CAUCUS LAUNCHED BY SEN MARSHALL AFTER RFK JR MEETING

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., pointed out that Musk was not elected. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

“We had a deal with Republicans in the House and now, because of him, the president-elect is on the verge of people losing their jobs and not getting paid over the holidays,” Kelly said of a potential partial shutdown if a bill is not passed by a deadline of midnight on Saturday morning. 

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Despite their Democratic colleagues’ claims, Republicans pushed back on the idea that Trump was being influenced by Musk. Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., noted that there are “lots of people around President Trump,” adding that he doesn’t think Musk has control over what the president-elect does. 

Musk was tapped by Trump, along with former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, to lead what is called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a proposed advisory board tasked with eliminating government waste.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

– House Weaponization panel releases 17,000-page report exposing ‘two-tiered system of government’

– Kristi Noem boasts outpouring of police, border union support for DHS chief: Current leaders ‘betrayed us’

– Top Senate Dems pour cold water on latest GOP spending bill plans: ‘Ready to stay’ through Christmas

Biden’s Parting Gift to ‘Public Servants’

The Biden administration announced another $4.28 billion in student loan handouts as President Biden and Vice President Harris prepare to leave the White House.

The massive loan handout will give 54,900 public workers loan forgiveness.

“Four years ago, the Biden-Harris Administration made a pledge to America’s teachers, service members, nurses, first responders, and other public servants that we would fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and I’m proud to say that we delivered,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a release on Friday…Read more

US President Joe Biden speaks during an event in Madison, Wisconsin, US, on Monday, April 8, 2024. Biden’s alternative student-debt relief plan could forgive loans for as many as 26 million Americans, a far-reaching initiative that will be tested by the same challenges that beset his original program struck down by the Supreme Court. Photographer: Daniel Steinle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

White House

A HOLY EXIT: Biden heading to Vatican next month to meet with Pope Francis, Italian PM Meloni in final overseas trip…Read more

‘POSSIBLY CRIMINAL’: Trump files amicus brief to ‘immediately’ stop Biden sale of border wall, says conduct is ‘possibly criminal’…Read more

President Donald Trump tours a section of the border wall, Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in San Luis, Ariz. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

LEFT-WING ‘LAUNDRY LIST’: Watchdog seeks to halt an 11th-hour Biden DOJ effort to ‘handcuff’ a KY police department…Read more

CHRISTMAS RUSH: Top DOGE senator to demand lame-duck Biden agencies halt costly telework talks, citing voter mandate…Read more

Capitol Hill

**Check out our new live blog on the spending bill fight — Trump-backed spending bill voted down in the House with shutdown looming**

The dome of the U.S. Capitol building is seen from a perch in Washington, D.C. (Fox News Digital)

‘NO DEALS WITH THE DEMOCRATS’: GOP lawmaker says vote on ‘very similar’ CR expected Friday morning…Read more

‘DOGE SPEAKER’: Mike Lee predicts demise of Johnson speakership, calls for ‘DOGE speaker’…Read more

‘PAY OUR TROOPS’: Senate Republicans attempt to fast track emergency military pay as they brace for shutdown…Read more

SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN: House Republicans reach new plan to avoid government shutdown after back-to-back defeats: Sources…Read more

KILL THE BILL: Here’s a list of the 38 Republicans who defied Trump by voting ‘no’ on the failed spending bill…Read more

Across America 

BUTTIGIEG BUZZ: Buttigieg appearance on New Hampshire talk radio fuels 2028 presidential race buzz…Read more

Pete Buttigieg, US secretary of transportation, speaks during a news conference in Long Beach, California, US, on Thursday, July 18, 2024. The Pier B on-dock rail project, which is expected to be the largest rail facility of any port in the US, will serve the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Photographer: Tim Rue/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Tim Rue)

OPEN BORDERS: ICE response team in NYC arrested a Mexican illegal immigrant sex offender who “has been removed from the US on 5 separate occasions”…Read more

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Several Pennsylvania officials, particularly in the Scranton area where President Joe Biden hails from, are calling on the city to undo its 2021 renaming of a freeway spur in his honor.

State Rep. Jamie Walsh, R-Dallas, appeared to lead the charge with a scathing statement highlighting Biden’s recent pardon of a judge convicted in a “kids-for-cash” scandal wherein he received kickbacks for sentencing juveniles to for-profit prisons.

Wilkes-Barre Common Pleas Judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella Jr. were convicted in 2008. The former served time in prison, followed by COVID-induced house arrest until Biden’s pardon. 

Walsh said some of the children affected had been convicted of minor offenses like jaywalking. The Democratic-majority Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out 4,000 juvenile convictions as a result of the scandal. 

ECONOMY BORDER & ABORTION DIVIDE BIDEN’S HOMETOWN AS RESIDENTS LOOK BACK ON NATIVE SON’S FIRST TERM

The former Central Scranton Expressway — now the President Biden Expressway — diverges from I-81, which continues toward Binghamton, N.Y. (Charles Creitz)

“In light of the recent decision made by the Biden administration to commute former Judge Conahan’s sentence, I implore city officials and Mayor [Paige Gebhardt Cognetti] to remove President Joe Biden’s name from the expressway sign that leads to the heart of the ‘Electric City’s’ downtown area.”

In 2021, the mayor and city council unanimously approved the rebranding of the three-quarter-mile Central Scranton Expressway spur off Interstate 81 and its continuance via then-Spruce Street through downtown as the “President Biden Expressway” and “Biden Avenue,” respectively.

The President Biden Expressway initially serves as a short bypass of PA-307 into the city, and continues as “Biden Ave” toward northbound US-11, which, in-turn, meets the terminus of the colloquial “Route 9” — the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Northeast Extension.

“The children affected by Conahan’s actions of nearly 15 years ago are now adults suffering in their own ‘mental’ prisons due to his deeds of self-fulfillment,” Walsh said in a statement.

WV DEMOCRATS RIP BIDEN’S ‘EGREGIOUS’ PUBLIC CORRUPTION PARDON CHOICES: ‘WHAT WE’D EXPECT FROM TRUMP’

Ex-Luzerne County Judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella. (AP Photo/The Citizens’ Voice, Mark Moran)

“Crimes against children are everlasting, and there is no escape from the irreparable damage these predators caused by their actions.”

Walsh argued that the issue is non-partisan but “right versus wrong” and that Biden no longer deserves the commemoration because his pardon “exonerates [Conahan’s] behavior” as a signal to future corrupt public officials.

State Rep-elect. Brenda Pugh, R-Luzerne, told WBRE that Conahan’s conduct is a “blight on Pennsylvania” and that Biden’s pardon is “nothing short of a travesty.”

“[H]is clemency is a miscarriage of justice,” Pugh said, adding the President Biden Expressway will therefore “forever be a scar reminding people of what happened here [in NEPA].”

Meanwhile, Lackawanna County Commissioner Chris Chermak made his case directly to Cognetti, writing the mayor a letter saying that reverting “Biden Avenue to Spruce Street” would help restore confidence in city leadership and reaffirm a commitment to governing in the best reflection of city values.

“This [pardon] has brought significant negative attention to Scranton, tarnishing the city’s reputation and reflecting poorly on Lackawanna County as a whole,” Chermak wrote.

In a Friday interview, Cognetti said that Biden’s commutation of Conahan was a “grave error” that freshly opened “deep and horrific” wounds for Scrantonians and NEPA residents.

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Biden and Scranton Democratic Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti (Reuters)

She echoed Gov. Josh Shapiro’s remark earlier this week that Conahan’s sentence was too light in the first place.

“[The case] was just the stuff that you think a screenwriter couldn’t make up — how systemic and how deep that scandal went,” Cognetti said.

She said she had contacted the White House with her concerns and that she was sad to learn Conahan’s commutation is irreversible.

Cognetti noted she is currently mayor in part because of other officials’ public corruption as well.

Predecessor Bill Courtright resigned in July 2019 amid a conviction for bribery, corruption and conspiracy. Courtright’s departure led to two brief interim mayors before Cognetti was elected that November as an independent and, in 2021, as a Democrat. 

Cognetti added that the calls to strip Biden’s name from roadways are not new and continue to be mostly grounded in partisanship.

“The president is from here, and there are few communities that can boast of being the hometown of a President of the United States. We will continue to celebrate and be very proud of having a hometown son of Scranton as president.”

“The two issues are conflated, I think, for political reasons. And I’d like us to treat these things as what they are. We need to continue to address corruption in government,” Cognetti added.

“That’s separate from the president’s legacy of 50 years in office and being the most successful son of Scranton.”

BIDEN’S HOMETOWN EXPRESSES HOW IT REALLY FEELS ABOUT ‘BIDENOMICS’

Biden Street; formerly Spruce Street (Getty)

When recently asked about Biden granting Conahan a pardon, Shapiro said that presidents have the “unique and absolute” power to do so, but should wield it “incredibly carefully.”

“I study every single case that comes across my desk where there’s a request for a pardon or clemency or worse, or a reduction in sentence. And I take it very seriously,” said Shapiro, who previously served as attorney general.

“I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania. This was not only a black eye on the community because of the scandal, but it also affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways,” he said.

Just five days before Christmas, President-elect Donald Trump announced he is appointing outspoken conservative and president of CatholicVote Brian Burch to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. 

The Vatican, also known as the “Holy See,” is the center of the Roman Catholic Church, which is led by Pope Francis. There are roughly 52 million Catholics in the U.S. 

Burch, a father of nine, is an outspoken supporter of the president-elect. His organization, CatholicVote, a conservative activist group, issued its first presidential endorsement in Trump’s favor this year.

Catholic voters across the country swung massively toward Trump in the 2024 election, contributing to his surprise blowout victory on election night.

CATHOLIC SWING VOTERS WERE CRITICAL TO DONALD TRUMP’S BLOWOUT VICTORY: ‘HARRIS SNUBBED US’

CatholicVote President Brian Burch argues that President-elect Trump won last week thanks to Catholic voters. (Fox News Digital | Getty Pool)

In his post announcing the nomination, Trump credited Burch for his significant gains among Catholic voters in November, saying that Burch “represented me well during the last Election, having garnered more Catholic votes than any Presidential Candidate in History!”

“I am pleased to announce that Brian Burch will serve as the next United States Ambassador to the Holy See,” said Trump. “Brian is a devout Catholic, a father of nine, and President of CatholicVote. He has received numerous awards, and demonstrated exceptional leadership, helping build one of the largest Catholic advocacy groups in the Country.”

“Brian loves his Church and the United States – He will make us all proud,” the president-elect said. “Congratulations to Brian, his wife Sara, and their incredible family!”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PICKS’ FAMILIES HAVE 1 THING IN COMMON

(Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Burch responded to his nomination by posting on X: “To God be the glory.”

“Words cannot express my gratitude to all those that have helped me achieve this nomination,” said Burch. “I am deeply honored and humbled to have been nominated by President Trump to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Holy See.”

He thanked his family, the CatholicVote team and gave special credit to his recently deceased father who, he said, “taught me to love the Church and the blessings and responsibilities of being a citizen of the U.S.”

“The Catholic Church is the largest and most important religious institution in the world, and its relationship to the United States is of vital importance,” said Burch. “I am committed to working with leaders inside the Vatican and the new Administration to promote the dignity of all people and the common good. I look forward to the confirmation process and the opportunity to continue to serve my country and the Church.”

NOTRE DAME HOSTS FIRST MASS SINCE 2019 FIRE, DRAWING CROWDS BY THE THOUSANDS

A rally organized by CatholicVote. (CatholicVote)

CatholicVote also responded to the announcement, saying the group is “immensely proud” of Burch and that his nomination “is a testament to the importance of Catholics to the United States.”

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“Under Brian’s leadership, CatholicVote has launched influential campaigns exposing violence against Catholic churches and uncovering government overreach targeting Catholics and pro-life advocates,” the group said. “Beyond his professional work, Brian is a devoted husband and father of nine children. His commitment to family life informs his passion for building a culture that upholds the dignity of every human person and supports the central role of families in society.” 

The new Trump administration will have several Catholics in high-ranking positions, including Vice-president JD Vance, Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and border czar Tom Homan. 

The position of ambassador to the Holy See requires Senate confirmation.

An appearance by Pete Buttigieg on Friday morning on New Hampshire talk radio is fueling ongoing speculation that the U.S. Secretary of Transportation in President Biden’s administration may be mulling another White House run in 2028.

Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who is considered a potential contender for the next nomination race, has made numerous radio appearances across the country during his four years steering the Department of Transportation, including a bunch in New Hampshire, which prides itself on being the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state.

But with President-elect Trump a month away from returning to the White House, and Democrats scrambling in the wake of November’s election setbacks to find a path out of the political wilderness, Buttigieg’s latest radio appearance in New Hampshire is grabbing increased attention as the extremely early preseason moves in the party’s 2028 presidential primary race will soon start.

And the guest segment by Buttigieg on the statewide morning news-talk radio program “New Hampshire Today” is bound to spark more 2028 speculation.

HERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois, on August 21, 2024.  (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

“The only thing I’m sure is next is a little vacation,” Buttigieg said when asked by host Chris Ryan about his plans once his tenure as transportation secretary sunsets on Jan. 20.

Buttigieg said he and his spouse, Chasten, “are ready to spend a little time together. I’m ready to be around our three-year-old twins a little more, and I’m determined not to make any life decisions too quickly in the new year.”

VANCE IN ‘CATBIRD SEAT,’ BUT HERE ARE THE OTHER REPUBLICANS WHO MAY ALSO RUN IN 2028 

“But I will find ways to make myself useful, and maybe that’s running for office, and maybe that’s not. I’ll take the next few weeks and months to work through that,” Buttigieg shared.

And he emphasized that “I know what I care about. I care about how communities, like the place where I grew up, find a better future. I care about how to make sure technology makes us all better off and not worse off. I care about how the infrastructure issues and opportunities I’ve worked on can develop. I care about public service. I care about our democracy, and I will find ways to work on that, whatever shape that might take.”

President Joe Biden speaks alongside Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (left) during a briefing on Hurricane Helene response and recovery efforts, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on October 1, 2024, in Washington, D.C.  (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Buttigieg, a former naval intelligence officer who deployed to the war in Afghanistan and who served eight years as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was a longshot when he launched his 2020 presidential campaign. 

But his campaign caught fire, and he narrowly edged Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont to win the Iowa caucuses before coming in close second to Sanders in the New Hampshire presidential primary. But Buttigieg, along with the rest of the Democratic field, dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden as the former vice president won the South Carolina primary in a landslide, swept the Super Tuesday contests and eventually clinched the nomination before winning the White House.

WHAT RNC CHAIR WHATLEY TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT THE 2028 GOP PRESIDENITAL PRIMARY

During his tenure as Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg has made a handful of official visits to New Hampshire, most recently earlier this year. And two years ago, in a political trip, he headlined the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s major autumn fundraising gala.

Asked in the interview whether he’ll be returning to the Granite State in the near future, he quipped, “I’m sure I’ll turn up before too long.”

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg addresses the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s Eleanor Roosevelt Dinner, which is the state party’s largest annual fundraising event, on Sept. 24, 2022, in Manchester, N.H. (New Hampshire Democratic Party)

Buttigieg, in recent years, has also made regular appearances on the Fox News Channel to highlight the Biden administration’s efforts. This year, he served as a high-profile surrogate on Fox News and elsewhere across the media landscape for Biden, and later for Vice President Kamala Harris, on the campaign trail.

After his 2020 presidential campaign, Buttiegieg moved from red-state Indiana to neighboring Michigan, which is a key battleground, and now calls Traverse City, Michigan, home.

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In recent weeks, Buttigieg has fielded calls by some Michigan Democrats urging him to consider a 2026 run for governor, to succeed Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is term-limited.

“I haven’t made any decisions about, big decisions about my future,” Buttigieg told reporters earlier this month in Detroit, in a line that he would repeat in this week’s New Hampshire radio interview.

FIRST ON FOX: The House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released a more than 17,000-page report detailing its work this Congress, touting their success in protecting Americans against censorship of speech and the weaponization of federal law enforcement agencies, Fox News Digital has learned. 

Fox News Digital obtained the 17,019-page report compiled by the subcommittee, which falls under the House Judiciary Committee, led by Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. 

“The Weaponization Committee conducted rigorous oversight of the Biden-Harris administrations weaponized government and uncovered numerous examples of federal government abuses,” Jordan told Fox News Digital. “Through our oversight, we protected the First Amendment by investigating the censorship-industrial-complex, heard from numerous brave whistleblowers, stopped the targeting of Americans by the IRS and Department of Justice, and created serious legislative and policy changes that will benefit all Americans.” 

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. (Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The report, first obtained by Fox News Digital, states that the “founding documents of the United States articulate the ideals of the American republic and guarantee to all American citizens fundamental rights and liberties. 

“For too long, however, the American people have faced a two-tiered system of government—one of favorable treatment for the politically-favored class, and one of intimidation and unfairness for the rest of American citizens,” it continues. “Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the contrast between these two tiers has become even more stark.” 

HOUSE WEAPONIZATION COMMITTEE: BIDEN ADMIN ‘COLLUDED’ WITH BIG TECH, ‘FACILITATED THE CENSORSHIP OF AMERICANS’

The committee was created to “stand up for the American people,” the report says, highlighting its work to “bring abuses by the federal government into the light for the American people and ensure that Congress, as their elected representatives, can take action to remedy them.” 

The mission of the subcommittee was to “protect and strengthen the fundamental rights of the American people,” the report said, noting that by investigating, uncovering and documenting executive branch misconduct, lawmakers on the panel have taken “important steps to ensure that the federal government no longer works against the American people.” 

“This work is not complete, but it is a necessary first step to stop the weaponization of the federal government,” the report states. 

The committee, from its inception, says it has been working to protect free speech and expand upon the constitutional protections of the First Amendment. 

JORDAN SUBPOENAS BIG TECH CEOS FOR RECORDS ON ‘COLLUSION’ WITH BIDEN ADMIN TO ‘SUPPRESS FREE SPEECH’

“Throughout the Biden-Harris administration, multiple federal agencies, including the White House, have engaged in a vast censorship campaign against so-called mis-, dis-, or malinformation,” the report states, noting that the subcommittee revealed the extent of the “censorship-industrial complex,” and detailed how the federal government and law enforcement coordinated with academics, nonprofits, and other private entities to censor speech online.” 

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, leaves the Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The panel is touting its work, saying its oversight has “had a real effect in expanding the First Amendment.” 

“In a Supreme Court dissent, three justices noted how the Select Subcommittee’s investigation revealed that ‘valuable speech was..suppressed,’” the report states. 

BIDEN CAMPAIGN, BLINKEN ORCHESTRATED INTEL LETTER TO DISCREDIT HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY, EX-CIA OFFICIAL SAYS

And in a letter to the subcommittee, Facebook and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted that the Biden-Harris administration “pressured” Facebook to censor Americans. 

“Facebook gave in to this pressure, demoting posts and content that was highly relevant to political discourse in the United States,” the report states. 

And in another win for the subcommittee, in response to its work, universities and other groups shut down their “disinformation” research, and federal agencies “slowed their communications with Big Tech.” 

MUSK PROVES HUNTER BIDEN CENSORSHIP CAME FROM COLLUSION AMONG BIDEN CAMPAIGN, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND TWITTER

The committee also celebrated a “big win” in October after it prevented the creation of a new “GARM,” an advertising association that engaged in censorship and boycotts of conservative media companies. The committee revealed, before it was disbanded, that GARM had been discussing ways to ensure conservative news outlets and platforms could not receive advertising dollars and were engaged in boycotts of conservative voices and Twitter once it became “X” under the ownership of Elon Musk. 

Meanwhile, the subcommittee also investigated the alleged weaponization of federal law enforcement resources. 

In speaking with a number of whistleblowers, the subcommittee learned of waste, fraud and abuse at the FBI. 

“When these whistleblowers came forward, the bureau brutally retaliated against many of them for breaking ranks—suspending them without pay, preventing them from seeking outside employment, and even purging suspected disloyal employees,” the report states, noting that the subcommittee revealed that the FBI “abused its security clearance adjudication process to target whistleblowers.” 

The report references the FBI’s response, in which the bureau admitted its “error” and reinstated the security clearance of one decorated FBI employee. 

FBI INTERVIEWED PRIEST, CHURCH CHOIR DIRECTOR AHEAD OF ANTI-CATHOLIC MEMO, HOUSE GOP FINDS

The subcommittee also was tasked with investigating the executive branch’s actions in “intruding and interfering with Americans’ constitutionally protected activity.” 

For example, the subcommittee revealed “and stopped” the FBI’s effort to target Catholic Americans because of their religious views; detailed the DOJ’s directives to target parents at school board meetings; stopped the Internal Revenue Service from making “unannounced visits to American taxpayers’ homes;” caused the DOJ to change its internal policies to “respect the separation of powers and limit subpoenas for Legislative Branch employees; and highlighted the “vast warrantless surveillance of Americans by federal law enforcement.” 

The panel also investigated the federal government’s election interference, highlighting the FBI’s “fervent efforts to ‘prebunk’ a story about the Biden family’s influence peddling scheme in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election.” 

CIA ‘MAY HAVE ASSISTED IN OBTAINING SIGNATORIES’ FOR LETTER DISCREDITING HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP: HOUSE GOP REPORT

The panel also investigated and demonstrated how the 2020 Biden campaign “colluded with the intelligence community to falsely discredit this story as ‘Russian disinformation.’”

The report includes a list of hearings the subcommittee held, letters sent by the subcommittee and subpoenas issued by the panel.

It also includes depositions and transcribed interviews conducted by the subcommittee. The subcommittee conducted 99 depositions and transcribed interviews during this Congress.

Depositions and interviews included in the massive report are of former FBI officials and CIA officials, like former Director John Brennan, former prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office involved in the original hush money probe against President Trump, Mark Pomerantz, and interviews with Facebook, Meta and Google officials.

EXCLUSIVE: A conservative legal watchdog is expected to file a brief with a Kentucky court to urge a judge against blessing a consent decree forged by Attorney General Merrick Garland and the city of Louisville and Jefferson County, Ky., that would reform police practices after the controversial 2020 death of Breonna Taylor.

The Oversight Project is placing its amicus brief on the docket of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on Friday morning as a judge prepares a schedule to rule on activating the agreement.

Oversight Project Executive Director Mike Howell said the consent decree includes a “laundry list of BLM-type standards that have been argued for over the years since George Floyd[‘s death in 2020]” and the riots that followed.

“Louisville would be a sanctuary city for gangbangers,” Howell warned, adding he hopes Friday’s addition to the docket gives the court pause before agreeing to any accelerated timeline for approval.

PROPOSED CHICAGO POLICE RESOURCE CUTS COULD LAND CITY IN COURT UNDER CONSENT DECREE, OFFICIALS WARN

Taylor was killed in a hail of police gunfire after Louisville officers sought to serve a drug warrant at her boyfriend Kenneth Walker’s house, when her beau fired a “warning shot” through the door and struck Officer Jonathan Mattingly in the leg.

A hail of return fire followed, fatally wounding Taylor, and five officers were later involved in legal cases where one was found guilty of deprivation of rights under the color of law for reportedly firing blindly through a window amid the chaos.

Walker later alleged he mistook the police for intruders and did not hear them announce themselves. Louisville wound up paying Taylor’s family $12 million in a wrongful death settlement.

Last week, Garland announced the consent decree with Louisville, saying it will bring about needed systemic reforms to policing to prevent a repeat of what happened to Taylor.

Howell said, however, that the decree will only hamstring the police department and also defy the will of Kentucky voters who elected new Republicans on the Louisville council on the issue of law and order.

“[The decree] basically limits the ability for officers to react quickly and in a strong way. It’s very heavy on the de-escalation techniques, particularly as it relates to this category of people who they call ‘behaviorally impaired’ or something to that effect,” Howell said.

BIDEN ADMIN HIT WITH FOIA SEEKING 25TH AMENDMENT-RELATED COMMS

Howell said there is concern over the spiking teenage murder rate – violence committed by suspects aged 11-17 – and that the decree wrongly imposes new standards for dealing with youth offenders as well as stop-and-frisk restrictions.

One of the most glaring issues with the agreement is the fact Louisville councilmen, Kentucky lawmakers and the general public will all be prevented from making further adjustments to policing policies for five years, if the judge signs the decree.

In a consent decree system, an official monitor appointed by the judge, and not the relevant legislature, is the arbiter of policies that fall under said agreement unless both parties that forged it agree to change them.

Howell said, in that regard, the Biden Justice Department and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, a Democrat, appear to be rushing through the legal process to head off the likelihood a Trump Justice Department will balk at the agreement.

“The most basic responsibility of government is to keep our people safe while protecting constitutional rights and treating everyone fairly,” Greenberg said in a statement about the decree. “As mayor, I promised to uphold that responsibility, and I have.”

“The Department of Justice saw the action we’ve already taken and our commitment to aggressively implement police reform. As a result of these improvements, we have a consent decree unlike any other city in America.”

Greenberg said any decree must build on reforms made in recent years, cannot “handcuff police as they work to prevent crime” and also be financially responsible and have a clear sunset date.

“I felt comfortable signing this because our officers will have clear guidance and goals to meet, the DOJ can’t move the goalposts, and our officers can focus on good police work, not paperwork,” added Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey.

The Oversight Project’s amicus brief is backed by law enforcement advocacy leaders like Jason Johnson, president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund.

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Johnson, whose group promotes constitutional policing and studies similar consent decrees, told Fox News Digital it’s clear the Biden DOJ realizes such an agreement would be “D.O.A.” when President-elect Donald Trump assumes the Oval Office. 

“Most of these police consent decrees are more of an activist wish list than effective means to remedy constitutional violations by police agencies. The Justice Department is trying to impose burdensome rules that far exceed their authority under law,” Johnson said.

He suggested that technical assistance letters, which aim to encourage reforms without imposing a judicial arbiter, are generally preferred in most cases.

“But, the activist lawyers in the Biden administration prefer to use a sledgehammer instead of a scalpel. This approach has proven counterproductive time and again — hurting public safety, police morale, and police-community relations more than it helps.”

Meanwhile, Howell said he hopes the Kentucky judge will see that Greenberg and Garland are trying to “turn him into a legislature” when it comes to law enforcement practices.

Under the consent decree system, the policy changes will be untouchable by a more hawkish Trump DOJ for up to five years, rendering the new administration’s predicted actions in the law enforcement realm moot in Louisville.

Criminals will likely endorse the decree, he said, as they will use the encyclopedia of new policing standards to their benefit.

President-elect Donald Trump filed an amicus brief late Thursday in support of a legal effort by Texas and Missouri to “immediately” stop the Biden administration’s sale of border wall materials, saying the action is “possibly criminal.” 

Texas and Missouri filed a motion earlier this week in a district court in the southern district of Texas to hold a status conference to determine if the government is in breach of the court’s permanent injunction from earlier this year. That injunction barred the Biden administration from using funds obligated for wall construction for anything other than that purpose. 

‘PATTERN OF DISREGARD’: RED STATES SEEK COURT ACTION AGAINST BIDEN ADMIN’S ‘SHAMEFUL’ BORDER WALL DISPOSAL

“The Court should issue an order directing the Defendants to immediately stop any ongoing sale of border-barrier materials to private parties pending the Court’s review of Defendant’s conduct, and the Court should swiftly conduct a searching examination of the Government’s conduct, by formal discovery if necessary, to examine the Government’s compliance with the law, the Constitution, and the Court’s injunction,” Trump’s amicus brief states. 

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort on Dec. 16, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The Biden administration has been auctioning off border wall parts since at least 2023 with parts listed for sale on auction marketplaces, after it abruptly shut down most border wall construction in 2021.

Those auctions have continued, with border officials telling Fox that auctions now occur weekly and have been for some time. But the practice made news last week when The Daily Wire published video showing parts being transported, and cited Border Patrol agents who said the goal was to clear it out before Christmas.

Trump’s amicus brief states that if officials in the Biden administration are “deliberately selling off border-wall materials at a major financial loss to the Government to obstruct the pro-wall policy of Congress and President Trump, such conduct likely constitutes a criminal act, such as a conspiracy to defraud the United States.” 

“At the very least, the reported conduct raises troubling concerns of potentially criminal behavior,” the filing states. 

GOP SENATOR MOVES TO BLOCK FEDS FROM DISPOSING OF BORDER WALL MATERIALS AMID AUCTION BACKLASH 

A defense official told Fox News last week that the Pentagon has been disposing of excess wall construction in accordance with the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which required the defense secretary to submit a plan to use, transfer or donate all remaining wall material purchased with Pentagon funds. That plan was submitted in March.

The official said border states, including Texas, were first offered that material for purchase before auction. The official also said the materials no longer belong to the U.S. government, adding the Defense Department has no legal authority to recall the material or stop further resale of it.

“Through our reutilization, transfer and donation process, nearly 60% of those materials were transferred to authorized recipients, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the states of Texas and California,” the official said. “The remaining 40% was sold to GovPlanet under a competitive sales contract process beginning in June 2024. The material currently being sold through GovPlanet online auctions no longer belongs to the U.S. Government, and DOD has no legal authority to recall the material or stop further resale of material it no longer owns.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

But those statements have not stopped the outrage from Republicans, who see the auctions as a move to stop the Trump administration from building the wall. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., introduced legislation this week to put a halt to the auctions.

Trump, meanwhile, said on Monday he had been working with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and others to acquire the materials.

This March 2, 2019, file photo, shows a Customs and Border Control agent patrolling on the U.S. side of a razor-wire-covered border wall along the Mexico border east of Nogales, Ariz. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

“What they’re doing is really an act, it’s almost a criminal act,” he said. “They know we’re going to use it, and if we don’t have it, we’re going to have to rebuild it. And it’ll cost double what it cost years ago, and that’s hundreds of millions of dollars because you’re talking about a lot of, a lot of wall.”

Paxton said in a statement that Texas is going to court to “prevent any border security materials from being unlawfully sold and to find out the truth about what the federal government may be doing to subvert border wall construction.”

‘STANDING BY TO HELP’: RED STATE REVEALS PLAN TO PURCHASE AUCTIONED BORDER WALL MATERIALS TO STORE FOR TRUMP

“President Trump has an overwhelming mandate from the American people to build the wall and I will do everything in my power to prevent any acts of sabotage by the outgoing administration,” he said.

Texas has said it intends to do all it can to help the incoming administration build the wall at the southern border when Trump enters office.

“The Biden Administration’s latest attempt to block Texas and President-Elect Donald Trump’s efforts to secure the southern border is downright shameful and demonstrates a continued pattern of disregard for the safety of Texas and American families in favor of increasingly disastrous open border policies,” Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Officials said this week they intend to purchase the auctioned off materials, and Buckingham said she intends to store it on state land for the new administration.

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“I made a promise to use every tool at my disposal from the GLO to secure our border and protect Texans,” Buckingham said in the statement to Fox. “That is why I have offered state leaders and President-Elect Donald Trump the opportunity to store any wall panels his incoming administration may acquire on state land. I will never give up the fight to secure our porous southern border and protect our sons and daughters from violent, criminal illegal immigrants.”

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report. 

Top Senate Democrats Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., made clear they only intend to move forward on the original stopgap spending bill plan that Republicans scrapped after pressure from billionaire Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump.

Murray said she is prepared for a partial government shutdown and to stay in Washington D.C., for the Christmas holiday if Republicans do not return to the original short-term spending bill that was released earlier this week and subsequently killed after Musk and others publicly opposed its provisions.

“I’m ready to stay here through Christmas because we’re not going to let Elon Musk run the government,” she said in a Friday morning statement, hours before the government could be sent into a partial shutdown if a bill is not passed. 

TIM SCOTT’S SENATE CAMPAIGN ARM STAFF REVEALED AHEAD OF CRUCIAL 2026 SWING STATE RACES

Top Democrats signaled unwillingness to move forward on any other GOP versions of a stopgap bill. (Reuters)

As of Thursday, the U.S. national debt was at $36,167,604,149,955.61 and continues to climb rapidly. 

“Put simply, we should not let an unelected billionaire rip away research for pediatric cancer so he can get a tax cut or tear down policies that help America outcompete China because it could hurt his bottom line. We had a bipartisan deal-we should stick to it,” Murray said. 

In floor remarks on Friday morning, Schumer said, “if Republicans do not work with Democrats in a bipartisan way very soon, the government will shut down at midnight.”

“It’s time to go back to the original agreement we had just a few days ago. It’s time the House votes on our bipartisan CR. It’s the quickest, simplest and easiest way we can make sure the government stays open while delivering critical emergency aid to the American people.”

He also said that if Speaker Mike Johnson were to put the original bill on the House floor for a vote, “it would pass, and we could put the threat of a shutdown behind us.”

‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ CAUCUS LAUNCHED BY SEN MARSHALL AFTER RFK JR MEETING

Musk eviscerated the original bill on social media. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Murray added, “The deal that was already agreed to would responsibly fund the government, offer badly needed disaster relief to communities across America, and deliver some good bipartisan policy reforms. The American people do not want chaos or a costly government shutdown all because an unelected billionaire wants to call the shots — I am ready to work with Republicans and Democrats to pass the bipartisan deal both sides negotiated as soon as possible.” 

After Musk and conservatives railed against the 1,547-page bill, President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance ultimately condemned it as well, killing whatever chance it had left. 

Murray’s Friday statement came shortly after it was revealed that House Republicans were planning a new continuing resolution (CR) vote in the morning on a different proposal. It’s unclear whether negotiations are taking place across party lines or bicamerally, however. 

DOGE CAUCUS LEADER JONI ERNST EYES RELOCATION OUT OF DC FOR THIRD OF FEDERAL WORKERS

Trump pinned any shutdown on Biden. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told reporters Friday morning that House Republicans were “very close to a deal” and that a vote could happen in the morning.

However, if that deal is not the original stopgap spending bill, it sounds like Murray and Democrats in the Senate would be prepared to oppose it. 

Murray also isn’t the only one who says they are prepared to let the government’s funding expire before the holiday. Several Republicans have expressed their willingness to let it shut down if Republicans aren’t able to get a better deal. 

PETE HEGSETH SAYS HE HASN’T HEARD FROM WEST POINT SINCE EMPLOYEE ‘ERROR’ DENYING HIS ACCEPTANCE

Murray blasted Elon Musk’s involvement. (REUTERS/Jon Cherry)

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Trump himself wrote on Truth Social Friday morning, “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP.’ This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!”

Congress must pass a measure, and it must be signed by President Biden by midnight on Saturday morning in order to avoid a partial shutdown. 

The House is planning to vote on another CR proposal Friday morning to avert the looming partial government shutdown, a GOP lawmaker told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., speaking to reporters outside Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, said lawmakers are “very close to a deal” and that a vote could be held at 10 a.m. Friday.

“I do not believe the government is going to be shutting down. You guys will see some great stuff, very similar to President Trump’s plan yesterday,” the congresswoman said.

TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., attends a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing in Rayburn Building on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Luna also added that “there will be no deals with the Democrats.”

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Legislation to avoid a partial government shutdown that was backed by Trump failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday night. The bill needed two-thirds of the House chamber to pass but failed to even net a majority, with two Democrats voting with the majority of Republicans to pass the bill and 38 GOP lawmakers against.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, predicted that House Speaker Mike Johnson would not retain the gavel next year and called for either Elon Musk or Vivek Ramaswamy to fill the leadership role.

“I don’t think the speaker is going to remain in power,” Lee predicted during a Thursday night appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

The senator went on to say if he is correct, the next speaker should be a “DOGE speaker,” a reference to the Department of Governmental Efficiency. President-elect Donald Trump tapped Musk and Ramaswamy to lead the effort to advocate for reduced government spending.

“Vivek, Elon if you’re watching, please sign up, America needs you,” Lee said.

TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FAILS HOUSE VOTE

Sen Mike Lee, R-Utah, speaks during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump at Findlay Toyota Center on Oct. 13, 2024 in Prescott Valley, Arizona. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

In a Thursday morning post on X, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had floated the idea of Musk for House speaker.

“Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it .  . . nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds),” Paul posted Thursday morning.

This week, with the prospect of a potential partial government shutdown looming, conservatives railed against a 1,547-page government spending measure advocated by House Speaker Mike Johnson. 

President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance also weighed in, declaring in a statement, “Republicans want to support our farmers, pay for disaster relief, and set our country up for success in 2025. The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling.”

Before a vote on Thursday, in which 38 House Republicans and most Democrats rejected a reworked proposal with a much lower page count, Trump lambasted Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., claiming that the lawmaker was “getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory – All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself.”

“Weak and ineffective people like Chip have to be dismissed as being utterly unknowledgeable as to the ways of politics, and as to Making America Great Again,” Trump asserted in a Truth Social post.

TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort on Dec. 16, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Lee spoke highly of Roy after Trump trashed the Lone Star State lawmaker.

“There is not a more faithful advocate of conservative policy, constitutionally limited government, or MAGA principles than @ChipRoyTX,” Lee declared in a post on X. “President Trump will not have a more principled, hardworking ally than @ChipRoyTX,” he added. “If a more devoted advocate for the Constitution exists today, I have not met that person.”

Roy delivered a fiery speech ahead of the vote on Thursday, in which he blasted the new version of the spending proposal and the Republicans supporting it.

“Yes, I think this bill is better than it was yesterday on certain respects,” Roy noted, adding that to “congratulate yourself because it’s shorter in pages but increases the debt by $5 trillion is asinine.”

Roy said he was “sickened by a party that campaigns on fiscal responsibility and has the temerity” to suggest the proposal was “fiscally responsible. It is absolutely ridiculous,” he asserted.

Sen. Paul, R-Ky., reposted a clip of Roy’s speech, and commented, “We are either fiscally conservative or not. An unlimited increase in the debt ceiling for 2 years is not fiscally conservative and should be rejected.”

MASSIE COMES OUT AGAINST JOHNSON RETAINING SPEAKER’S GAVEL: ‘HE DOES NOT HAVE MY VOTE’

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tx., speaks to the media after the House of Representatives failed to pass a government funding bill at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 19, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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In a post on X, Roy noted, “Currently, I’m against raising the debt ceiling without major spending cuts/reform.”

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who like Roy, voted against passing the spending proposal on Thursday, suggested that instead of voting on a catchall measure, there should be multiple measures that receive individual votes.

“This isn’t complicated. Separate the bills and vote on them individually. one vote on the clean CR one vote on the debt limit one vote on disaster relief one vote on farm bailouts Radical right? Individual bills for each issue,” he posted.

Lee agreed with him. 

“Separate the bills,” he wrote. “Vote on them individually,” he added. “Revolutionary!”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in New York arrested a Mexican-born illegal immigrant who sexually abused a child after being removed from the country five times.

According to ICE, the criminal immigrant, 36-year-old Raymond Rojas Basilio, sexually abused an 11-year-old child in the U.S.

Rojas committed this crime after being removed from the country five times and then re-entering once again on an unknown date and at an unknown location, without admission by an immigration official.

The New York Police Department arrested Rojas on Aug. 28, 2023. He was then convicted of forcible touching of the intimate parts of an 11-year-old victim by the Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Sept. 20, 2024. The court sentenced him to 60 days of incarceration and six years’ probation and required him to register as a sex offender.

DRUNK IMMIGRANT KILLED 7 YEAR OLD MONTHS AFTER HE WAS RELEASED FROM ICE DETAINER

D.C. police arrest 14-year-old, 16-year-old in connection with robbery that left DJ dead. (iStock)

New York ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents then arrested Rojas outside his residence in Queens on Dec. 17.

U.S. Border Patrol first arrested Rojas, following three separate attempts to unlawfully enter the U.S. near Douglas, Arizona, in May 2002.

Border protection officials then arrested Rojas again on Jan. 6, 2012, at Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, when he attempted to enter the country using a fake Arizona Driver’s License and U.S. birth certificate. Just days later, on Jan. 11, border authorities again removed Rojas after he attempted to enter the country using fraudulent documents at another port of entry in Nogales.   

New York ICE Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo commented on the arrest, saying: “This criminal has repeatedly shown he has absolutely no regard for our nation’s laws, as evidenced by his repeated attempts to unlawfully or fraudulently enter the United States.”

ICE NABS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN ALASKA, WASHINGTON STATE, OREGON, TEXAS WITH CONVICTIONS FOR CHILD EXPLOITATION

Dec. 5, 2023: Migrants flee through a gap being repaired in the border wall in Lukeville, Arizona. (Fox News)

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“As this case illustrates, it only takes one successful unlawful entry to do irreparable harm to a member of our community,” he continued.

He said that local “non-cooperation policies” in place had prevented ICE from taking immediate custody of Rojas following his sentencing by the Brooklyn court. 

“However, due to the diligence of our officers, ERO New York City was able to rapidly apprehend this public safety threat before he could harm any other New Yorkers,” said Genalo.

According to the statement, Rojas is currently in ICE custody pending removal to Mexico. 

A bill to avert a partial government shutdown that was backed by President-elect Donald Trump failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday night, pushing Congress closer to a government shutdown. 

The bill, which had won the approval of President-elect Donald Trump, still lost the approval of 38 Republicans. 

The deal roundly lost 235 to 174, scoring only 2 Democratic ‘yes’ votes and 197 Democratic nos. 

President-elect Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) are struggling to prevent a government shutdown. (Getty Images)

It comes after two days of chaos in Congress as lawmakers fought among themselves about a path forward on government spending – a fight joined by Trump and his allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Meanwhile, the national debt has climbed to over $36 trillion, and the national deficit is over $1.8 trillion.

The new deal also includes several key policies unrelated to keeping the government open, but the 116-page bill is much narrower than its 1,547-page predecessor.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks with former president Donald Trump during a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa.  (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

‘HELL NO’: HOUSE DEMS ERUPT OVER GOP SPENDING DEAL

Like the initial bill, the new iteration extended the government funding deadline through March 14 while also suspending the debt limit – something Trump had pushed for. It also included $110 billion in disaster relief and a farm bill extension. 

“Why would we give Joe Biden more money this late in his administration?” said Rep. Bob Good, D-Va., after the vote. “The money intended for disaster victims should have been paid for, there should have been offsets. 

The Democrats who voted ‘yes’ on the legislation were Reps. Kathy Castor, Fla., and Marie Gleusenkamp Perez, Wash. 

Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy (Left: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Right: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Here’s a list of all the Republicans who voted ‘no’ on the legislation: 

Rep. Aaron Bean, Fla. 

Rep. Andy Biggs, Ariz.

Rep. Josh Brecheen, Okla.

Rep. Tim Burchett, Tenn.

Rep. Eric Burlison, Mo.

Rep. Kat Cammack, Fla. 

Rep. Michael Cloud, Texas

Rep. Andrew Clyde, Va.

Rep. Eli Crane, Ariz. 

Rep. John Curtis, Utah 

Rep. Jeff Duncan, S.C. 

Rep. Russ Fulcher, Idaho

Rep. Bob Good, Va. 

Rep. Paul Gosar, Ariz. 

Rep. Doug Lamborn, Colo.

Rep. Debbie Lesko, Ariz. 

Rep. Nancy Mace, S.C. 

Rep. Thomas Massie, Ky. 

Rep. Rich McCormick, Ga. 

Rep. Corey Mills, Fla. 

Rep. Alex Mooney, W. Va. 

Rep. Ralph Norman, S.C. 

Rep. Scott Perry, Pa. 

Rep. Chip Roy, Texas 

Rep. David Schweikert, Ariz. 

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Rep. Keith Self, Texas 

Rep. Victoria Spartz, Ind. 

Rep. Tom Tiffany, Wis. 

Rep. Beth Van Duyne, Texas