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Lawyers for Venezuelan men facing deportation told the Supreme Court on Monday that the Trump administration is defying its order by failing to give proper notice, violating their due process rights under the Constitution. 

The Supreme Court issued a ruling in a separate case on April 7, allowing the Trump administration to continue its deportations under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA), proving a significant victory for President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. The justices noted that the deportations could continue so long as the AEA detainees received proper notice. 

“More specifically, in this context, AEA detainees must receive notice after the date of this order that they are subject to removal under the Act,” the opinion reads. “The notice must be afforded within a reasonable time and in such a manner as will allow them to actually seek habeas relief in the proper venue before such removal occurs.”

Due process is a constitutional principle that ensures fairness in legal and administrative proceedings, which includes giving proper notice and an opportunity to be heard in a timely manner by an impartial tribunal. The Supreme Court pointed to Reno v. Flores, a 1993 Supreme Court case, in writing, ‘”It is well established that the Fifth Amendment entitles aliens to due process of law’ in the context of removal proceedings.”

GORSUCH, ROBERTS SIDE WITH LEFT-LEANING SUPREME COURT JUSTICES IN IMMIGRATION RULING

Attorneys representing a group of Venezuelan men fighting deportation and who are currently being held in Texas alleged to the Supreme Court on Monday that the Trump administration was not providing proper notice in contradiction to the high court’s order instructing them to do so.  (Getty Images)

“So, the detainees are entitled to notice and opportunity to be heard ‘appropriate to the nature of the case,’” the Court wrote, citing another Supreme Court precedent.  

Former Palm Beach County, Florida, state attorney Dave Aronberg told Fox News Digital the high court has purposefully avoided “precise language” when issuing such opinions, leaving the lower courts to concretely delineate what proper due process looks like in these cases. 

“Chief Justice [John] Roberts is trying to get unanimity within the Supreme Court,” Aronberg said. “He wants everyone on the same page. And he also wants to avoid a constitutional crisis with the executive branch. So with all these competing interests in mind, he’s trying to be more conciliatory than confrontational with the White House. But that can only go so far.”

Aronberg said that “we may see stronger language going forward from the high court” as the legal challenges proceed. 

TWO FEDERAL JUDGES MAY HOLD TRUMP IN CONTEMPT AS HE DEFIES COURTS IN IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN

In its Monday filing, plaintiff attorneys argued the notice given to the detainees was “inadequate” in light of the high court’s order. 

The attorneys wrote that the notice provided was in English, “even though putative class members largely speak only Spanish,” and that it “did not inform” the individuals about how to contest their designation and removal under the AEA, or provide a timeline on how to do so. 

The Supreme Court issued a ruling in a separate case on April 7, allowing the Trump administration to continue its deportations under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.  (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

They argued the notice provided “comes nowhere near satisfying the Court’s directive” issued on April 7. 

“Whatever due process may require in this context, it does not allow removing a person to a possible life sentence without trial, in a prison known for torture and other abuse, a mere 24 hours after providing an English-only notice form (not provided to any attorney) that gives no information about the person’s right to seek judicial review, much less the process or timeline for doing so,” the filing reads. 

DETAINED MIGRANTS GIVEN AS FEW AS 12 HOURS TO CONTEST DEPORTATION UNDER ALIEN ENEMIES ACT, ICE DOCUMENT SAYS

“The government cannot plausibly claim that 12 hours is sufficient notice, which could be the reason they tried to keep it from the public and other courts addressing the notice issue, including the U.S. Supreme Court,” ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, lead counsel in the case, told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

Lora Ries, Director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that she expects these deportation cases to “bounce up and down the court system” as litigants work within the confines the Supreme Court specified in its April 7 opinion. 

“For now, the Supreme Court is relying on, if there’s going to be a habeas suit, it’s going to be in the U.S. District Court and then that judge is going to have to rule,” Ries explained. “And I’m sure there will be appeals and some or all of it may end up back at the Supreme Court.”

Lora Ries, Director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that she expects these deportation cases to “bounce up and down the court system” as litigants work within the confines the Supreme Court specified in its April 7 opinion. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Aronberg noted that due process procedures may vary across the district courts as they juggle the various lawsuits. However, both he and Ries said the issue will likely end up in the high court’s hands once again. 

“It is possible that some courts require notice to be in writing and in the native language of the deportee, whereas others could possibly accept less stringent notice requirements,” Aronberg said. “Ultimately, it will lead back to the Supreme Court to dictate what is required.”

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Ries also said that proceedings will differ in non-AEA cases, saying individuals sought to be removed in those contexts would undergo different types of removals. 

“Immigration proceedings are civil proceedings. So you are not innocent until proven guilty,” Ries said. “It doesn’t apply here. You don’t have a right to a public defender. You can have a deportation immigration attorney, but you, the taxpayer, is not paying for it like a public defender.”

Fox News’ Shannon Bream, Bill Mears and Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., posted a campaign-style video on social media this week that sparked rumors about her political future. But conservatives quickly struck up a different conversation when she claimed, “We are one,” after years of criticism for playing identity politics. 

“Don’t let them trick us into thinking we are enemies. Don’t let them trick us into thinking we can be separated into rural and urban, Black and white and Latina. We are one,” Cortez said in the video that’s amassed over 7 million views. 

While Ocasio-Cortez seems to imply Republicans are seeking to divide America based on race, the four-term New York congresswoman has a long track record of invoking race in politics. 

The words highlighted in Ocasio-Cortez’s video this week spotlight a fixture of her developing stump speech to record-setting crowds alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. The progressive Democrat has often argued that Republicans weaponize racial resentment to halt Democratic progress. 

‘WE ARE ONE’: AOC CAMPAIGN VIDEO SWIRLS 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RUMORS

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., sparked rumors she could be considering a run for president in 2028 after posting a campaign-style video on social media.  (Steven Ferdman/GC Images)

“The only chance they have to get away with such an unpopular and hurtful agenda is to stoke deep divisions along race, identity and culture to keep us fighting and distracted,” she said at a rally in Boise, Idaho, earlier this month. 

POLLSTER NATE SILVER CALLS OCASIO-CORTEZ MOST LIKELY TO BE 2028 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Ocasio-Cortez told The Independent that “as an elected official, who is a prominent woman of color, I’ve seen a lot,” adding that Vice President Kamala Harris has her own experience with misogyny and racism. 

“I think we brace ourselves for some of the unfair misogynistic and racial undertones, overtones, explicit attacks on implicit attacks that she may be subjected to, and it’s important for us to keep our eyes open for what is fair, but also what is unfair,” she said. 

Since Ocasio-Cortez was elected in 2018 to represent parts of Queens and the Bronx in the U.S. House of Representatives, unseating a 10-term incumbent, she has framed her success as shattering barriers to gender and racial justice in the United States. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., arrives to speak during a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour event at Arizona State University March 20, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

During her victory speech in Queens in November 2018, Ocasio-Cortez noted she was the “first person of color to ever represent” New York’s 14th Congressional District, which she said was 70% people of color, half of them working class. 

Then the youngest congresswoman, Ocasio-Cortez said she was mistaken for an intern or a spouse and used the opportunity to spotlight the bias against her, posting on social media, “Next time try believing women + people of color when they talk about their experiences being a woman or person of color.”​

Jussie Smollett, a Black and gay actor, falsely claimed in January 2019 that he was attacked by two men at 2 a.m. on a cold Chicago night and said the men yelled he was in “MAGA country,” used racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an “unknown substance” on him. 

Smollet was sentenced in 2022 for faking a hate crime and lying to the Chicago Police about it. Smollett received support of several Democrats before his allegations were debunked, including Ocasio-Cortez, who said it was “a racist and homophobic attack,” while urging Americans to work to change what is “happening to our country.” Ocasio-Cortez deleted her pro-Smollett tweet when he was convicted of staging the crime. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., listens to the testimony of the witnesses during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing with Sanctuary City Mayors on Capitol Hill March 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP)

During a “60 Minutes” interview in 2019, Ocasio-Cortez labeled President Donald Trump “racist.” 

Later that year, Ocasio-Cortez accused former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of unfairly singling out the freshmen progressive “Squad,” calling it an “explicit singling out of newly elected women of color.”​

She later clarified that she wasn’t calling Pelosi racist but maintained that women of color were disproportionately targeted.

But Ocasio-Cortez didn’t hold back in her racist allegations when Trump said the “Squad” should “go back” to other countries. 

“We don’t leave the things that we love. When we love this country, what that means is we propose the solutions to fix it,” she said at a press conference. She later said on social media it was the “hallmark language of white supremacists,” warning, “Trump feels comfortable leading the GOP into outright racism.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., acknowledge a cheering crowd during a “Fighting Oligarchy” event in Los Angeles April 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

During the pandemic in 2020, Ocasio-Cortez said on social media, “COVID deaths are disproportionately spiking in Black + Brown communities,” adding, “the chronic toll of redlining, environmental racism, wealth gap, etc. ARE underlying health conditions,” tying health disparities to racial injustice. 

After the attacks on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram Live she “didn’t even feel safe around other members of Congress”​ and added that she avoided hiding during the attack where “there were QAnon and white supremacist sympathizers, and frankly white supremacist members of Congress in that extraction point”​

And in the aftermath of a shooting at a Buffalo supermarket in a predominately Black neighborhood, she said in a post, “White supremacy has cost countless lives from El Paso to Mother Emanuel and now Buffalo. Our hearts break for the victims. And we demand accountability.”

In a GQ interview that year, Ocasio-Cortez reiterated that misogyny and racism shaped her experience as a politician. saying, “I admit to sometimes believing that I live in a country that would never let” a woman become president. 

In 2023, Ocasio-Cortez’s views on race and gender came to a head during a viral speech on the House floor in support of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., before the House voted to oust Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. She said Omar’s ouster had nothing to do with “the condemnation of antisemitic remarks,” but “the racism and incitement of violence against women of color in this body.”

“Don’t tell me this is about objectivity. … This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America,” Ocasio-Cortez said as she slammed her notebook on a table. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks onstage during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center Aug. 19, 2024, in Chicago. (Getty Images)

Ocasio-Cortez faced pushback from conservatives for claiming “We are one” in her video this week while still designating Americans along racial and ethnic lines in the same video. 

Colin Rugg, a conservative influencer and co-owner of Trending Politics, responded, “This has to be a joke.

“You capitalized ‘Black’ and ‘Latino’ but not ‘white.’ You guys were always the ones drumming up the race stuff. Everyone was fine,” Matt Antar, finance chair of the New York Young Republicans Club, added on X among the flood of furious replies from conservatives questioning why “white” was lower case in her post. 

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Since 2020, AP Style, the standard for American journalism style preferences, has capitalized “Black” to represent the “shared sense of history, identity and community among people who identify as Black.” AP Style does not capitalize “white” because white people “generally do not share the same history and culture, or the experience of being discriminated against because of skin color,” according to the Associated Press. 

Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by deadline. 

The Kennedy Center has canceled a week’s worth of events celebrating LGBTQ+ people for the World Pride festival in Washington, D.C., amid a change in focus and the Trump administration firing the center’s leadership.

Multiple artists and producers involved in the center’s Tapestry of Pride schedule said their events had been quietly canceled or transferred to other venues. The Tapestry of Pride was planned for June 5 to 8 before the cancellation.

Washington’s Capital Pride Alliance disassociated itself from the Kennedy Center in response to the canceled events.

“We are a resilient community, and we have found other avenues to celebrate,” the alliance’s deputy director June Crenshaw told The Associated Press. “We are finding another path to the celebration … but the fact that we have to maneuver in this way is disappointing.”

TRUMP FIRES KENNEDY CENTER BOARD MEMBERS CITING DRAG SHOWS, APPOINTS HIMSELF CHAIRMAN

The Kennedy Center has canceled a week’s worth of events celebrating LGBTQ+ people for the World Pride festival in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

The Kennedy Center’s website still has a section for Tapestry of Pride with a general description and a link to the World Pride site. No other information is provided on the website.

The cancellations come in the wake of massive changes at the Kennedy Center, including President Donald Trump firing both the president and chairman in early February. Trump replaced most of the board with loyalists, who subsequently elected him the new chairman of the institution.

The World Pride event is held every two years and this year’s event runs from May 17 through June 8 with performances and celebrations planned across the nation’s capital. But concerns arose about what kind of reception attendees will receive due to Trump administration policies targeting transgender people and comments about Kennedy Center drag performances.

“I know that D.C. as a community will be very excited to be hosting World Pride, but I know the community is a little bit different than the government,” said Michael Roest, founder and director of the International Pride Orchestra, which had its June 5 performance at the Kennedy Center canceled just days after Trump’s took control of the institution.

Roest told The Associated Press he was in the final stages of planning the performance at the center. He was waiting on a final contract when Trump revealed on Feb. 7 the leadership changes and his plans to amend the institution’s programming.

The center then became unresponsive, he said.

Multiple artists and producers involved in the center’s Tapestry of Pride schedule said their events had been quietly canceled or transferred to other venues. (AP)

On Feb. 12, Roest said he received a one-sentence email from a Kennedy Center staffer saying that they “are no longer able to advance your contract at this time.”

“They went from very eager to host to nothing,” he told The Associated Press. “We have not since heard a word from anybody at the Kennedy Center, but that’s not going to stop us.”

After the cancellation, Roest said he was able to move the International Pride Orchestra performance to the Strathmore theater in nearby Bethesda, Maryland.

Roest said he was never given an explanation for why the performance was canceled so late in the planning stages. He said his orchestra would no longer consider performing at the Kennedy Center and that most queer artists would likely make the same choice.

“There would need to be a very, very public statement of inclusivity from the administration, from that board, for us to consider that,” he said. “Otherwise it is a hostile performance space.”

Crenshaw said some other events, including a drag story time and a display of parts of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, would be transferred to the World Pride welcome center in Chinatown.

SEATTLE PRIDE FACES BUDGET SHORTFALL AS CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS DWINDLE AMID ANTI-DEI SHIFT

The cancellations come in the wake of massive changes at the Kennedy Center. (Getty Images)

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Monica Alford, a veteran arts and culture journalist and event planner, was set to organize an event on June 8 as part of Tapestry of Pride, but said she also experienced an abrupt end to communication within days of Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center.

Alford has a long history with the Kennedy Center and organized the first-ever drag brunch on its rooftop last year. She said she viewed the institution as her “home base” and “a safe space for the queer community.” She also said she was disappointed to lose the partnership she had with the Kennedy Center.

“We’re doing our community a disservice — not just the queer community but the entire community,” she told The Associated Press.

She said she was still finalizing the details of her event, which she said was “meant to be family-friendly, just like the drag brunch was family-friendly and classy and sophisticated.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo on Friday calling for a review of Military Equal Opportunity and DoD civilian Equal Employment Opportunity programs. The secretaries of each military department are required under the memo to assess the programs in place within their own departments.

In a video posted on X announcing the memo, Hegseth said that while it’s “a good thing” that the military has multiple avenues for both service members and civilians to complain about harassment and discrimination, the systems have been “weaponized” and used “in bad faith to retaliate against superiors or peers.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers remarks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on Feb. 5. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

HEGSETH FACES LATEST BATTLE DEFENDING HIS DEFENSE SECRETARY POST AT THE PENTAGON

The memo’s official title is “Restoring Good Order and Discipline Through Balanced Accountability,” but Hegseth says he calls it the “No More Walking on Eggshells” policy.

“So, here’s the goal: empower leaders to make tough decisions, enforce standards, and restore good order and discipline,” Hegseth said in the video.

The memo directs the secretaries to ensure that complaints that “are unsubstantiated by actionable, credible evidence are timely dismissed.” Additionally, “favorable actions,” such as awards and promotions, involving the alleged offender are to be considered until the complaint is substantiated. Finally, the memo states that those who “knowingly submit false complaints” may face discipline.

The secretaries have 45 days to complete their reviews.

Hegseth is no stranger to controversy and has faced several allegations since being tapped to lead DoD. It is not a stretch to imagine that he might have empathy for those facing false or unsubstantiated allegations.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is no stranger to controversy and has faced several allegations since being tapped to lead the DoD. (Franco Brana/AFP via Getty Images)

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH REBUFFS NEW GROUP CHAT ALLEGATIONS AS ATTEMPT TO ‘SABOTAGE’ TRUMP’S AGENDA 

Prior to his confirmation, Hegseth faced allegations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and mismanagement of veterans’ organizations. This included an affidavit by his former sister-in-law in which she alleged that Hegseth was physically abusive to his ex-wife, Samantha “Sam” Hegseth. However, Sam denied the allegations, saying she did not experience physical abuse during her marriage to Hegseth.

Hegseth told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that he is not a “perfect person,” but asserted that he was the subject of a “coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media.” 

Additionally, since becoming secretary of defense, Hegseth has been involved in two scandals regarding the encrypted messaging app Signal.

The first scandal occurred when The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a Signal chat in which there were discussions about plans for the U.S. to strike Yemen. While National Security Advisor Mike Waltz took a lot of heat for the situation, Hegseth was not spared from criticism. In the end, the Trump administration insisted that the discussions in the group did not actually involve “war plans.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels on Feb. 13. (Reuters/Yves Herman)

On Sunday, Hegseth was accused of sharing military information in a Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal attorney. The New York Times reported that people with knowledge of the situation said the information “included the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets targeting the Houthis in Yemen.” 

Hegseth told “FOX & Friends” that the allegations were meant to “sabotage” President Donald Trump’s agenda.

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Despite an op-ed suggesting that Hegseth could be on the way out, the White House has stood behind him.

“He is bringing monumental change to the Pentagon, and there’s a lot of people in the city who reject monumental change, and I think, frankly, that’s why we’ve seen a smear campaign against the Secretary of Defense since the moment that President Trump announced his nomination before the United States Senate,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday. 

Diana Stancy contributed to this report.

A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked an executive order from President Donald Trump that would cancel collective bargaining rights for most federal workers. 

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman blocked the Trump administration from implementing the order following a lawsuit from the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents about 160,000 federal employees.

The union claims in the lawsuit that the order would violate federal workers’ labor rights and is unconstitutional, adding that it would lose two-thirds of its membership and half of its dues if they order is allowed to go through. 

The order exempted more than a dozen agencies from the requirement to bargain with unions, including the departments of Justice, State, Defense, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services departments.

TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON VOTING BLOCKED BY FEDERAL JUDGE AMID FLURRY OF LEGAL SETBACKS 

A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked an executive order from President Donald Trump that would cancel collective bargaining rights for most federal workers.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

It affects around 75% of the nearly one million federal workers represented by unions and expands an existing rule that exempts national security agencies like the FBI and CIA from collective bargaining requirements.

The U.S. Treasury Department also filed a lawsuit against the NTEU following the order to invalidate a collective bargaining agreement involving IRS employees. 

FEDERAL JUDGE PARTIALLY BLOCKS TRUMP’S EFFORT TO DENY FUNDING TO PRO-DEI PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The order is part of the administration’s efforts to lessen the size of the federal government, by making it easier to discipline and fire workers and change working conditions. 

The U.S. Treasury Department also filed a lawsuit against the NTEU following the order to invalidate a collective bargaining agreement involving IRS employees.  (release. (Photo by Michel du Cille/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The temporary injunction will remain in place pending the outcome of the NTEU lawsuit. 

Friedman said he would issue an opinion explaining his ruling in the next few days.

The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) headquarters building in Washington DC (Getty Images)

He also gave attorneys on both sides a week to propose how the lawsuit should move forward. 

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

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. 

Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia has become the latest Democrat in Congress to signal that President Donald Trump deserves to be impeached, even though he has only been in the White House this term for less than 100 days. 

During a town hall Friday in Cobb County, Georgia, Ossoff took questions from the audience, including from a fired-up local mother who questioned Ossoff about why there has not been a more concerted effort to impeach Trump. 

“Why are there no calls for impeachment?” Ossoff was asked. “Do something more!”

‘BIDEN EFFECT’ HITS THE SENATE: WAVE OF RETIREMENTS CLEARS PATH FOR YOUNGER DEMS

Ossoff told the woman at the top of his response that “there is no doubt” Trump has exceeded the standard for impeachment.

Sen. John Ossoff, D-Ga., has become the latest Democrat in Congress to signal that President Donald Trump deserves to be impeached, even though he has only been in the White House during his second term for less than 100 days.  (Getty Images/Fox News)

“I saw just 48 hours ago, [Trump] is granting audiences to people who buy his meme coin,” Ossoff said. “There is no question that that rises to the level of an impeachable offense. And the reality is that that’s just one of many [examples] — defying a federal court order, for example. So, I agree with you.”

Ossoff’s remarks make him the latest Democratic lawmaker in Congress who has either explicitly called for Trump’s impeachment or signaled their willingness to support such a move just 100 days into his presidency. While most Democrats have been willing to publicly admit the country is facing a constitutional crisis under Trump, most of them have refrained from going so far as to use the “I” word. 

DEMS FUME OVER ‘DUE PROCESS’ FOR ABREGO GARCIA DESPITE LONG HISTORY OF PARTY BUCKING THE LEGAL PRINCIPLE

Some though, such as progressive Sen. Al Green, D-Texas, have not shied away from supporting calls for impeachment. He was the first congressional lawmaker to call for it just weeks into the president’s second term. Green’s calls have been supported by other Democrats, such as Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Maxine Dexter of Oregon; Sam Liccardo and Maxine Waters of California; Ilhan Omar of Minnesota; Shri Thanedar of Michigan; and Hank Johnson of Georgia, all of whom have gone publicly on the record regarding their support, according to NBC News. 

“Right now, it’s 218 to 215, so if you can find me two Republicans, I’ll go to work tomorrow,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who led impeachment efforts against Trump during his first term, told a reporter when asked about the matter.

From left: Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.; Rep. Al Green, D-Texas; and Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. (Getty Images/Fox News)

Trent England, a presidential elections expert and founder of the nonprofit Save Our States, bashed Democratic lawmakers for “claiming to be all about democracy,” but when they don’t get what they want, “suddenly democracy is not what they’re all about.”

“It really undercuts Democrats’ message about elections when as soon as they get an election result they don’t like, they’re out challenging it through impeachment. Especially when Democrats claimed after 2016 that part of their issue with Trump was that he only won the Electoral College,” England added. “Well, now he’s won a resounding popular vote, in addition to winning the Electoral College. And, yet, they’re still out there trying to impeach him at the very beginning of his administration.”

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: IMPEACHAPALOOZA IS HERE TO STAY

England also opined that the calls for impeachment were an easy way for Democrats to help boost their fundraising efforts. 

“Efforts like this show how a lot of members of Congress are really operating as personal fundraising machines, as opposed to legislators,” England said. “They’re not trying to get things done. They know that using platforms like Act Blue, they can fly the impeachment flag and raise a lot of money from left-wing donors without ever believing that any of this is going to have any effect.”

The first-term Democratic senator is facing re-election later this year, as his term ends early next year. Ossoff’s office declined to comment for this story. 

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott said Ossoff’s push for impeachment illustrates “the desperation of his re-election campaign.” 

“Not even 100 days into President Donald J. Trump’s terms, and Ossoff is already pushing impeachment,” Scott said. “His obsession makes clear just how out of touch he is with Georgia voters. The desperation in his re-election campaign is already showing.”

States that allow illegal immigrants to collect unemployment benefits could lose federal funding, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said Friday. 

In a letter to all governors, Chavez-DeRemer urged them to comply with President Donald Trump‘s directives to ensure that tax dollars aren’t used to benefit those in the U.S. illegally. 

“Our nation’s unemployment benefits exist solely for workers who are eligible to receive them,” Chavez-DeRemer wrote. “To qualify for unemployment, one must be able and available to work, actively seeking work and be legally authorized to accept employment in the United States. Unemployment benefits are not a handout for those in our country illegally.”

HUD TERMINATES OBAMA-ERA HOUSING RULE THAT TRUMP WARNED WOULD ‘DESTROY’ HOME VALUES

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is warning states they could lose federal funding if illegal immigrants are allowed access to unemployment benefits.  (Getty Images)

Chavez-DeRemer urged the states to use SAVE, an online database for registered federal, state and local government agencies, to verify the immigration status of applicants seeking benefits or licenses.  

The move comes as the Trump administration continues to clamp down on illegal immigrants who receive taxpayer benefits. 

On Thursday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USDA) is taking action to ensure that illegal immigrants no longer receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, widely known as food stamps. 

HUD OFFICES BECAME AS VACANT AS A ‘SPIRIT HALLOWEEN’ STORE UNDER BIDEN: ADMIN SOURCES

An application for unemployment benefits. (iStock)

“USDA’s nutrition programs are intended to support the most vulnerable Americans,” Rollins said. “To allow those who broke our laws by entering the United States illegally to receive these benefits is outrageous.”

Last month, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner warned illegal immigrants living in government-funded housing that HUD is prioritizing only Americans under the Trump administration. 

HUD Secretary Scott Turner, center, tours The Battery in Philadelphia.  (Fox Digital )

“At HUD, we only serve one out of four Americans that we should be serving, and that has to come to an end,” Turner told Fox News Digital at the time. “And so we’re not only making it a priority, but we are making that our only priority, that American citizens will benefit from hard-working American taxpayer dollars.” 

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Friday the Department of Justice (DOJ) will change the policy that allows journalists to hide records and testimony related to suspects in a criminal investigation.

In a memo obtained by Axios, Bondi wrote that federal employees intentionally leaking sensitive information to the media undermines the ability of the Department of Justice to keep America safe. 

“This conduct is illegal and wrong, and it must stop,” Bondi wrote. “Therefore, I have concluded that it is necessary to rescind Merrick Garland’s policies precluding the Department of Justice from seeking records and compelling testimony from members of the news media in order to identify and punish the source of improper leaks.”

She noted investigative techniques relating to news-gathering are “an extraordinary measure to be deployed as a last resort when essential to a successful investigation or prosecution,” according to the memo.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a memo that she will revise policy to allow for journalists to be subpoenaed. (EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images)

AXED PENTAGON AIDS CLAIM THEIR CHARACTER WAS ‘SLANDERED,’ LITTLE DETAILS WERE SHARED ABOUT LEAK INVESTIGATION

She added the protections were being abused, with officials using “media allies” to leak sensitive information for political gain, and the policy often put their phone and other electronic records out of reach of prosecutors, Politico reported.

The memo comes after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday referred two intelligence community professionals accused of leaking classified information to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution.

The professionals allegedly shared classified information with the Washington Post and the New York Times, according to previous reporting.

A third criminal referral is expected, the DOJ said.

At least two alleged leakers were referred to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution. (REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

DNI GABBARD REFERS INTEL OFFICIALS TO DOJ FOR PROSECUTION OVER ALLEGED LEAKS OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION

Former Attorney General Merrick B. Garland under former President Joe Biden in 2022 made significant revisions to the Justice Department’s regulations regarding obtaining information from members of the news media. 

Garland’s policy prohibited the DOJ from seeking information from members of the news media, acting within the scope of news-gathering, except under limited, specified circumstances.

Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of Press wrote in a statement that he had not seen the language of the new policy, but stressed the importance of reporters being able to protect the identities of confidential sources.

“We’ll wait to see what the policy looks like, but we know reporters will still do their jobs, and there is no shortage of legal support to back them up,” Brown wrote in the statement.

Attorney General Pam Bondi will edit former Attorney General Merrick Garland’s policy surrounding gathering information for criminal investigations from media members. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

GABBARD ESTABLISHES NEW INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY TASK FORCE TO RESTORE TRANSPARENCY

Bondi said the department will continue to limit the use of forced legal action to obtain information from or records of the media, which includes enhanced approval and advance-notice procedures.

The Office of Legal Policy is tasked with creating new language to reflect the rescission of Garland’s policies.

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Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Several Democrats who have argued that “no one is above the law” in President Donald Trump’s cases are now condemning the arrest of Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, warning it could threaten the rule of law.

“This is not normal,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., tweeted of Dugan’s arrest by the FBI on proceeding obstruction charges for allegedly shielding an indicted Mexican migrant from ICE agents. 

“The administration’s arrest of a sitting judge in Wisconsin is a drastic move that threatens the rule of law,” Klobuchar added, saying it’s a “grave step and undermines our system of checks and balances.”

During Trump’s 2019 impeachment, Klobuchar said his first impeachment case marked a “somber day for our country.”

FBI ARRESTS JUDGE, ALLEGING SHE OBSTRUCTED ARREST OF ILLEGAL ALIEN

“In America, no one is above the law, and the American people deserve to hear evidence and witness testimony during a full and fair trial in the Senate. If the president has any facts to present in his defense to the articles of impeachment, we should hear them,” she said.

After the 2022 FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, Klobuchar said, “The law is king, and the former president isn’t.”

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., also condemned Dugan’s arrest, saying, “If [FBI Director] Kash Patel and Donald Trump don’t like a judge, they think they can arrest them.

“This is stunning — we must stand up to this blatant power grab. Republicans: How is this not a red line for you?”

AG PAM BONDI OUTRAGED AT WISCONSIN JUDGE ARRESTED FOR OBSTRUCTING ARREST OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT

Judge Hannah Dugan speaks during a forum at the Milwaukee Bar Association (Imagn)

Commenting in 2020 on her vote to remove Trump from office over abuse of power allegations, Smith said she took her constitutional oath seriously and that “to condone corrupt behavior such as this undermines the core value that we stand for as a nation — that no one is above the law, including and most especially our president.”

Smith said she pored over presentations and evidence to reach that conclusion.

Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., who represents Dugan’s county, lambasted the White House, saying its “willingness to weaponize federal law enforcement is shocking and this arrest has all the hallmarks of overreach.”

“I will be following this case closely and facts will come out. However, I am very alarmed at the increasingly lawless actions of the Trump administration, and in particular ICE, who have been defying courts and acting with disregard for the Constitution.”

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Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Rep. Gwen Moore criticized the judge’s arrest. (Getty)

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., commented on an apparently deleted tweet from Patel, writing on X, “Donald Trump and JD Vance are arresting judges now. Deleting the tweet won’t undo the constitutional crisis you have just thrust us into.”

In a 2023 interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Khanna said of the Trump impeachment, “You can’t just say, ‘OK, because someone was president or someone is a candidate, that you’re above the law.’ Everyone is under the law, and that allegations, the evidence needs to be pursued.”

When reached for comment by Fox News Digital, Khanna said of the contrast that Trump has “waged war on the judiciary” and that there is no public evidence yet regarding Dugan, but “it is deeply concerning given the administration’s attacks on the courts.”

“Even Chief Justice Roberts has rebuked Trump’s conduct toward the judiciary,” Khanna added.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., questions witnesses during a roundtable on Supreme Court ethics hosted by House Oversight Committee Democrats, Washington, D.C., June 11, 2024. (Allison Bailey/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., said norms were being violated on the immigration and legal fronts for Dugan’s arrest.

“This is stuff I expect from Third World countries,” he told Axios.

In a December 2019 statement after his vote in favor of impeachment, Pocan said Trump was “never held accountable for his actions” over his 70-plus years of life.

“Today, Democrats sent a clear signal to this president and all future presidents: No one is above the law.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Klobuchar and Smith for comment.

Pocan’s office said he was on a flight and unable to be reached, while Moore’s offices acknowledged the inquiry.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is once again charging into battle to defend women and basic biology — this time taking aim at Clemson University over a form that listed a whopping 15 gender identities.

In a fiery video posted to her social media on Friday, Mace slammed Clemson for offering a health portal menu that included terms like “genderqueer,” “two-spirit,” “cis female” and “cis male.”

“Hey everyone, just learned this morning from Libs of TikTok, not from your state legislature, that Clemson University in South Carolina has 15 genders on one of their applications,” Mace said in a video on Instagram. “We want to make sure South Carolina is following science and not some radical, woke, leftist, lunatic ideology. Not on my watch.”

Mace wasn’t just venting online.

She immediately took action, leaving a voicemail and sending a text to Clemson President Jim Clements demanding answers. “Since there are only two genders,” she said, “I just had this issue with USC, and I would like to make sure that you guys are following suit.”

EXCLUSIVE: NANCY MACE TARGETED BY PENNSYLVANIA MAN ARRESTED FOR THREATENING TRUMP

The form in question, first flagged by Libs of TikTok, showed a dropdown menu allowing students to select from 15 different gender identities. 

However, Clemson responded exclusively to Fox News Digital, clarifying that “Clemson University does not have this type of menu in its housing application.” 

Instead, the menu appeared in an external vendor’s health services portal, was optional, and has since been taken down. The university said it is now “consulting with medical professionals to determine what information is needed for medical care purposes.”

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., smiles during a Women’s History Month event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 26. (Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Mace made it clear in her social media posts that she believes state universities should reflect two genders, male and female, if they want to keep receiving taxpayer dollars. “If it were me and Clemson University had 15 genders, they would not get a dime in the state of South Carolina,” she warned.

GRAPHIC LANGUAGE: CONGRESSWOMAN’S PROFANE SUPERMARKET ARGUMENT WITH CONSTITUENT CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Mace posted to her X and Instagram pages on Friday, firing back at Clemson University after a dropdown menu listing 15 genders was posted on the Libs of TikTok page. (@nancyrmace via Instagram)

“Cis is a slur,” Mace emphasized in her Instagram video, adding, “Women are women, men are men.”

This isn’t Mace’s first stand in the gender wars. She recently made headlines by leading the effort to block Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., a biological man who identifies as a woman, from using women’s restrooms on Capitol Hill. Her campaign to “protect women’s spaces” has not come without backlash.

Mace argued that “cis is a slur” in her video posted to Instagram on Friday. (@nancyrmace via Instagram)

“All the violence and threats keep proving our point,” Mace posted on X. “Women deserve to be safe. Your threats will not stop my fight for women! Not now, not ever,” she declared.

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Late last year, Mace reported being physically accosted on Capitol grounds, an incident that led to the arrest of a 33-year-old Illinois man. She is the first woman to graduate from the Citadel.

Mace’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

An audience with the pope is a day to remember.

But only on Capitol Hill would the day after the pope visited become even more memorable.

The late Pope Francis came to Washington, D.C., to speak to a Joint Meeting of Congress on Sept. 24, 2015. He wasn’t the first pontiff to descend on Capitol Hill. But the pope is a head of state, ruling the Vatican City and the Holy See. As such, Francis became the first pope to speak to a Joint Meeting of Congress in the House chamber.

DEMOCRATS’ IDENTITY CRISIS: YOUTH REVOLT ROCKS PARTY AFTER TRUMP COMBACK 

Pope Francis leads his traditional Wednesday General Audience at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on March 8, 2023.  (Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Lawmakers showered the Holy Father with applause and two standing ovations during his address. Two Catholics were perched behind Pope Francis on the dais: then Vice President Joe Biden and former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. As vice president, Biden served as President of the Senate. As speaker, Boehner was the Constitutional officer for the legislative branch.

Boehner blotted his eyes with a handkerchief several times during the 3,400-word speech.

Pope Francis implored lawmakers to treat each other — and their constituents — with dignity.

“We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays. To discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’” he said.

GOP PUSH TO MAKE TRUMP’S 2017 TAX CUTS PERMANENT, SAY GOING BACK WOULD BE A ‘DRAMATIC’ CHANGE FOR MANY 

President Joe Biden, left, exchanges gifts with Pope Francis as they meet at the Vatican on Oct. 29, 2021. (Vatican Media via AP)

One thing I remember about the Pope’s visit was the choreography. Congressional workers affixed small, green strips of tape to the Capitol’s marble floors. Names were emblazoned on the tape in black Magic Marker at different points around the complex. “McCarthy” or “Pelosi” or “McConnell.” All part of the political — and papal — stagecraft.

The tape dictated where key political leaders would stand as they escorted Pope Francis into the House chamber or in front of the statue of Junipero Serra in Statuary Hall.

A duct-taped “X” marked the floor in front of Serra. The pope canonized Serra the day before he visited the Capitol at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. Serra became the first American to become a saint on U.S. soil. Pope Francis blessed the statue of Serra. The statue depicts the saint hoisting a cross in his right hand, looking skyward toward the heavens.

Someone taped a green arrow over the black and white tiles of Statuary Hall, pointing toward the Speaker’s Office.

That signaled the pope’s next stop on Capitol Hill.

FOX NEWS TO AIR LIVE COVERAGE OF POPE FRANCIS’ FUNERAL ON SATURDAY

Pope Francis addresses the joint session of Congress in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24, 2015. (Vincenzo Pinto/AFP via Getty Images)

Pope Francis and the entourage then walked toward Boehner’s office and onto the Speaker’s Balcony overlooking the West Front of the Capitol and down the National Mall toward the Washington Monument.

A throng assembled on the Capitol grounds.

“Buenos dias,” said the Pope, greeting the crowd like he would from the “Pope’s Window” at the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican on a Sunday. “I am grateful for your presence.”

He then blessed the pilgrims on the ground below.

“Papa! Papa!” the crowd chanted.

When the pope first arrived at the Capitol, he met with Boehner in the Speaker’s ceremonial office just off the House floor.

Boehner paced nervously awaiting Pope Francis on the 19th century Minton Tiles, which adorn the office.

“He’s on Boehner time,” said the former speaker. “Which is on time.”

Boehner wore his signature Kelly green tie for the occasion — a vintage piece of Boehner apparel, which dates back to when he served in the Ohio state legislature and first ran for Congress in 1990. When Pope Francis arrived, he told the former speaker the tie bore a “color of hope.”

A few days later, Boehner choked up as he relayed a story about what Pope Francis said to him when they were about to exit the Capitol.

“We found ourselves alone,” said Boehner of himself and Francis.

Pope Francis ponders during the inauguration of a UNESCO chair at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome on Oct. 7, 2021. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images)

The pope grabbed the speaker’s arm.

“The pope puts his arm around me and kind of pulled me to him and said, ‘Please pray for me,’” said Boehner. “Wow. Who am I to pray for the pope?’ But I did.”

Boehner left the Capitol that night. But his encounter with the Holy Father seemingly transformed the speaker — and altered the trajectory of the House for years to come.

The speaker decided to resign the next morning.

“He had been trying to get out of here for years,” said one source close to the speaker at the time.

Boehner’s plans to depart were thwarted when the heir apparent, former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., stunningly lost his primary in the spring of 2014.

So Boehner soldiered on.

By late July 2015, former Trump White House chief of staff and former Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., prepped a “motion to vacate the chair.” Those who follow Capitol Hill know all about such a motion now. But it was novel a decade ago. Such a motion would require the House to take a vote of confidence in the speaker in the middle of the Congress. Lawmakers had never used the tactic before. It was hardly discussed.

Pope Francis meets President Donald Trump in the Private Library of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on May 24, 2017. (Vatican/Pool/Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori via Getty Images)

Meadows released his resolution just before the August recess — but never triggered it.

That gave Boehner and the House a month to stew over whether Meadows might try to oust the speaker when lawmakers returned in September.

On the night after the pope’s visit, Boehner called his chief of staff, Mike Sommers, to tell him he planned to step aside. Boehner also told his wife, Debbie, of his plans.

“This morning I woke up, said my prayers, as I always do, and thought, ‘This is the day I am going to do this,’” said Boehner.

Boehner then astonished a meeting of the House Republican Conference that he intended to resign.

The move sent a shock wave through Washington.

“My first job as speaker is to protect the institution,” Boehner said. “It had become clear to me that this prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable harm to the institution.”

The Boehner departure — the day after his encounter with Pope Francis — set into motion what some might regard as the very “prolonged leadership turmoil” that the former speaker hoped to avoid.

It was believed that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. — then the House Majority Leader — would ascend to the job. But as startling as Boehner’s departure was, McCarthy supplanted that. Moments before House Republicans were set to tap McCarthy as the next speaker, McCarthy withdrew from the contest. He lacked the votes.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., looks on at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 3, 2023. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

McCarthy’s decision roiled Capitol Hill for weeks. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., eventually took the job. But Ryan was reluctant. He even put out a statement that he didn’t want it.

Others jumped in: Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., along with former Reps. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and Bill Flores, R-Texas.

But Ryan finally came around. Fox was told at the time that if Ryan hadn’t come around, “there would be blood on the floor” of the House as Republicans waged an internecine donnybrook.

Ryan remained as House speaker until he retired in early 2019. Democrats won the House in the 2018 midterms. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., returned to the speakership she held eight years before.

But Democrats lost the House in the 2022 midterms. And even though McCarthy touted a 40-plus-seat rout for the GOP, Republicans controlled the House by a thread.

DICK DURBIN, NO 2. SENATE DEMOCRAT, WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., left, and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. (Getty Images)

Thus, it set into motion a five-day battle in early 2023 as McCarthy struggled for 15 rounds before winning the speakership. It was the longest speaker’s race since the mid-19th century.

But McCarthy was gone by early November.

Remember that “motion to vacate the chair” mentioned earlier?

Meadows never activated his motion in 2015. But former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., did in 2023.

McCarthy was done. And the House spent three weeks trying to elect a new speaker.

First they tried House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. Then House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Then House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.

None prevailed.

Finally, a backbencher emerged from the fray: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

Rep. Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, holds the gavel after being re-elected House speaker during the first session of the 119th Congress in the House Chamber of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 3. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The House of Representatives has never quite been the same since Boehner made his surprise announcement after his encounter with Pope Francis. The speakership seems to teeter on an edge these days — at least when Republicans run the chamber. Johnson periodically endures threats to “vacate the chair.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tried to bounce him just last year.

During the speaker succession fight of 2015 and the three-week speaker debacle of 2023, friends asked if “white smoke” would emanate from the Capitol Dome. They facetiously suggested that it would signal the election of a new House speaker.

The College of Cardinals will begin a conclave in Rome in a few days to select a successor to Pope Francis. It’s a political process. Not unlike what happens in Congress when there’s a vacancy in the speakership. We’ll know there’s a new pope when white smoke wafts out of a duct atop the Sistine Chapel.

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Cardinals of the Catholic Church attended the election conclave in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in Vatican City on April 18, 2005. (Arturo Mari, Vatican Pool)

It was an important day when Pope Francis spoke to a Joint Meeting of Congress in 2015. But in sheer Congressional terms, the day afterward was seismic for the nature of the institution. Boehner’s abrupt resignation ushered in an unsettled era about who presides over the House. The visit by Pope Francis and Boehner’s departure forever melded the two together in the annals of Capitol Hill.

And as a result, whenever there’s a House speaker interregnum in the future, political observers will always look for political “white smoke” to find out if lawmakers have settled on a new leader.

The United States Department of Agriculture is demanding that states ensure illegal immigrants are not using food stamps.

The department wants states to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order from February that seeks improved methods to check that those in the country illegally do not receive federal benefits, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The measure is meant to crack down on fraud and serve as a safeguard because illegal immigrants are already not allowed to use SNAP benefits. Only citizens and some legal noncitizens can do so.

“We’ve already made arrests in Minnesota and New York and Colorado, and we’re just getting started,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Fox News Digital in an interview.

AMERICAN FARMERS HAVE A VOICE IN WASHINGTON AGAIN

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sits for an interview with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier April 8, 2025. (Fox News/Special Report)

“We’re going to be extremely, extremely aggressive. Now, hopefully it acts as a deterrent also.”

The USDA is asking states to cross-check Social Security numbers with a death master file and to use the free Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system provided by the Department of Homeland Security for noncitizens applying for the benefits, among other steps to verify immigration status.

Rollins said it’s “the president’s vision to ensure that we’re being the most efficient and effective with taxpayer dollars.”

SNAP RECIPIENTS MAY BE BARRED FROM JUNK FOOD PURCHASES UNDER NEW HOUSE GOP BILL

“So, we think we’ll be able to cut down on billions of fraud and save the taxpayers a lot of money,” she said. 

John Walk, acting deputy under secretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services, wrote in a letter Thursday to state SNAP agencies, explaining the existing law. 

“By law, only United States citizens and certain lawfully present aliens may receive SNAP benefits. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193) established that ‘aliens within the Nation’s borders not depend on public resources to meet their needs.’  SNAP is not and has never been available to illegal aliens,” Walk wrote. 

A bodega with an Electronic Benefit Transfer sign in the window in Queens, N.Y. (Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The crackdown comes as there is heightened scrutiny on the eligibility of illegal immigrants for benefits, such as California’s Medicaid program that allows people to enroll without their immigration status being considered, even though it’s funded by state and federal taxpayer dollars.

California Republicans have said illegal immigrants’ eligibility in the program is responsible for its insolvency, whereas Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said it’s only a factor in a larger healthcare cost issue nationwide.

MILLIONS MORE FOOD STAMP RECIPIENTS REQUIRED TO WORK UNDER NEW HOUSE GOP PROPOSAL

“The federal government is now paying attention a lot more closely than ever before on how the states are spending the money,” Rollins said. “I am from Texas. I actually have a lot of confidence in the Texas system. I think the red states, honestly, are probably a little more intentional and careful about this. Of course, it’s the blue states that tend to want to put everyone on the taxpayers’ back. And I think that we’ll find a lot more of that moving forward, but hopefully it’s a deterrence for everyone.” 

Outside of immigration, SNAP has also faced calls for reform in several states to no longer allow the purchase of “junk food.” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently asked the USDA to allow the state to prohibit the purchase of candy and soda with SNAP benefits, while adding rotisserie chicken to the list of available options. 

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks at the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee July 16, 2024.  (Reuters/Mike Segar)

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“President Trump and his administration have put a laser focus on solving America’s chronic disease epidemic, and reforming our food stamp program is a great place to start,” Sanders said in a news release April 15. 

“Banning soda and candy from food stamps will remove some of the least healthy, most processed foods from the program and encourage low-income Arkansans to eat better.” 

The Trump administration is cracking down on colleges that don’t report big foreign donations, with UC Berkeley the latest target following a Department of Education review of the California university’s foreign funding disclosures found that it “may be incomplete or inaccurate.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon ordered the agency’s legal team on Friday to take back control of enforcing a law that requires schools to disclose foreign gifts or contracts worth $250,000 or more.

“The Biden-Harris Administration turned a blind eye to colleges and universities’ legal obligations by deprioritizing oversight and allowing foreign gifts to pour onto American campuses. Despite widespread compliance failures, no new Section 117 investigations were initiated for four years, and ongoing investigations were closed prematurely,” McMahon said in a statement. “I have great confidence in my Office of General Counsel to investigate these matters fully, and they will begin by thoroughly examining UC Berkeley’s apparent failure to fully and accurately disclose significant funding received from foreign sources.” 

YALE DROPS ALLEGED HAMAS-TIED STUDENT GROUP’S STATUS AFTER ‘DISTURBING ANTISEMITIC CONDUCT’

President Donald Trump signs an executive order to reduce the size and scope of the Education Department alongside school children signing their own versions during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 20. (Getty)

The investigation comes amid Trump’s growing scrutiny over foreign influence in U.S. higher education. 

This week, Trump signed an executive order tightening rules on how colleges report foreign funding, directing the Education Department to undo past policies that let universities “obscure details regarding their foreign funding” and to make schools fully disclose where that money comes from and what it’s for. 

The Department of Education said this issue gained attention after reports surfaced in 2023 that Berkeley failed to report hundreds of millions of dollars it received from China.

EVEN BEFORE TRUMP’S ENGAGEMENT, HARVARD UNDERSTOOD IT HAD A REAL PROBLEM ON THE ANTISEMITISM SIDE, EXPERT SAYS 

Prospective students tour the University of California, Berkeley campus before the beginning of the new semester in Berkeley, California, on June 8, 2023. (Reuters/Carlos Barria/File Photo)

In response to a federal inquiry at the time, Berkeley admitted it didn’t report $220 million received and showed it had been building a long-term financial relationship with foreign government-controlled entities, while also “misunderstanding its legal duty to disclose that funding,” the department disclosed in a news release.

An Education Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital they initiated a records request into Harvard for foreign funding last week. 

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A White House fact sheet this week cited a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report showing nearly $60 billion in foreign gifts and contracts have flowed into universities over several decades, often with little oversight. Federal officials say only a fraction of the country’s roughly 6,000 institutions report such funding.

“President Trump is ending secrecy surrounding foreign funding in higher education to protect students, research, and the marketplace of ideas,” the fact sheet reads.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem revealed in a podcast this week how her purse was snatched at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., describing it as “professionally done.” 

The purse was taken Sunday by a White man wearing a mask, and the bag contained $3,000 in cash as well as personal documents including her passport, keys, driver’s license and a DHS badge, an agency spokesperson confirmed.  

“It was kind of shocking, actually, because it was sitting right by my feet. I actually felt my purse, he hooked it with his foot and drug it a few steps away and dropped a coat over it and took it,” Noem said on the “VINCE Show.” 

“I felt it, but I thought it was my grandkids kicking me in the legs. But it was very professionally done, and it tells that this happens all the time to people and that they live in communities where this is a danger and it reaffirms why I am here,” she added. “My job is to make sure that I do everything, every day I can to make our communities safer and President Trump recognizes that families shouldn’t have to live with any kind of violence in their lives.” 

NOEM’S PURSE WAS STOLEN DAYS AFTER SIMILAR INCIDENT JUST BLOCKS AWAY: REPORT 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is recognized as President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 2. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

A Homeland Security spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that Noem’s “entire family was in town including her children and grandchildren — she was using the withdrawal to treat her family to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts.” 

Noem said during the podcast interview that she isn’t sure why she was targeted, but an investigation is ongoing. 

NOEM’S PURSE STOLEN WITH THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN DC RESTAURANT: SOURCES 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a tour of the Terrorist Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 26. (AP/Alex Brandon)

“I think I was a busy grandma with four grandkids under the age of 4, and I was taking care of them and feeding them food and enjoying my family, but certainly had my purse even touching my feet and that is how vulnerable people can be,” she said. 

“So I think we need to be aware, but also be making sure there is consequences for people like that that make a living off of harming other people,” Noem added. 

Kristi Noem, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, is seen during a meeting with President Donald Trump and Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s president, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 14. (Ken Cedeno/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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A woman dining with her family recently had her purse stolen in downtown Washington, D.C., just a few blocks away from the restaurant where Noem’s handbag was swiped, NBC News also reported this week. 

Fox News’ Cameron Arcand contributed to this report. 

Florida Republicans are embroiled in a civil war — Gov. Ron DeSantis has excoriated state House leadership, accusing them of revolting against voters who sent them to the legislative chamber and pursuing a “swamp-centric agenda,” while Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez has lambasted DeSantis, asserting that the governor has “become the swamp.”

With massive majorities in both chambers of the legislature and control of the governorship, Republicans dominate the political landscape in the Sunshine State.

But in a recent post on X, the governor asserted that “the FL House leadership is at war with the voters who provided the supermajority in the first place.”

“They do not want to see Florida continue on the conservative path,” DeSantis told Fox News Digital during an interview on Wednesday. “They’re doing things to empower the left.”

“Republican voters are wondering, what the hell is going on in the Florida House of Representatives,” he said.

DESANTIS REBUKES REPUBLICANS FOR BACKING BILL FOR CARBON SEQUESTRATION TASK FORCE: ‘ABSOLUTELY EMBARRASSING’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference in Miami on April 10. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“I think that what they’re doing is a formula for Florida to return to becoming a swing state. The reason why we went from a purple state to a red state under my tenure is because we drew sharp contrasts with the left and we defeated the left on issue after issue,” DeSantis declared. 

“The House is run based on fear and retribution,” he said.

Perez, a Republican, pushed back in a lengthy statement provided to Fox News Digital on Friday morning.

“Unfortunately, what we’ve seen in Florida is a Governor who’s turned into exactly what he promised to fight — he’s become the swamp. His latest attacks are nothing more than a distraction from the gross financial mismanagement happening under his watch. We’re talking about thousands of missing state vehicles, $160 million unaccounted for at AHCA [Florida Agency for Health Care Administration], and a growing list of problems across agencies and boards — all controlled by the Governor,” Perez declared in the statement.

“While the Florida House remains the most conservative body in the Legislature — passing a budget billions lower than the Governor’s, approving larger tax cuts than the Governor, and pushing bold conservative policies like repealing gun laws and passing E-Verify — the Governor seems uninterested in a conservative Legislature. He wants a compliant one. After seven years in office, it’s clear he doesn’t want people asking hard questions, especially after neglecting his duties while running for president,” he continued.

“We are proud to advance conservative reforms, but we won’t cover up mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. The Governor’s comments about retribution are deeply hypocritical. His entire governing style is based on fear and intimidation — if you don’t do what he says or have a difference of opinion he views that as treason. All he does is attack people who disagree with him. I’ve repeatedly indicated my willingness to work with the Governor and all he’s done is insult and attack Members of the House,” Perez added.

SUNSHINE STATE DEM ANNOUNCES SWITCH TO NO AFFILIATION: ‘DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN FLORIDA IS DEAD’

GOP Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, center, listens as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis delivers his State of the State address during the first day of the legislative session at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, on March 4. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

DeSantis — a former U.S. congressman who was a House Freedom Caucus founding member — notched a dominant gubernatorial re-election victory in 2022.

He mounted a presidential bid in 2023, but ultimately dropped out and endorsed Donald Trump in 2024 after Trump, a GOP juggernaut, scored a huge win in the Iowa GOP presidential caucus.

Before he leaves office, the governor has his sights set on seeking a constitutional amendment to lower, or even abolish, property taxes placed before voters. 

“Property taxes are local, not state. So we’d need to do a constitutional amendment (requires 60% of voters to approve) to eliminate them (which I would support) or even to reform/lower them,” DeSantis noted earlier this year in a post on X. 

“We should put the boldest amendment on the ballot that has a chance of getting that 60%,” he noted, adding, “I agree that taxing land/property is the more oppressive and ineffective form of taxation.”

The governor explained to Fox News Digital that “the philosophical underpinning is, do you have private property or not?”

He noted that if someone owns property outright but still has to pay property taxes, “you’re basically paying rent … to the government.” 

DeSantis pointed out that property taxes “basically tax unrealized gains,” commensurate with increased property value assessments by local government.

“And so you have to pay taxes at a higher basis, even though you never sold the house for that much. There’s never been a market transaction that says your house is worth that much,” he said.

ABOLISH PROPERTY TAXES? DESANTIS ENDORSES THE IDEA AND EXPLAINS HOW IT COULD BE DONE IN FLORIDA

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference in Miami on April 10. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The governor is committed to seeing a property tax proposal presented to voters before he leaves office.

DeSantis indicated that if he feels the state legislature would not consider putting the matter before voters, a citizens’ initiative could be the path to get it on the ballot. But that would require the collection of vast quantities of signatures, and the governor suggested that it would be easier if the legislature acts, though he does not know that lawmakers will do so.

“Why would we not … just do it, right?” he said after noting the GOP’s dominance in the state legislature. 

“I think that they’ve just taken the position that they really don’t give a damn in the Florida House what their voters think,” he declared.

Perez said in his statement to Fox News Digital, “As for property taxes, the Governor introduced the topic months ago, yet has failed to offer a plan, language, or even a basic explanation. Property taxes in Florida are controlled at the local level, but if he wants to bring a constitutional proposal forward, the House is ready to put it on the floor tomorrow. This Legislature has debated bold reforms to property taxes for two decades.

“The truth about late-term Ron DeSantis is that he talks a big game but waits for others to do the work. [Georgia Gov. Brian] Kemp opened his state first after COVID — Ron took credit. [Texas Gov. Greg] Abbott led on immigration — Ron took credit. It’s no different here. If he truly wants action, he should do the work, not just hold empty press conferences.”

FLORIDA GOVERNOR SPOTLIGHTS TIMELY GOLF OUTING HE AND CASEY DESANTIS HAD WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., shakes hands with former President Donald Trump during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors national summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown in Philadelphia on June 30, 2023. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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DeSantis, who is currently serving his second term, is not eligible to run again in 2026, and Trump has already endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., in the gubernatorial contest.

Asked by Fox News Digital whether he thinks he will make an endorsement in the race, the governor indicated that he will be “involved,” but noted that it’s still quite early in the election season.

DeSantis suggested that the state House has shown in recent months that Florida’s “success is very fragile.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has crisscrossed the United States with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, and Americans are speculating about whether the New York Democrat is launching a shadow campaign for president. 

Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign account posted a video on X this week that invigorated those rumors as the four-term Democrat from New York City and a progressive leader proclaimed, “We are one.”

“I’m a girl from the Bronx,” Ocasio-Cortez said on a campaign-style stage in Idaho. “To be welcomed here in this state, all of us together, seeing our common cause, this is what this country is all about.”

FiveThirtyEight founder and prominent pollster Nate Silver signaled earlier this month that Ocasio-Cortez is the leading Democrat to pick up the party’s presidential nomination in 2028. In a draft 2028 pick with FiveThirtyEight’s Galen Druke, Silver chose Ocasio-Cortez as his top choice to lead the Democratic Party’s presidential ticket. 

POLLSTER NATE SILVER CALLS OCASIO-CORTEZ MOST LIKELY TO BE 2028 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., arrives to speak during a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour event at Arizona State University, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

“I think there’s a lot of points in her favor at this very moment,” Druke said, adding, “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has broad appeal across the Democratic Party.”

Americans are reposting Ocasio-Cortez’s video across X, pointing to the video as proof of her 2028 presidential ambitions. “Get ready America. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will almost undoubtedly run for president in 2028,” political reporter Eric Daugherty said in response to the video. 

SCHUMER SINKS, AOC SOARS IN NEW POLL AS LIBERAL VOTERS DEMAND HARDER LINE ON TRUMP

As rumors swirl over Ocasio-Cortez’s ambition for higher office, back at home in New York, a Siena College poll found Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s favorability is down, at 39% among New York state voters questioned in the poll, which was conducted April 14-16. Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez’s favorability soared to 47%. 

The longtime senator from New York faced pushback from the Democratic Party in March for supporting the Republican budget bill backed by President Donald Trump that averted a government shutdown and stirred up outrage among congressional Democrats who planned to boycott the bill.

That growing disapproval among Democrats was reflected in the poll, and the shifting perception comes as DNC vice chair David Hogg, through his political arm, Leaders We Deserve, faced blowback from the DNC this week for investing $20 million into electing younger Democrats to safe House Democrat seats. 

Gun violence survivor and activist David Hogg speaks at the March for our Lives rally against gun violence at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on June 11, 2022. 

Colin Reed, a Republican strategist, said Ocasio-Cortez “shouldn’t be discounted” by Democrats “who are standing in her way” of running for whichever office she decides to seek – whether as a U.S. senator or President of the United States. 

While Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders are garnering national attention as they jetset across the country, Reed said their passion and energy might invigorate the progressive portion of the Democratic Party, but “her ideas are way too outside the mainstream to ever be electable at a nationwide level.”

“Ultimately, in a Democratic base there’s always going to be a percentage of voters who are drawn to that message. The issue they run to is it’s just not the majority of Americans. The majority of Americans don’t want to transform our country into some sort of ‘European-style government rules all’ vision. That’s why America was founded in the first place – to get away from oppression, from an overbearing, overreaching government,” Reed said. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders participate in a stop on the ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour at the Dignity Health Arena, Theater in Bakersfield, California on April 15, 2025. (Reuters/Aude Guerrucci)

As Democrats struggle to land on a consistent message and search for a clear party leader following Republicans’ November wins, there is an opportunity within the party to dominate the national Democratic narrative, Reed explained. 

“Chaos loves a vacuum, and right now, there is a vacuum in leadership in the Democratic Party, and thus chaos is ruling the roost,” Reed said. 

“As long as those two are out there, they’re going to get attention because nobody else is doing anything. The house of cards will come crumbling down, especially when you’ve got two folks out there, Senator Sanders and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, holding themselves out as climate warriors as they jet around the country on private jets spewing untold carbon emissions into the air. That hypocrisy is one that’s tough for a lot of folks’ stomachs,” Reed added. 

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Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by deadline. 

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.

Did they or didn’t they?

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that he has spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping “many times” but did not say if any of those communications took place since he imposed stiff tariffs on the communist nation. 

Asked for details about those communications, Trump responded by saying “I’ll let you know at the appropriate time.”

President Donald Trump speaks to the media alongside first lady Melania Trump as they depart the White House on April 25, 2025, in Washington, DC. Trump has said that Chinese President Xi Jinping has called him but did not say if any of those communications took place since he imposed stiff tariffs on the communist nation. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

TRUMP HINTS AT CUTTING CHINA TARIFFS ‘SUBSTANTIALLY’ FROM 145% 

Trump’s latest comments, which took place before he boarded Marine One to travel to Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral, come after days of back and forth between the countries over whether they are in direct talks about reducing the tariffs – and whether Trump and Xi have spoken directly to one another since the tariffs were rolled out. 

Trump’s tariffs on China, which have rattled global stock markets and upended supply chains, have ballooned to 145% while China has responded by slapping a 125% tariff on its U.S. imports. 

In a newly published TIME article published Friday morning, Trump is quoted as saying that Xi personally called him to discuss trade matters. 

“He’s called. And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf,” Trump is quoted as saying, without providing specifics about the timing or content of the call.

When asked what Xi said, Trump sidestepped his response by saying “We all want to make deals. But I am this giant store. It’s a giant, beautiful store, and everybody wants to go shopping there. And on behalf of the American people, I own the store, and I set prices, and I’ll say, if you want to shop here, this is what you have to pay.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping.  (Ju Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

CHINA ACCUSES US OF ‘BULLYING’ THE WORLD WITH TARIFFS AT UN MEETING 

“You have to understand, I’m dealing with all the companies, very friendly countries,” he said, when asked about trade adviser Peter Navarro, saying 90 deals in 90 days is possible. “We’re meeting with China. We’re doing fine with everybody. But ultimately, I’ve made all the deals.”

The TIME interview took place on Tuesday, with Trump saying publicly on the same day that things were going “fine with China” and that the final tariff rate on Chinese exports would come down “substantially” from the current 145%.

Trump also told reporters earlier in the week that “everything’s active” when asked if he was engaging with China, although his treasury secretary had said there were no formal negotiations.

Those comments led to Beijing on Thursday denying any suggestion that it was in active negotiations with the administration.

Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, said during a daily briefing on Thursday that, “For all I know, China and the U.S. are not having any consultation or negotiation on tariffs, still less reaching a deal.”

“China’s position is consistent, and we are open to consultations and dialogues, but any form of consultations and negotiations must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and in an equal manner,” Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yadong said.

Asked Thursday about China denying there were any conversations ongoing with the United States, Trump said, “We may reveal it later, but they had meetings this morning, and we’ve been meeting with China,” before adding, “it doesn’t matter who they is.”

Trump announcing his tariffs on China and other countries.   (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

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Trump said Tuesday that the hefty tax rate of 145% Americans must currently pay for Chinese imports will likely be reduced significantly.  

While Trump said the rate “won’t be zero,” he expressed optimism over a potential trade deal with China. 

“One hundred forty-five percent is very high, and it won’t be that high,” Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office. “It will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.” 

Fox News’ Greg Norman, Bonny Chu and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., blocked a portion of President Donald Trump’s executive order on election integrity that is popular among Americans, according to a Gallup poll.

The portion of the order that Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia struck down included provisions related to requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

U.S. President Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., March 7, 2025.  (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON VOTING BLOCKED BY FEDERAL JUDGE AMID FLURRY OF LEGAL SETBACKS

Less than two weeks before the 2024 election, Gallup found that 84% of U.S. adults were in favor of requiring voters to show identification and 83% supported requiring proof of citizenship when registering for the first time. 

When broken down by party, 67% of Democrats, 84% of Independents and 98% of Republicans were in favor of mandating voter ID. The party breakdown over proof of citizenship was similar, with 66% of Democrats, 84% of Independents and 96% of Republicans supporting the idea.

A voter fills out her ballot in early voting. (GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images)

CITIZENSHIP VOTER REGISTRATION BILL IS ‘COMMON SENSE,’ GOP LAWMAKER ARGUES

Kollar-Kotelly, however, argued that Trump did not have the authority to issue such an order, as the Constitution delegates control of election regulations to Congress and states.

“Consistent with that allocation of power, Congress is currently debating legislation that would affect many of the changes the President purports to order,” Kollar-Kotelly, a Clinton appointee, wrote in her order. “No statutory delegation of authority to the Executive Branch permits the President to short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order.”

Earlier this month, the House passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require states to obtain proof of citizenship for those registering to vote in a federal election. Additionally, the act mandates that all non-citizens be removed from voter rolls. The Senate still needs to pass the measure before it can reach Trump’s desk.

The House passed the SAVE Act on non-citizen voting. It needs to pass in the Senate before President Donald Trump can sign it into law. (Getty)

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Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who sponsored the bill in the House, wrote, “In order to preserve this republic, we must uphold what it means to be able to vote in a U.S. election. I am grateful that my colleagues answered the call and passed the SAVE Act, as this serves as a critical first step to ensure that we maintain election integrity throughout our country.”

So far in 2025, five states have enacted voter ID requirements, and one has mandated proof of citizenship for registration, according to Voting Rights Lab. Additionally, 25 states are considering bills that would mandate proof of citizenship, while 40 are mulling legislation requiring voter ID.

While all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories are all currently in compliance ahead of the federal deadline of May 7, REAL ID was once roundly opposed by several state governments.

As soon as two years after the law’s 2005 passage by President George W. Bush, several state leaders had already expressed objections to complying with the nationwide standard.

Then-Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, called REAL ID a “harebrained scheme” in a 2008 NPR interview.

“[W]e are putting up with the federal government on so many fronts, and nearly every month they come out with another… unfunded mandate to tell us that our life is going to be better if we’ll just buckle under on some other kind of rule or regulation,” Schweitzer said.

NO ‘REAL ID’ APPOINTMENTS OPEN IN NEW JERSEY AS RESIDENTS SOUND OFF: ‘GET WITH THE TIMES, NJ’

REAL ID enforcement is set to take effect on May 7. (Getty Images)

“And we usually just play along for a while, we ignore them for as long as we can, and we try not to bring it to a head. But if it comes to a head, we found that it’s best to just tell them to go to hell and run the state the way you want to run your state.”

One year prior, Schweitzer signed a law banning Montana’s DMV from enforcing REAL ID stipulations, calling it a “threat to privacy” in a letter to then-Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, also a Democrat. 

Not too far west in Washington state, fellow Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire signed similar legislation that required the feds to appropriate $250 million to cover the unfunded mandate.

“[E]ven worse, it doesn’t protect the privacy of the citizens of Washington,” Gregoire claimed when signing the bill.

On the Republican side, then-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett signed a law in 2008 halting PennDOT’s implementation of REAL ID.

“Neither the governor nor the Department of Transportation or any other Commonwealth agency shall participate in the REAL ID Act of 2005 or regulations promulgated thereunder,” Act 38’s text read.

The policy was later reversed by Act 3 of 2017, signed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

‘MASS SURVEILLANCE’: CONSERVATIVES SOUND ALARM OVER TRUMP ADMIN’S REAL ID ROLLOUT

Meanwhile, New Jersey has the lowest reported compliance with REAL ID, according to a CBS News analysis, with only 17% of the population having one – and many complaining of not enough bandwidth for the state to handle the number of applications.

On Wednesday, Kentucky Republican state Sen. Jimmy Higdon, wrote to DHS asking for an extension to the May 7 enforcement date, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

State compliance with REAL ID means that a state has met the federal security standards outlined by DHS for the actual issuance of drivers’ licenses. Since all states have done so, they are considered compliant. 

Because the program is optional for the licenseholder – due to the alternatives, like passports – an insufficient proportion of residents not having REAL IDs does not affect statistical state compliance.

REAL ID requirements, endeavored out of a post-9/11 national security law from then-Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., dictate that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will no longer accept a photo-ID that does not have a star in the upper corner denoting verification, unless it is a passport. 

To become verified, Americans must provide Social Security information or other personal identifiers.

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The law’s implementation date has been delayed several times, due to COVID and concerns about varied state compliance and states’ abilities to summon the necessary resources to meet federal standards.

Fox News Digital reached out for comment from the current governors of the three states referenced: Democrat Bob Ferguson of Washington, Republican Greg Gianforte of Montana and Democrat Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.

A new bill in the Golden State would allow homeless community college and state university students to sleep in their cars during the blue state’s housing crisis. 

A Public Policy Institute of California report found California has among the lowest homeownership rates and the most expensive housing in the U.S., with rent about 50% higher than the national median. 

The California bill seeks to provide a short-term solution to the state’s decades-long housing strife. 

Assemblymember Corey Jackson, a progressive California Democrat with a doctorate in social work, proposed a bill in March that would require the chancellors of the California state universities and the governing board of each community college district to develop an overnight parking program with “basic needs coordinators and campus security” by late 2026. 

CALIFORNIA MAYOR WANTS TO GIVE HOMELESS PEOPLE ‘ALL THE FENTANYL THEY WANT’: ‘NEED TO PURGE THESE PEOPLE’

“This bill confronts a harsh reality to many of our students who are sleeping in their vehicles or other displaced settings as they are unable to find affordable housing, and that’s jeopardizing their education,” Jackson said. “What I am proposing is practical, immediate relief, overnight parking programs that turn campus lots into safe, temporary havens while the state works on lasting solutions.”

A California lawmaker proposed a bill that would allow California college and university students to sleep in their cars.  (Fox News Digital)

Almost three out of five California community college students are housing insecure and one in four are homeless, a survey conducted by the Community College League of California in 2023 found. 

CALIFORNIA CAREER POLITICIAN BARBARA LEE WINS MAYOR RACE IN EMBATTLED OAKLAND

“We are in a housing crisis. We are in a homelessness crisis, and it’s not an either or approach. It’s a both and all of the above approach,” Jackson said. 

Many legislative proposals in California this year seek to fund student housing or cut through building regulation red tape, but Jackson aims to provide immediate relief for college students grappling with the housing crisis. 

Jackson, who acknowledged stakeholders’ disapproval of his bill, proposed a similar one during last year’s legislative session, but it failed. Its 2025 version, however, passed the Assembly Higher Education Committee this year. 

Homeless people pictured in San Diego Jan. 8, 2025. Assemblymember Corey Jackson proposed a bill to allow homeless students in California to sleep in their cars.  (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

The bill has yet to face its first committee review and is already grabbing national attention as conservatives and progressives question what’s happening to California’s housing market. 

“After wrecking affordability in California, Democrats have nothing left but bad ideas,” California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher told Fox News Digital in a statement. “They’re now proposing to let students sleep in cars because they can’t fix the housing crisis they created. This isn’t innovation. It’s desperation from a party that spent decades raising costs, blocking new housing and wasting billions on programs that failed. Letting students live in parking lots isn’t a solution. It’s proof their policies have completely collapsed.”

When reached for comment by Fox News Digital, Newsom’s office said it does not typically comment on pending legislation. 

“California is bucking not only national increases but reversing long-term trends in the state from decades of inaction prior to this administration. California’s progress in addressing homelessness is outperforming the nation,” a Newsom spokesperson said. 

Newsom’s office, citing 2024 records, stressed that homelessness is increasing nationwide by more than 18%, while California’s national trend is closer to 3%, lower than 40 other states. Newsom also touted the state’s more than 71,000 year-round shelter beds, which a spokesperson said is double the amount created during the 5-year period prior to the Newsom administration.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom campaigns for President Joe Biden July 4, 2024, at a county Democratic Party event in South Haven, Michigan. (Chris duMond/Shutterstock)

But that hasn’t stopped the criticism of Jackson’s bill. Fox News contributor Hugh Hewitt slammed the policy on “America’s Newsroom.”

“The problem in California is there are not enough homes and apartments. It’s a supply problem created over 50 years of no-growth, left-wing policies that are anti-housing. The solution is not to create homeless encampments, and each one of these will become that,” Hewitt said. “People are going to enroll in the community college for 18 bucks a credit, and then they’re going to put their car in the community college parking lot.”

Hewitt said these are the types of polices that drove people like him out of California “because it’s simply a broken state” with a “deep blue supermajority” and no ideas about how to build houses. 

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“Newsom should spend more time governing and addressing California’s housing crisis, so students don’t have to sleep in cars & less time launching his own podcast. [I don’t know] how he sees himself as a 2028 contender when he has totally FAILED to address voters’ top issue: AFFORDABILITY,” Brendan Hartnett, a progressive policy advisor, added on X. 

Hartnett was referring to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s podcast, which features a revolving door of Trump allies and conservative guests, including Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon, in an attempt to show he is open to “criticism and debate without demeaning or dehumanizing one another.” The strategy follows criticism after the 2024 presidential election that Democrats didn’t prioritize new media appearances and unscripted conversations enough.