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Twenty-one civil service employees resigned from the Trump administration on Tuesday, saying that they refused to help the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) trim the federal workforce, according to the Associated Press. 

The 21 staffers, including engineers, data scientists and product managers, reportedly sent a joint resignation letter stating that they are opposed to using their technical expertise to “compromise core government systems.”

“We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services,” the 21 employees said in their letter obtained by the AP. “We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGE’s actions.”

DOGE adviser Katie Millier said in an X post that the employees who resigned were “full remote workers who hung Trans flags from their workplaces.” 

IRS TO SLASH NEARLY 7K EMPLOYEES STARTING THURSDAY: REPORTS

The reported resignations come as DOGE leader Elon Musk has been spearheading the Trump administration’s efforts to increase government efficiency by laying off federal employees and eliminating wasteful federal spending. 

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has made strides to slash the federal government workforce. (Jose Luis Magana)

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the resignation letter in a statement to the Associated Press, noting that any court challenges or other protests will not affect Trump from delivering his promises.

“Anyone who thinks protests, lawsuits, and lawfare will deter President Trump must have been sleeping under a rock for the past several years,” Leavitt reportedly wrote. “President Trump will not be deterred from delivering on the promises he made to make our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hardworking American taxpayers.”

TRUMP SIGNS ORDER INSTRUCTING DOGE TO MASSIVELY CUT FEDERAL WORKFORCE

The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, has laid off thousands of staffers across several federal agencies. (Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket)

Fox News Digital also reached out to the White House about the letter but did not immediately hear back. 

The 21 staffers were originally onboarded into DOGE after working for the United States Digital Service, an office established under former President Barack Obama’s administration following the botched rollout of Healthcare.gov, according to the AP. The web portal was used by millions of Americans to sign up for insurance plans through the Democrat’s signature healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act.

The now-former staffers complained about their DOGE onboarding process after Trump took office.

“Several of these interviewers refused to identify themselves, asked questions about political loyalty, attempted to pit colleagues against each other, and demonstrated limited technical ability,” the staffers reportedly wrote in their letter. “This process created significant security risks.”

DOGE SCORES BIG COURT WIN, ALLOWED ACCESS DATA ON 3 FEDERAL AGENCIES

Twenty-one federal employees resigned on Tuesday in opposition against Elon Musk slashing the size of the government. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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During the transition, 40 staffers were reportedly laid off earlier this month and the 65 remaining staffers were integrated into DOGE. Only 44 employees now remain, according to the AP.

“We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations,” the 21 staffers reportedly stated. “However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Congressional Democrats want to make sure President Donald Trump and his administration don’t attempt to impound, or choose not to spend some of the money that is allocated in a new spending bill to avoid a government shutdown on the March 14 deadline. 

They are specifically demanding assurance that Trump spends the money as Congress has appropriated, and this could take shape in a provision in the bill to stop the government from shutting down next month, four sources familiar with the discussions shared with Fox News Digital. 

The demand comes as Trump and congressional Democrats continue to feud over the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, which reasserted Congress’ power of the purse and barred the executive branch from holding back any appropriated funds. 

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP WARNS MAJOR DEM AGAINST MOVE THAT COULD COST VOTERS TRILLIONS

Democrats are looking to prevent Trump’s administration from interfering with money appropriated by Congress as DOGE sparks fears. (Reuters)

However, some constitutional scholars have argued this law was unconstitutional, a philosophy that Trump and his Office of Management and Budget (OMB) chief Russell Vought share. 

The clash over impoundment could eventually prompt the courts to rule on it. 

“The administration will not accept infringement on its lawful or constitutional authorities,” White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“Yeah, I think we’re looking through and considering all the various possibilities at this point of how to comply with it,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

“And again, I remind people, we’re in this situation because the Democrats didn’t move a single appropriation bill last year across the floor, even though 11 of them had been passed by the committee. So this is a pileup that they created, and now we have to try and figure out how to manage. But we’ll sort it out and figure out how to keep the government funded,” he added.

ETHICS WATCHDOG FLAGS SENATOR HELPING MAKE MILLIONS FOR WIFE’S GREEN NONPROFIT

Thune pointed to 11 bills that were never brought to the floor last Congress. (Getty Images)

As the majority leader referenced, the government has been funded largely through stopgap spending bills in recent years, with the Democrats unwilling to bring appropriations bills to the floor when they were at the helm in the previous Congress. 

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., spoke up during the GOP conference meeting on Tuesday, telling his colleagues that Democrats were asking for too high a price in negotiations that is restraining Trump’s authority, a Republican lawmaker shared with Fox News Digital.

“We cannot just reach an agreement, pass a bill, and then stand by while President Trump rips our laws in half,” Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., said recently, her office noted. “There is a serious, bipartisan path forward for our country – but it is one where Congress works together to avoid a shutdown, stops the de facto shutdown that is already happening, and reasserts its authority to protect the funding our communities need.” 

TRUMP TAX CUT PLAN HITS TURBULENCE AHEAD OF HOUSE VOTE AS REPUBLICANS SPLIT

Cole is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. (Getty Images)

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, also previously told reporters that Democrats’ request for guarantees from the Trump administration is “certainly a major issue,” as her office referenced. 

She explained, “There’s still not agreement. We’re close, but there’s still not agreement on the topline and the allocation under that for defense and non-defense. I’ve made four different offers. The last one was a joint offer with Tom Cole, and it was a very fair offer, as were all the others.”

Democrats are in a position they haven’t been in the first several weeks of the new Congress as the two parties attempt to negotiate a spending bill to prevent a partial government shutdown: They have leverage. 

FOLLOWING KEY WINS, TRUMP POISED FOR CABINET COMPLETION IN RECORD TIME

Sen. Susan Collins (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Republicans are going to need some level of Democratic support for a spending bill in order to get it through the House and Senate. Sixty votes are needed in the Senate, meaning at least seven Democrats will need to back the bill, provided that all Republicans also support it. In the House, only a majority is needed, but full Republican support of any bill is not guaranteed. 

With that in mind, Democrats are using their position to try and rein in Trump’s actions as it relates to shaking up the federal bureaucracy and canceling spending and contracts through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which billionaire Elon Musk was tapped to lead. 

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The White House, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, and Cole did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. 

EXCLUSIVE: Some House Republicans are increasingly frustrated with Elon Musk’s handling of his role in the federal government – frustrations that flared during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday.

Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., raised concerns about Republican lawmakers not being on the “same page” as the White House and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), three people in the room told Fox News Digital.

And he’s not the only GOP lawmaker who feels that way.

“He wants to see better communication between DOGE, the president, and the House, because we’re getting fed to the wolves, while Elon’s just tweeting,” one GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital.

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

Some House Republicans are privately grumbling about Elon Musk’s handling of the federal government. (Getty Images/Fox News Digital illustration)

A second GOP lawmaker said, “I’m going to echo Austin’s comments about, you know, it would be nice to have some heads up. There’s a lot of questions.”

“Words matter, right? So let’s make sure we’re putting out accurate information that’s correct,” the second lawmaker said.

Two House Republicans said Scott warned DOGE needed to “measure twice, cut once” in its audits of the federal government. 

Two others, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and another lawmaker, said Scott took issue with Musk re-posting a meme on X that referred to people on federal benefits as the “parasite class.”

“What Elon was talking about is those who are gaming the system are parasites. But Austin looks at it differently, which is fine, Austin means right. But he said his people took offense to that,” Norman said.

Scott told Fox News Digital he supported DOGE’s goals but reaffirmed his frustration.

Rep. Austin Scott raised concerns about Musk in the closed-door House GOP conference meeting. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

“DOGE’s recent requests for federal employees should have been coordinated with the agencies before they were issued. I fully support those agencies working with DOGE to improve efficiency and eliminate tax dollar waste,” Scott said in a written statement. “With that being said, referring to Americans who may need government assistance as ‘parasites’ is unacceptable in any circumstance.”

House lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill on Monday after a week in their home districts, during which more than half a dozen Republicans were confronted by constituents who were searching for more answers on DOGE. Several demonstrations were facilitated by progressive groups.

GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital all said they support the goal of cutting government waste but had issues with Musk’s methods – several raised specific issues with his directive that federal employees email five bullet points on the work they did last week.

While the email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) did not mention job status, Musk posted on X that employees who failed to comply could be terminated.

GOP LAWMAKER CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARING OVER DC PLANE CRASH

“It’s not how most normal good bosses would lay off somebody,” a third House Republican told Fox News Digital. “Some of them may be bad, but most of them are good. Treat them like Americans.”

A fourth House Republican, a member of the House DOGE Caucus, told Fox News Digital that Musk’s comments were not “helpful.”

Another person took issue with Musk’s suggestion of stimulus checks for Americans using DOGE savings.

“I think it’s childish,” that person said. “Now we want to take the money for waste, fraud, and abuse that was collected by the federal government and give everyone $5,000…or we could just pay off the national debt, or we could use that for the next round of appropriations we have to pay for here in Congress.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski publicly criticized Musk’s handling of federal workers. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Others were public with their frustration, like Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who posted on X, “Our public workforce deserves to be treated with dignity and respect for the unheralded jobs they perform. The absurd weekend email to justify their existence wasn’t it.”

Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., said it was up to the executive branch to deal with its personnel.

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“Reductions in force are up to the executive branch agencies and the executive branch, which is run by President Trump. So if President Trump wants to make cuts to the executive branch agencies, that’s his prerogative,” Rutherford said.

And the vast majority of Republicans are still backing Musk, at least publicly.

“I would say that I think the vast majority, the American people, understand and applaud and appreciate the DOGE effort, the goal to scale down the size and scope of government,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said during a press briefing on Tuesday. “The reason we’re excited about what Elon Musk and the team at DOGE are doing, the end result of that is going to be achieving the goal that we’ve always had, and that is to make government more efficient.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House’s DOGE spokesperson for comment.

Individual federal agencies are in control as to what actions will be taken against government employees who did not respond to an Office of Personnel Management email asking for a bullet-point list of what they accomplished during the previous work week, a White House official told Fox News Digital. 

“Agencies should consider any appropriate actions regarding employees who fail to respond to activity,” a White House official told Fox News Digital Tuesday. “It is agency leadership’s decision as to what actions are taken.” 

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Chair Elon Musk announced Saturday that federal employees would receive an email directing them to list their accomplishments from the week prior, with the DOGE leader adding later that day that the assignment should take less than five minutes to accomplish. 

Employees had until 11:59 p.m. Monday to send the list or risk losing their employment, according to emails regarding Musk’s directive that were sent by the Office of Personnel Management.

TRUMP OFFICIALS LIST 5 WEEKLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AHEAD OF MUSK MIDNIGHT DEADLINE

Elon Musk announced that federal employees had to report their accomplishments for the prior work week or risk losing employment. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote on X Saturday. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” 

“To be clear, the bar is very low here,” Musk wrote. “An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable! Should take less than 5 mins to write.” 

Musk added to X on Monday evening that, “subject to the discretion of the President, (federal employees) will be given another chance. Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.”

FLASHBACK: MUSK USED HIS ‘WHAT DID YOU GET DONE THIS WEEK’ DIRECTIVE BEFORE GUTTING TWITTER

“The email request was utterly trivial, as the standard for passing the test was to type some words and press send!” he wrote in a separate post. “Yet so many failed even that inane test, urged on in some cases by their managers. Have you ever witnessed such INCOMPETENCE and CONTEMPT for how YOUR TAXES are being spent?” 

Individual federal agencies are in control as to what actions will be taken against government employees who did not respond to an Office of Personnel Management productivity email, a White House official said. (Jon Elswick/The Associated Press)

A handful of federal departments that deal with sensitive and classified information told staffers to ignore the order to list their accomplishments, which President Donald Trump said on Monday was a “friendly” rejection due to the sensitive materials some government employees handle on a regular basis. 

FBI Director Kash Patel, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security were among the agencies and departments that informed staff to not respond to the email. 

President Donald Trump lauded the directive, arguing that it will expose government employees who aren’t actually carrying out tasks. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

“That was done in a friendly manner,” Trump said Monday while speaking with the media alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. “Only things such as, perhaps Marco at State Department, where they have very confidential things. Or the FBI, where they’re working on confidential things. And they don’t mean that in any way combatively with Elon. They’re just saying there are some people that you don’t want to really have them tell you what they’re working on last week.”

MUSK’S DEMAND THAT FED EMPLOYEES LIST THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ROILS WORKFORCE: ‘MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE’

Other Trump officials, such as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Small Business Association Administrator Kelly Loeffler and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, publicly reported their accomplishments for the previous work week on social media or in comments to Fox News Digital. 

Following the deadline, Musk posted a meme on X showing Greek mythology warrior Achilles and an arrow piercing his heel. A caption over the Greek figure reads, “Largest most entrenched bureaucracy on earth,” while a caption over the arrow reads, “What did you get done last week?”  

Trump lauded the directive Monday, arguing that it will expose government employees who aren’t actually carrying out tasks.

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“There was a lot of genius in sending it,” Trump said Monday from the White House. “We’re trying to find out if people are working. And so we’re sending a letter to people. Please tell us what you did last week. If people don’t respond, it’s very possible that there is no such person or they’re not working.” 

In an ad promoting herself as a tough on crime judge, and her opponent as “too extreme,” the Democrat-aligned candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race touted the endorsement of a local sheriff who has a long history of promoting sanctuary immigration policies and opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

“Take it from a sheriff,” Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a recent 15-second ad, paid for by candidate Susan Crawford, criticizing the Republican-aligned candidate Brad Schimel of being too “extreme” for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and for “letting rapists walk free” in a claim involving a backlog of rape kits being processed that Schimel has pushed back on. 

Barrett has faced his own share of criticism for policies labeled soft on crime, specifically on illegal immigrant crime, where his office has a history of refusing to cooperate with ICE.

Earlier this year, Barrett withdrew his county from the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program that ICE uses to locate criminal illegal immigrants in jail, which earned him praise from the ACLU. 

TOM HOMAN TELLS MIGRANT TERROR GROUPS TRUMP WILL ‘WIPE YOU OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH’

Susan Crawford’s ad featured two sheriffs who have publicly opposed ICE. (Getty)

“At this point, we will no longer be taking part in the SCAAP grant program, and it is due to the recent change in administration and our understanding, listening, and hearing our community here in Dane County,” Barrett told Channel 3000 at the time. 

Barrett has also pledged that his department will “not be proactively involved in any sort of round-ups, any sort of immigration enforcement.”

ICE listed Dane County as a jurisdiction that was “non-cooperative” in a June 2024 report, as Barrett’s office released individuals suspected of being illegal immigrants out on bail after committing crimes that were in some cases violent. 

In 2024, two Republican congressmen in Wisconsin released a statement demanding answers from Barrett on Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate, a suspected member of the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua, having a warrant for his arrest in Dane County when he was then arrested for allegedly sexually and physically assaulting a woman and her child.

BRETT FAVRE HAS 1-WORD RESPONSE TO WISCONSIN GOV’S PROPOSAL THAT WOULD REPLACE WORD ‘MOTHER’ IN STATE LAW

Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel are facing off in a pivotal Supreme Court race that will have significant political consequences. (AP)

“Sanctuary policies undermine both the rule of law and the safety of American communities,” Matt O’Brien, director of investigations at the Immigration Reform Law Institute, told Fox News Digital. “To begin with, states, counties, and municipalities cannot simply ignore any federal laws they dislike. But that’s exactly what sanctuary jurisdictions are doing.”

“Secondly, law enforcement officials who are tough on crime and serious about protecting their communities seize every available opportunity to neutralize threats to public safety. Police chiefs and sheriffs in sanctuary jurisdictions actually do the exact opposite. They shield foreign criminals from federal immigration enforcement. And, in so doing, they encourage criminals to take up residence in the very communities they are responsible for protecting. Simply put, it is impossible to be a sanctuary police chief or sheriff and be tough on crime – because the very essence of being a sanctuary jurisdiction is giving preferential treatment to illegal alien bad guys.”

Another sheriff featured in the ad, former Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney, has also publicly pushed back against ICE raids. 

Schimel, who has been endorsed by over 80 Wisconsin sheriffs and previously served as the state’s attorney general, will face Crawford in an election on April 1 for a 10-year term on the state’s supreme court to replace retiring Judge Ann Walsh Bradley. 

Although the Supreme Court seats are considered nonpartisan, Crawford, currently a circuit court judge, has earned the endorsement of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, which received $1 million from George Soros in January before then sending $2 million to Crawford and various liberal activist groups. 

Schimel, currently a Waukesha County judge, has the backing of the Wisconsin GOP, several top Republican donors, including Chicago Cubs co-owner Joe Ricketts and Elon Musk’s Building America’s Future PAC. 

MUSK’S DEMAND THAT FED EMPLOYEES LIST THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ROILS WORKFORCE: ‘MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE’

CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort Hotel And Convention Center on Feb. 20, 2025 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. ( (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images))

The race is expected to have significant implications on the future of Wisconsin politics given that the court’s current 4-3 liberal majority would essentially be set in stone through 2028 or, if Schimel were to win, become a conservative-leaning court with Justice Brian Hagedorn serving as a key swing vote. 

“In November, Wisconsin voters chose common sense above a far-left agenda. Now, Dangerous Democrat Susan Crawford, wants to be a liberal activist from the bench of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Crawford and Democrats are already plotting to redraw Congressional seats to attack President Trump’s America First Agenda,” Wisconsin GOP Executive Director Andrew Iverson told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

“While Brad Schimel has a record of protecting Wisconsin’s most vulnerable, Crawford has a record of coddling criminals and has attached herself at the hip with anti-ICE and defund-police Democrats. On April 1, Wisconsin voters will flock to the ballot box to vote for Schimel — to save Wisconsin and save America.”

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Brad Schimel during a 2018 campaign rally at Weldall Manufacturing Inc. in Waukesha, Wisconsin. (Getty Images)

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Schimel campaign spokesperson Jacob Fischer said, “Susan Crawford is backed by George Soros, and she’s not trying to hide it.”

“If Crawford wins, she would continue to force-feed us her dangerous, Soros-backed agenda. We must stop her from destroying Wisconsin.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to both Barrett and Crawford for comment but did not receive a response. 

EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans are getting an update on the Trump administration’s probe of billionaire George Soros’ influence on local radio, a source familiar with planning told Fox News Digital.

The Republican Study Committee (RSC), the 175-strong caucus led by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, is hosting Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr at its annual closed-door lunch on Wednesday.

The source familiar with the planning said Carr is expected to brief GOP lawmakers on the FCC’s investigation into Soros, including an investment firm he’s linked to purchasing over 200 Audacy radio stations nationwide.

Carr and Republicans are also expected to more widely discuss strategies for pushing back against media deemed to be biased against the GOP.

KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

The FCC, under former President Joe Biden, fast-tracked a deal that helped George Soros’ investment firm get 40% of Audacy’s debt. (Getty Images/AP)

The RSC is the largest grouping of lawmakers within the House GOP and traditionally acts as an informal think tank for the conference.

It has also been a conduit for several top Trump administration officials to Capitol Hill so far this year.

Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller addressed the RSC on immigration and President Donald Trump’s plan for executive action last month. Earlier in February, the group heard from Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

NONCITIZEN VOTER CRACKDOWN LED BY GOP AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, leads the Republican Study Committee. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

An investment firm linked to Soros, a left-wing businessman who has sunk billions of dollars into liberal causes, became the largest stakeholder in radio giant Audacy at the tail end of the Biden administration late last year.

The Soros Investment Fund acquired roughly 40% of Audacy’s debts after the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Republican lawmakers blasted the deal, including Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., both of whom called for intense scrutiny.

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr will address the RSC on Wednesday. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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Carr signaled he wanted to set his sights on Soros late last year during an interview on “Mornings with Maria.”

“There’s a petition for reconsideration pending at the FCC right now. And I want to take a very hard look at that,” he said in late November.

Fox News Digital reached out to the FCC and Audacy for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: GOP Rep. Darrell Issa has introduced a bill aimed at preventing federal judges from issuing nationwide injunctions with the sole purpose of derailing a president’s political agenda, which Issa says has been the case since President Donald Trump was sworn in. 

The legislation, known as the No Rogue Rulings Act (NORRA), amends Chapter 85 of title 28, United 5 States Code by adding a “Limitation on authority to provide injunctive relief.”

“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no United States district court shall issue any order providing for injunctive relief, except in the case of such an order that is applicable only to limit the actions of a party to the case before such district court with respect to the party seeking injunctive relief from such district court,” the legislation states. 

Dozens of activist and legal groups, elected officials, local jurisdictions and individuals have launched more than 50 lawsuits against the Trump administration since Jan. 20 in response to his more than 60 executive orders, as well as executive proclamations and memos, Fox News Digital reported earlier this month.

LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS

Rep. Darrell Issa. (iStock/Fox News Media)

Issa says NORRA would limit the scope of nationwide injunctions by preventing federal judges from issuing injunctions that extend beyond parties directly involved in a case, while also ensuring that any injunction restricts only the specific parties requesting relief, regardless of whether the injunction involves outright enforcement of actions or policy actions. 

“The founders could never have envisioned judges and part of the legislative branch teaming up to tie down the executive and disempower the people,” Issa told Fox News Digital, adding that the current judge-shopping climate in the United States amounts to “judicial tyranny” and a “weaponization of courts.”

Issa’s office told Fox News Digital they are optimistic that this is a bill that will pass through Congress with Republican support and be signed by President Trump, adding that the bill has “maximum momentum.”

DEMS LIKELY TO ‘WASTE MILLIONS’ ON DELUGE OF LAWSUITS BUT COULD COST TRUMP PRECIOUS TIME: EXPERT

“Nowhere in our Constitution is a single federal judge given absolute power over the President or the people of the United States,” Issa posted on X last week. 

Issa’s bill comes as the Trump administration has publicly pushed back against the flurry of injunctions from courts across the country. 

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President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

“Many outlets in this room have been fear mongering the American people into believing there is a constitutional crisis taking place here at the White House,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing last week. “I’ve been hearing those words a lot lately, but in fact, the real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch, where district court judges in liberal districts across the country are abusing their power to unilaterally block President Trump’s basic executive authority.”

“We believe these judges are acting as judicial activists rather than honest arbiters of the law and they have issued at least 12 injunctions against this administration in the past 14 days, often without citing any evidence or grounds for their lawsuits,” she continued. “This is part of a larger concerted effort by Democrat activists, and nothing more than the continuation of the weaponization of justice against President Trump.”

House Republicans’ mammoth budget resolution survived its final hurdle late Monday night before heading for a chamber-wide vote.

The legislation passed the House Rules Committee on a party-line vote in a measure combining several bills that are expected to get a full House vote this week.

House GOP leaders aim to have it pass on Tuesday evening, Fox News Digital was told, but various concerns about spending cut levels could put that goal out of reach. Under the current margins, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only lose one Republican vote to pass a bill without Democrats. 

KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN

House Speaker Mike Johnson, inset right, is shepherding President Donald Trump’s agenda through Congress via reconciliation. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images/Fox News Channel)

Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., announced over the weekend that she is against the current text, while several other fiscal hawks suggested their support is still up in the air.

Two other conservatives, Reps. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., signaled they would oppose the resolution as well.

Some Republicans are worried about potentially damaging cuts to Medicaid and other federal benefit programs that their constituents rely on. Johnson met with some of those potential holdouts on Monday night for what he called a “very productive conversation.”

The speaker sounded optimistic when leaving the Capitol late on Monday, telling reporters, “We’re on track. We got the resolution through rules, and we’re expecting to vote tomorrow evening.”

The bill aims to increase spending on border security, the judiciary and defense by roughly $300 billion, while seeking at least $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion in spending cuts elsewhere.

As written, the bill also provides $4.5 trillion to extend President Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions, which expire at the end of this year.

An amendment negotiated by House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and conservatives on his panel would also force lawmakers to make $2 trillion in cuts, or else risk the $4.5 trillion for Trump’s tax cuts getting reduced by the difference. 

House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington saw the bill advance through his panel last week. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images.)

That agreement alarmed Republicans on the House Ways & Means Committee, like Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y.

“I don’t think that is doable without affecting beneficiaries, and I’ve expressed that concern to leadership and in talking to some of my colleagues,” Malliotakis told Fox News Digital last week.

Johnson met with Malliotakis and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, a House GOP group, on Monday night to discuss their concerns about spending cuts in the bill. The New York Republican was more optimistic when leaving the meeting late on Monday night, telling reporters that GOP leaders had eased her concerns.

“I’d say now I’ve shifted from undecided to lean yes,” Malliotakis told reporters. “This is moving in the right direction.”

GOP lawmakers are working to pass a broad swath of Trump policies – from investments in defense and border security to eliminating taxes on tipped and overtime wages – via the budget reconciliation process. 

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

The mechanism allows the party in control of both houses of Congress to pass a tax and budget bill without help from the opposing party. To do so, it lowers the threshold for passage in the Senate from two-thirds to a simple majority, where the House already sits.

The Senate advanced a narrower version of the plan last week, which does not include Trump’s tax cut priorities. Because the president favors all the issues being wrapped up into one bill, however, it has been relegated to a de facto backup plan if the House fails to pass its plan on a reasonable timeline.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is waiting with a backup plan if the House fails. (Getty Images)

The House Rules Committee is the final gatekeeper for most pieces of legislation before a chamber-wide vote. 

The committee will normally debate a set of bills, not necessarily related ones, before setting terms for amendments and debate and advancing those terms out of committee as a single “rules package.”

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House lawmakers will then vote on the rules package before the final reconciliation framework.

Once this bill passes the House, the relevant committees will get to work filling the framework out with detailed policy priorities, which will then be returned as a final bill that will need to face House passage again.

Johnson said at the Americans for Prosperity event on Monday that he wants that to happen sometime in April.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that state authorities working with the Department of Homeland Security are conducting an immigration and law enforcement operation in Colony Ridge, a huge development known for attracting masses of illegal immigrants.

“Colony Ridge is being targeted today,” Abbott, a Republican, announced on X on Monday.

Colony Ridge, which is less than an hour’s drive from Texas’ biggest city, Houston, is a housing development that advertises in Spanish for quality land for low down payments. There are believed to be thousands of illegal immigrants living in the community, which also reportedly has significant cartel activity and very little police presence.

DEM AND GOP GOVERNORS URGE TRUMP TO ‘LET THE STATES PLAY A ROLE’ IN IMMIGRATION DECISIONS

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced that “Colony Ridge is being targeted today.” (Brandon Bell/Getty Images | ICE)

The governor said Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers and special agents were cooperating with Homeland Security Investigations in an operation in Colony Ridge this morning, “targeting criminals & illegal immigrants.”

Abbott said he has been working on this operation with President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, “for months.”

In response to concerns that his post would endanger law enforcement’s operation in Colony Ridge, Abbott said the operation began hours before his post and that “long before my post anyone in the area would’ve known about the operation.”

A spokesperson for DHS, however, declined to comment on the operation, citing the need to preserve secrecy about the details of the operations and concerns for the safety of the agents involved.

ALLEGED FENTANYL-SMUGGLING IMMIGRANTS LEAD POLICE ON DANGEROUS CORNFIELD CHASE

ICE takes illegal immigrant Jorge Carvajal Castrejon, 36, into custody in Houston on Jan. 28, 2025. (ICE)

Local outlet ABC13 reported that officials at the nearby Liberty County Sheriff’s Office further confirmed that DPS and ICE operations were underway.

Another outlet called The Vindicator reported that at least one local man, Roberto Alfaro, 24, saw “undercover” agents he believed to be from ICE “forcefully” arresting a Mexican national outside his house.

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Alfaro told The Vindicator he had never seen anything like the operation underway in Colony Ridge before and that it “feels scary.” He mentioned his concern that his mother and father would be deported back to Honduras and El Salvador. He also said he and some others were “chasing” ICE so “we could go behind them and warn others.”

TRUMP FREEZES APPLICATIONS FOR BIDEN-ERA MIGRANT PROGRAMS AMID FRAUD, NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS

Tom Homan (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The Trump administration has unleashed a slew of immigration enforcement actions since taking office last month, one of the most notable being a string of ICE raids in cities across the country.

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Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, Homan announced that in Trump’s first month in the Oval Office, ICE arrested 21,000 illegal aliens.

“I’m happy with the numbers,” he said. “But I’m not going to be satisfied until every criminal alien gang member, every criminal alien, every Tren de Aragua [gang member] is eradicated from this country and [we’ve] sent their a– to Gitmo, where they belong.”

Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde, who earlier this month announced he was drafting articles of impeachment against a Rhode Island judge overseeing one of President Donald Trump’s legal challenges, condemned judges who continue to bar Trump’s agenda from being implemented. 

Clyde is working in conjunction with Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., who is also preparing impeachment articles against U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer. The Georgia Republican said the real victims of judicial pushback against Trump’s policies are the American people. 

“You’re not just hurting the president,” Clyde told Fox News Digital. “You’re hurting the American people because they’re the ones who elected him, and they’re the ones who want him to do this – to exercise these specific authorities. And these judges are really denying the American people their rights.”

IMPEACHMENT THREAT HITS JUDGE WHO BLOCKED TRUMP FEDERAL FUNDING FREEZE

Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde condemned judges who continue to bar Trump’s agenda from being implemented. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Clyde threatened to file articles of impeachment against District Judge John McConnell who, at the time, filed a motion ordering the Trump administration to comply with a previous restraining order. The order temporarily blocked the administration’s efforts to pause federal grants and loans. 

McConnell has since come under fire from Trump supporters and conservatives who have accused him of being a liberal activist after a 2021 video of him saying courts must “stand and enforce the rule of law, that is, against arbitrary and capricious actions by what could be a tyrant or could be whatnot” resurfaced online.  

“You have to take a moment and realize that this, you know, middle-class, White, male, privileged person needs to understand the human being that comes before us that may be a woman, may be Black, may be transgender, may be poor, may be rich, may be – whatever,” McConnell said in the video, according to WPRI.

KEY HOUSE DEMOCRAT RIPS MUSK FOR USURPING PRESIDENTIAL POWERS, SAYS SOME HAVE DISCUSSED IMPEACHMENT

Clyde acknowledged that judges have their own opinions and “they’re certainly entitled to them, but they’re not overt and political in mentioning them,” saying “they don’t want to be seen as potentially having a conflict of interest.”

“And I think that’s very, very much the case when it comes to both Judge Engelmayer and Judge McConnell,” the lawmaker said. 

Judge McConnell has come under fire from Trump supporters and conservatives who have accused him of being a liberal activist. (Getty)

Since taking office in January, activist and legal groups, along with elected officials, local jurisdictions and individuals, have launched more than 70 lawsuits against the administration. The legal challenges cover Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to slash unnecessary government spending, and Trump’s removal of various federal employees. 

DOJ ISSUES COMPLAINT ABOUT FEDERAL JUDGE’S ‘MISCONDUCT’ WHILE PRESIDING OVER MILITARY TRANS BAN COURT CASE

With regard to the specific suits over DOGE’s actions, Clyde told Fox News Digital he expects the president to “prevail on the merits of his case.”

“I think the president will certainly prevail on the merits of his case. He has the authority under Article II of the Constitution,” Clyde said. “But yet for the entire time of the restraining order, the judge will have prevented this duly elected authority from being exercised by the president. And also, they will have prevented the American people from dealing with waste, fraud and abuse in their government.”

Clyde is working with Rep. Eli Crane, who is also preparing impeachment articles against U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer. (Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)

Clyde said he hopes other members of Congress join his and Crane’s efforts to continue holding judges accountable, saying those barring Trump’s agenda from being implemented “need to understand that they’re not going to get away with it.”

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“They can’t just stop the president from doing what the Constitution gives him the authority to do, and the people have given him the authority to do,” Clyde said. 

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

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s White House is warning that a key Democrat’s move to end the president’s energy national emergency would kill hundreds of jobs and cost $3.6 trillion in higher prices and lost energy output. 

“Tim Kaine wants to impoverish Americans. President Donald Trump’s executive order brings America into the future and unleashes prosperity. Senator [Tim] Kaine wants to cost the economy trillions and risk losing nearly a million jobs,” said deputy press secretary Anna Kelly in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. 

The White House’s statement is in response to Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., filing a joint resolution to end Trump’s energy national emergency and teeing up a vote on the Senate floor this week.

ETHICS WATCHDOG FLAGS SENATOR HELPING MAKE MILLIONS FOR WIFE’S GREEN NONPROFIT

The White House is slamming Sen. Tim Kaine for forcing a vote to end his national emergency on energy. (Reuters)

Ending the energy emergency would lead to the loss of 869,800 jobs, according to a White House document obtained by Fox News Digital. 

The White House emphasized that ending the emergency would usher back in the Biden administration’s policies. The document stressed that under those policies, during Biden’s first two years, families spent an additional average of $10,000 in energy costs, citing a study published by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. 

The document cited that estimates of liquefied natural gas growth in the new administration were projected to bring in half a million jobs annually and boost U.S. GDP by $1.3 trillion through 2040, per a study by S&P Global in December. 

TRUMP TAX CUT PLAN HITS TURBULENCE AHEAD OF HOUSE VOTE AS REPUBLICANS SPLIT

President-elect Trump has vowed to unleash American energy. (Getty Images)

“The Trump Administration is living in a fantasy land,” Kaine and Heinrich told Fox News Digital in a joint statement. “Energy demand is high and only getting higher, which is why it’s great that America is producing more energy than at any other point in our history. Decreasing the supply of American-made energy when demand is high is the quickest way to raise prices—and that’s exactly what President Trump’s sham energy emergency will do. By tampering with the market to favor some forms of energy over others and making it easier for fossil fuel companies to take Americans’ private property, Trump’s emergency declaration will benefit Big Oil, but leave American consumers with fewer choices and higher bills.”

“At the same time, Trump’s decision to illegally halt investments appropriated by Congress in energy projects that are creating jobs in communities across the country is costing Americans valuable, good-paying jobs,” they added. 

The two Democrats unveiled their privileged legislation against Trump’s order earlier this month.

FOLLOWING KEY WINS, TRUMP POISED FOR CABINET COMPLETION IN RECORD TIME

Kaine, shown, and Heinrich introduced a resolution to force a vote. (Getty Images)

“Senate Democrats are yet again attempting to block President Trump’s efforts to secure cheaper, more reliable energy—just when America needs it most,” Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Mike Lee, R-Utah, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Their message to families is clear: pay more, expect less. Luckily, President Trump is committed to unleashing American energy and rescuing the country from the energy crisis that they have perpetuated. Senate Republicans won’t let Democrats delay and obstruct any longer and will ensure the President has the tools necessary to deliver the results the American people expect.”

SENATE BORDER BUDGET TRIUMPHS AFTER ALL-NIGHT SESSION WHILE TRUMP-BACKED HOUSE BILL LAGS

Heinrich is the Energy Committee’s ranking member. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Kaine and Heinrich’s introduction of the resolution will force a vote on the Senate floor, which is expected to occur on Wednesday. 

The measure is likely to fail, with Republicans vocally supportive of Trump’s energy agenda. The GOP has a 53-seat majority in the upper chamber.

Among the critics who posted on X Sunday after my Fox News show was one who made an argument that surprised me.

Don’t pay attention to what President Trump says, this person wrote. Pay attention to what he does.

Now that’s a novel idea. What the President of the United States says is unimportant and should be ignored. I doubt that this person applied the same standard to President Joe Biden.

And yet there’s an interesting thought exercise here. Trump says a lot of things, especially since he talks to journalists at length virtually every day. Not everything rises to the same level of seriousness. I say this as someone who has interviewed him many times over the years, including our sitdown two weeks before the election.

INTERVIEWING DONALD TRUMP: A LAST-MINUTE BLITZ AND NEW CLOSING MESSAGE

Sometimes the president says things just to rile up the press. Sometimes he says things that aren’t true, or are exaggerations or taken out of context.

But more often he says the quiet part out loud, signaling what he plans to do or insulting those with whom he disagrees, the kind of stuff that reporters used to have to attribute to unnamed aides, and he does it in front of the cameras.

At the top of the list right now would be Ukraine. Donald Trump is a smart guy, he knows that Russia invaded its much smaller sovereign neighbor with the aim of wiping it off the map and putting it under Moscow’s control. But he has chosen to blame Ukraine for starting the war, and to insult Volodomyr Zelenskyy as a dictator when everyone knows that label perfectly describes Vladimir Putin.

President Trump is known for rhetoric that’s simply all over the place – and some of what he says carries far more weight than the rest. It’s just a matter of determining what is what. (REUTERS/Leah Millis)

The most charitable interpretation is that Trump believes the only way to end the war is through an alliance with Putin for a settlement that could then be sold to Ukraine. (The United States voted with Russia yesterday against a U.N. resolution condemning the invasion.) 

Of course, Trump has cozied up to Putin for a long time. During their Helsinki summit in the first term, the president accepted Putin’s denial that the Kremlin had hacked into Democratic emails, despite the evidence gathered by his own intelligence agencies.

Trump has repeated again and again that Zelenskyy bears responsibility for the war that just marked its three-year anniversary. Is this aimed at the American public or at Moscow or Kyiv (to put pressure on Ukraine)?  

ELON MUSK’S BUDGET-SLASHING HITS POLITICAL REALITY OF SUFFERING AMERICANS

Journalists keep asking Trump aides and Republican supporters if they agree with the president’s blame-Ukraine approach, and many have simply tried to deflect the question.

In my “Media Buzz” interview with Jason Miller, the longtime Trump confidante and senior adviser to the Trump transition team, he deftly avoided contradicting the president.

“What President Trump has done,” he said, “is he has forced the sides to the table to actually stop the killing and come up with a peace deal. For the last several years. Joe Biden has sat there completely incompetent, doing nothing but fueling and funding more killing and more death.” 

When I tried again, Miller said of his boss that “his legacy really will be as a peacemaker.”

I came back a third time, quoting conservative radio host Mark Levin as saying, “This is sick. Ukraine didn’t start this war. What were they supposed to do? Roll over and play dead? They’re just trying to survive.” 

And I asked: “Why is President Trump blaming Zelenskyy for the beginning of the war?”

Trump seems to be taking a “blame Ukraine” approach when it comes to the country’s invasion by Russia. However, there lies an important question: is there a strategy behind it, or is he just sounding off? (Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance/Curtis Means/Daily Mail/Bloomberg)

“Well, Zelenskyy has a lot of blame. I think that would go to this as well. But again, you want to look into the past, I want to look into the future, what we do to save lives.” 

Jason Miller was doing his job. A similar scenario played out on the other Sunday shows.

On “Fox News Sunday,” my colleague Shannon Bream asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth whether it was fair to say that Russia was unprovoked when it attacked Ukraine. He replied that it was “fair to say it’s a very complicated situation.”

DONALD TRUMP’S TOUGH TALK—BUY GREENLAND! TAKE BACK PANAMA CANAL!—SPARKS DEFIANCE FROM MANY REPUBLICAN REBELS

Stressing that Trump wants to end the war, Hegseth said: “‘You’re good, you’re bad; you’re a dictator, you’re not a dictator; you invaded, you didn’t.’ It’s not useful. It’s not productive.”

Another part of my Sunday interview also shed light on Trump’s use of language.

The president had told reporters: “I think we should govern the District of Columbia, make it absolutely flawlessly beautiful.” 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked Sunday whether it was fair to say Russia was unprovoked when it attacked Ukraine, telling Fox News’ Shannon Bream it was a “complicated situation.” (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

The District has enjoyed home rule for 50 years, although Congress retains the power to overturn its laws. The capital, like most cities, grapples with crime, poverty and other urban ills.

I asked point blank: Is the president ready to end home rule in D.C.?

Miller said Mayor Muriel Bowser is largely doing a good job, adding: “I think part of the reason why President Trump won is because he said he was going to clean up our cities to make them safe. Of course he’s going to put pressure on the District of Columbia.”

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES

So Trump’s words in this instance had a different meaning, as a warning signal to the District.

Oh, I also wondered why Trump keeps referring to Canada as the 51st state when that’s not going to happen.

“The president’s having a little bit of fun with it. But he’s also making some very serious points.”

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My online detractor was wrong. It’s important to pay attention to the president’s words, especially for the media, which have a tendency to overreact to some of his language. The challenge is deciphering when he’s dead serious, when he’s sending signals, and when he’s just trolling. 

EXCLUSIVE: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is ending the use of the controversial CBP One app to allow migrants to board domestic flights – unless it is being used for their self-deportation.

“Secretary Noem is reversing the horrendous Biden-Era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country and do so without identification,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

“Under President Trump, TSA and DHS will no longer tolerate this. Aliens in our country illegally can no longer fly unless it is out of our country to self-deport,” they said.

‘HE IS DELIVERING’: TRUMP’S FIRST MONTH FLIPS SCRIPT ON RADICAL BIDEN-HARRIS BORDER POLICIES

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks before former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump takes the stage during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP) (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden administration had expanded the use of the CBP One app to allow migrants to enter the U.S. at ports of entry or via a separate parole process. That process involved them uploading information including a photograph. The Biden administration also allowed for the app to be used by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to verify a migrant without sufficient ID by comparing a photograph of a migrant in DHS records, and also use biometric matching. Those verified would also receive additional physical screening.

TRUMP FREEZES APPLICATIONS FOR BIDEN-ERA MIGRANT PROGRAMS AMID FRAUD, NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS

While migrants being allowed to board flights without ID predates the Biden administration, the use of the CBP One app has since become a method for identity matching of migrants without acceptable forms of ID. The new policy change ends the use of CBP One at screening checkpoints and TSA’s National Transportation Vetting Center, and also bars air travel for migrants who were paroled or released into the U.S. pending their immigration processing, who do not present a TSA-accepted form of ID, and who are not self-deporting. 

It marks the latest crackdown on illegal immigration and also those who have been paroled into the U.S. using the CBP One app. President Donald Trump ordered an end to the use of the CBP One app to parole migrants into the U.S. on his first day in office. His administration has also paused applications for parole programs, and allowed ICE to cancel parole statuses of migrants.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

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Last week, Noem also reversed a Biden-era extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. That in turn comes after the cancelation of a separate TPS extension for Venezuelan nationals. Noem also signed a memo that deputizes up to 600 State Department officials to act as immigration officers.

New FBI Director Kash Patel was also sworn in Monday as the acting head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), as he takes the helm of two separate Justice Department agencies.

“ATF welcomes Acting Director Kash Patel to ATF, who was sworn in and had his first visit to ATF Headquarters in Washington, D.C. today. We are enthusiastic to work together for a safer America!” the agency posted Monday on X. 

TRUMP ANNOUNCES DAN BONGINO WILL BE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE FBI

Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), speaks during a swearing-in ceremony in Washington, D.C., US, on Feb. 21, 2025. The US Senate narrowly confirmed Kash Patel to lead the FBI and carry out Donald Trump’s vision for overhauling the agency. (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Patel was sworn in to lead the ATF days after taking an oath to head the FBI following a contentious confirmation process in which Democrats raised alarms about his lack of management experience, among other claims. 

In response to the news, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., called Patel “a gun lobby puppet who has no business leading the FBI or the ATF.”

Republicans have long pushed back on ATF rules regulating access to firearms. 

The National Rifle Association (NRA) said Patel’s appointment was a first toward reforming the agency.

“For far too long, ATF has focused on how it can manipulate federal statutes to restrict the rights of law-abiding Americans,” the group wrote on X. “We look forward to working with Acting Director Patel to protect and expand Second Amendment freedoms.”

KASH PATEL TAKES REINS AT SCANDAL-RIDDEN FBI WITH ‘AMERICA ALWAYS’ MINDSET: ‘LET GOOD COPS BE COPS’

ATF agents continue their investigation at a FedEx facility following an explosion on March 20, 2018 in Schertz, Texas.  (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump hasn’t made clear what his plans are for the ATF, which has long been a target for congressional Republicans. The agency is charged with enforcing the nation’s laws with respect to firearms, explosives and arson. 

It’s also charged with licensing federal firearms dealers, tracing guns used in crimes and analyzing intelligence in shooting investigations.

On Sunday, Trump also named former U.S. Secret Service agent Dan Bongino as FBI deputy director. 

Patel called Bongino’s appointment “tremendous news for law enforcement and the future of American justice!”

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“His leadership, integrity, and deep commitment to justice make him the ideal choice to help lead the FBI at this critical time,” he said. “He’s a cop’s cop.”

Billionaire Elon Musk, who’s slashing wasteful government spending with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said federal workers who fail to respond to his productivity email may be given another chance, but warned if they fail to respond a second time, they’ll be terminated.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent an email titled, “What did you do last week?” to federal employees, calling on them to submit five bullet points detailing their accomplishments over the past week, or face possible termination.

Several agencies, including the Department of Defense (DOD) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), responded to the request, telling their employees to ignore the OPM email.

Musk appeared to be fired up by the lack of response to the request, turning to X to express his frustration just hours before the 11:59 p.m. Monday deadline.

TRUMP RATTLES OFF ‘FLAGRANT SCAMS’ UNCOVERED BY DOGE, TAKES AIM AT FORT KNOX IN CPAC SPEECH

“The email request was utterly trivial, as the standard for passing the test was to type some words and press send!” he wrote. “Yet so many failed even that inane test, urged on in some cases by their managers. Have you ever witnessed such INCOMPETENCE and CONTEMPT for how YOUR TAXES are being spent? Makes old Twitter look good. Didn’t think that was possible.”

Musk responded to a post by Matt Walsh, host of “The Matt Walsh Show,” saying the government should fire any federal worker who did not answer the email, complained publicly or privately about the email or did anything other than answer it promptly.

CPAC STRAW POLL REVEALS WHO CONSERVATIVES BELIEVE WILL BE 2028 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE

“Subject to the discretion of the President, they will be given another chance,” Musk responded. “Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.”

When Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, he called on the social media giant’s former CEO Parag Agrawal to detail what he accomplished during the work week — years before he employed the same tactic on federal employees while serving in his capacity as chair of DOGE under the Trump administration.

“What did you get done this week,” Musk texted Agrawal in April 2022.

ELON MUSK SAYS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MUST FILL OUT PRODUCTIVITY REPORTS OR RESIGN

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump tasked Elon Musk with making cuts in wasteful government spending by leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Musk helped resurrect the text exchange over the weekend on X, when he responded to an account that shared a “how it started, how it’s going” post that showed a screenshot of Musk’s text to Agrawal, accompanied by a screenshot of a post on X from Musk on Saturday, directed at federal employees.

In the post, Musk wrote, “Parag got nothing done. Parag was fired.”

DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY 

“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote on X on Saturday. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” 

“To be clear, the bar is very low here,” Musk wrote. “An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable! Should take less than 5 mins to write.” 

Musk’s DOGE is in the midst of auditing various federal agencies in search of wasteful spending, corruption and mismanagement. 

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DOGE’s work comes as President Donald Trump ordered the federal workforce to return to the office after five years of remote work stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, and has vowed to clean house of bad actors within the government and axe overspending.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump turned his attention to the Keystone XL Pipeline on Monday evening, calling for the company building it to “come back to America, and get it built — NOW!”

Trump said he was “just thinking” about how construction on the pipeline was “viciously jettisoned by the incompetent Biden Administration,” and promised things are different now under his leadership.

“I know they were treated very badly by Sleepy Joe Biden, but the Trump Administration is very different — Easy approvals, almost immediate start! If not them, perhaps another Pipeline Company. We want the Keystone XL Pipeline built!”

The pipeline has been at the forefront of political debate since the project began construction in 2010, and was eventually halted by former President Barack Obama before it was finished. Trump revived it during his first term.

ENERGY EXPERTS WEIGH IN AFTER CANADIAN PREMIER SAYS SHE WANTS TO DISCUSS KEYSTONE PIPELINE 2.0 WITH TRUMP

President Trump announced he wants to resume construction on the Keystone XL Pipeline and invited the original construction company to come back and build it. (Getty Images)

However, former President Joe Biden ordered the pipeline cancelation via executive order on his first day in office in January 2021, leading to thousands of job losses. 

TC Energy, the operator of the Keystone XL pipeline, ultimately gave up on the project in June 2021 as a result of Biden’s decision to cancel its federal permits.

 Then, in 2023, a federal judge tossed a legal challenge from nearly two dozen states asking the court to reinstate the pipeline’s permits.

‘I LITERALLY CRIED’: FORMER KEYSTONE XL WORKERS STILL REELING TWO YEARS AFTER BIDEN AXED PIPELINE

Pipes for the Keystone XL pipeline stacked in a yard near Oyen, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. U.S. President Joe Biden revoked the permit for TC Energy Corp.’s Keystone XL energy pipeline via executive order hours after his inauguration. (Jason Franson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The pipeline had been scheduled to be completed in early 2023 and would transport an additional 830,000 barrels of crude oil from Canada to the U.S. through an existing pipeline network, according to TC Energy. It was also projected to create thousands of jobs, many of which would have been union jobs.

In December 2022, the Biden administration’s Department of Energy (DOE) published a report that said the Keystone XL project would have created between 16,149 and 59,000 jobs and would have had a positive economic impact of between $3.4 and $9.6 billion, citing various studies.

BIDEN ADMIN QUIETLY ADMITS CANCELING KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE COST THOUSANDS OF JOBS, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

Trump and parts of the Keystone pipeline. (Getty Images)

“Joe Biden’s action cost tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars and every American family is still paying more every day,” Daniel Turner, the founder and executive director of Power the Future, shared with Fox News Digital in a previous statement.

The system was designed to carry oil from Alberta to states like Illinois, Texas and Oklahoma. 

In January, Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta, Canada, said that she was interested in talking to the Trump administration about potentially reopening the pipeline project. 

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“Restarting the Keystone XL pipeline aligns with President Trump’s agenda to lower food and energy costs by bolstering North American energy infrastructure and reducing reliance on costly imports,” Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute (AEI), previously told Fox News Digital. 

Another expert said that Trump will likely face litigation if he chooses to proceed with construction of the pipeline, but that Congress could help limit legal action.

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on Monday separately endorsed entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio’s gubernatorial race.

Ramaswamy, who ran against Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, announced his candidacy earlier on Monday to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in the 2026 election.

Trump announced his endorsement in a post to his social media platform Truth Social.

RAMASWAMY OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN IN OHIO: ‘BEST DAYS ARE STILL YET AHEAD’

Vivek Ramaswamy speaks before President Donald Trump takes the stage at the campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024, in New York City.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“VIVEK RAMASWAMY is running for Governor of the Great State of Ohio. I know him well, competed against him, and he is something SPECIAL,” Trump wrote. 

“He’s Young, Strong, and Smart! Vivek is also a very good person, who truly loves our Country,” he continued. “He will be a GREAT Governor of Ohio, will never let you down, and has my COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT!”

Musk, a senior advisor to Trump, also offered Ramaswamy his endorsement a short time later.

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2025. (Getty Images)

“Good luck, you have my full endorsement!” Musk responded to Ramaswamy in a post on X.

Ramaswamy formally declared his candidacy during a rally on Monday in his hometown of Cincinnati.

“I will lead Ohio to become the state of excellence in America,” Ramaswamy told the crowd.

TOP JD VANCE POLITICAL ADVISORS TO PLAY KEY ROLES IN RAMASWAMY CAMPAIGN

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. (Getty Images)

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“Think that sounds unrealistic? It’s not,” he said. “In fact, it wasn’t long ago that Ohio was that state. Today, young people on the internet make fun of something by saying ‘that’s so Ohio.’ But less than a century ago, people weren’t making fun of Ohio, they were aspiring to be Ohio.”

Ramaswamy, 39, dropped out of the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination to endorse Trump and become a surrogate for the current president.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) warned employees that if they choose to reply to Elon Musk’s directive to submit a list of five accomplishments for the past week, they should assume it will be read by “malign foreign actors.”

Fox News Digital confirmed that a letter sent by HHS to employees addressed an email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) titled, “What did you do last week?” which directed federal employees to submit five bullet points detailing their accomplishments over the past week or face termination.

“In discussions with OPM officials yesterday and today, OPM has now rescinded that mandatory requirement,” HHS told its staff members. “There is no HHS expectation that HHS employees respond to OPM and there is no impact to your employment with the agency if you choose not to respond.”

But should employees choose to respond, HHS provided a set of guidelines, including responding by the deadline of Monday at 11:59 p.m.

DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY

Elon Musk brushed off his critics at the event (Getty Images)

Other guidelines included keeping responses at a high level of generality while describing their work in a way that protects sensitive data, information that could identify others in the agency and information that could identify specific grants or contracts.

Additionally, the agency said if staffers are engaged in research or reviews, to not identify drugs, devices, biologics, therapeutics or similar items in their responses, and if they are engaged in scientific research, to not provide information giving the precise nature of the work.

“Assume that what you write will be read by malign foreign actors and tailor your response accordingly,” HHS told its staff.

ELON MUSK SAYS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MUST FILL OUT PRODUCTIVITY REPORTS OR RESIGN

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building is pictured in Washington on Monday, July 13, 2020.  (Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Musk, a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, said earlier on Saturday that employees would receive an email giving them a chance to explain how productive they were the previous week. If an employee fails to respond to the email, Musk said the government will interpret that as a resignation.

Fox News confirmed on Monday that OPM told human resources officials from federal agencies that OPM is not taking a one-size-fits-all approach, and the administration will work with individual departments to account for workers.

This comes as several agencies have either told their staff members to ignore the request or adhere to it.

For instance, the Department of Defense told its civilian workforce on Sunday to ignore the request to report their productivity.

ELON MUSK SAYS ‘BAR IS VERY LOW’ AFTER ORDERING FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO FILL OUT PRODUCTIVITY REPORTS OR RESIGN

The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One as it flies over Washington, March 2, 2022.  (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

“DoD personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The Department of Defense is responsible for reviewing the performance of its personnel, and it will conduct any review in accordance with its own procedures,” Darin S. Selnick, who is performing the duties of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, wrote in a letter to staff. “When and if required, the Department will coordinate responses to the email you have received from OPM. For now, please pause any response to the OPM email titled, ‘What did you do last week.’”

Also telling employees to stand down was Kash Patel, who was confirmed by the Senate last week as the new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

“FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information,” Patel told employees, according to The Associated Press. “The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures. When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.”

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The State Department also reportedly issued a similar message to employees on Saturday, informing them that department officials “will respond on behalf of the Department,” according to a message sent by Ambassador Tibor P. Nagy, who serves as acting under-secretary of state for management.

Musk turned to X on Monday, saying, “Subject to the discretion of the President, they will be given another chance. Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.”

Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.

The Boston City Council member who recently mocked Border Czar Tom Homan’s employment history walked back her comments in a follow-up post about the Trump administration official.

Councilwoman Sharon Durkan, who accused Homan of spending his career “policing a town smaller than a Fenway Park crowd,” posted a clarification shortly after a Fox News Digital request for comment on Sunday evening.

“Yes, I understand that Tom Homan spent his career as a federal agent within Border Patrol & ICE, but that’s a world away from the realities of policing a major city,” Durkan explained. “His background is in immigration enforcement, not community policing – where trust and accountability are key.”

The Smith College graduate raised eyebrows after mocking Homan’s brief stint as a police officer in West Carthage, New York, implying that he was unqualified to enforce President Donald Trump’s border policy in Boston because of that experience. But Homan’s time in the small-town department only lasted from 1983 to 1984, before he became a Border Patrol agent and eventually worked his way through the ranks of the Obama and Trump administrations.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS SKYROCKET UNDER TRUMP ICE COMPARED TO BIDEN LEVELS LAST YEAR

Councilwoman Sharon Durkan, a member of the Boston City Council, recently clarified her remarks about Border Czar Tom Homan. (Getty Images)

“Laughable that someone who spent their career policing a town smaller than a Fenway Park crowd thinks they can lecture Boston on public safety,” the councilwoman’s original Feb. 23 post read. “Commissioner Michael Cox serves with distinction and earns trust with integrity.”

“Tom Homan should know, we don’t scare easy,” Durkan added.

Durkan’s remarks came after Homan called out Beantown during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, specifically calling out Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox for enforcing the city’s sanctuary policies.

ICE ARRESTS ‘PREDATOR’ MIGRANT CONVICTED OF SECRETLY RECORDING OTHERS IN BATHROOM

District 8 City Councilwoman Sharon Durkan, left, prepares to canvas in Beacon Hill in 2023. (Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

“I’m coming to Boston, and I’m bringing hell with me,” Homan said during his speech. “I looked at the numbers this morning… I stopped counting at nine. Nine child rapists that were in jail in Massachusetts, but rather than honoring an ICE detainer, you released them back into the street.”

“You’re not a police commissioner,” the Trump administration official added. “Take that badge off your chest. Put it in the desk drawer. Because you became a politician. You forgot what it’s like to be a cop.”

Massachusetts and the greater Boston area have seen several arrests of criminal migrants in recent weeks, including an illegal immigrant connected to a violent Brazilian gang who was recently arrested in Bellingham. Cox has previously said that his department “doesn’t enforce detainers” that are filed by ICE, and that Boston cops “abide by Boston law and Massachusetts law.”

“The Boston Police Department has pretty defined rules and we abide by the law here in the state,” the police chief said on a segment of WCVB’s “On the Record” show. “We don’t enforce civil detainers regarding federal immigration law. It’s defined here in the state, and that’s just how it works.”

Tom Homan, White House border czar, speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital reached out to Durkan for additional comment, but did not immediately hear back.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

A handful of President Donald Trump administration officials are publicly listing their top accomplishments for the previous work week following Department of Government Efficiency Chair (DOGE) Elon Musk announcing federal employees must provide a bullet-point list of work successes before midnight on Monday or risk losing their jobs. 

“Mr. President, 5 things I did last week:” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted to X Monday morning. “1. Terminated NYC elitist, anti-worker congestion pricing. 2. Launched an investigation into the $16 billion in taxpayer dollars wasted on a high-speed rail project that, after 17 years, has yet to lay a single mile of track. 3. Saved $10 million a year by eliminating redundant and outdated landlines.” 

He continued: “4. Visited the Air Traffic Control Command Center in Virginia to see the critical tech upgrades we need to make our air traffic system the envy of the world. 5. Toured Burbank, California traffic control tower and heard from air traffic controllers about how to improve conditions and retain and recruit more controllers.”

FLASHBACK: MUSK USED HIS ‘WHAT DID YOU GET DONE THIS WEEK’ DIRECTIVE BEFORE GUTTING TWITTER

Musk announced Saturday that federal employees would receive an email directing them to list their accomplishments from the week prior, with the DOGE leader adding later that day that the assignment should take less than five minutes to accomplish. 

Employees have until 11:59 p.m. on Monday to send the list or lose their employment, according to emails regarding Musk’s directive that were sent by the Office of Personnel Management.

MUSK’S DEMAND THAT FED EMPLOYEES LIST THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ROILS WORKFORCE: ‘MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE’

A handful of Trump administration officials also have provided their accomplishments lists for the past work week, including Kelly Loeffler, the head of the Small Business Administration. 

Loeffler listed her accomplishments in a comment provided to Fox News Digital, which led with her empowering “the Office of the Advocate to work across agencies to cut burdensome regulation imposed on small businesses.” 

Sean Duffy, US secretary of transportation, posted a list of five accomplishments ahead of Musk’s deadline for federal employees to do the same.  (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Established the Office of Manufacturing and Trade to promote President Trump‘s America first agenda; created a Fraud Working Group to crack down on loan fraud across all portfolios; ended voter registration MOUs with state governments, rejecting Biden-era efforts to turn SBA into a vehicle for partisan voter registration; canceled all employee telework agreements in accordance with the president’s return to work presidential memorandum, enabling the agency to better deliver results for job creators; Met with governor’s from around the country to discuss SBA’s services at the state level and presence across the country,” the list continued. 

TRUMP RATTLES OFF ‘FLAGRANT SCAMS’ UNCOVERED BY DOGE, TAKES AIM AT FORT KNOX IN CPAC SPEECH

Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler arrives for a meeting on Capitol Hill, Jan. 22, 2025, in Washington.  (Rod Lamkey, Jr./The Associated Press)

The White House also provided five examples on Saturday afternoon on its Rapid Response X account.  

“Just got this email. Where do we begin?” the White House’s Rapid Response X account posted Saturday evening, accompanied by a screenshot of the OPM email informing employees to comply with the accomplishment directive. 

ELON MUSK SAYS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES MUST FILL OUT PRODUCTIVITY REPORTS OR RESIGN

The White House listed: Trump signing an executive order expanding access to in vitro fertilization treatments, another executive order that works to ​​stop taxpayer benefits landing in the hands of illegal immigrants, Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks reporting Trump’s policies have led to a 94% drop in illegal border crossings, Apple announcing a $500 billion investment in U.S., and the Trump admin working to ensure “Maine does not allow men in girls’ locker rooms and sports” through an investigation of the state’s Department of Education. 

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins posted his list of five accomplishments at Veterans Affairs, including identifying and eliminating “wasteful contracts.” 

Ahead of Musk’s announcement informing federal workers list their accomplishments, other agencies posted their wins for the first month in office, including Collins posting a Friday video of the department’s accomplishments for the first month on the job, while the Department of Defense launched a rapid response account on X to celebrate accomplishments while also “Fighting Against Fake News.”

A handful of federal departments that deal with sensitive and classified information told their staffers to ignore the order to list their accomplishments, which President Donald Trump said on Monday was a “friendly” rejection due to the sensitive materials some government employees handle on a regular basis. 

Elon Musk speaks during an event in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington.  (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

“That was done in a friendly manner,” Trump said Monday while speaking with the media alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. “Only things such as, perhaps Marco at State Department, where they have very confidential things. Or the FBI, where they’re working on confidential things. And they don’t mean that in any way combatively with Elon. They’re just saying there are some people that you don’t want to really have them tell you what they’re working on last week.”

DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY

FBI Director Kash Patel, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security were among the agencies and departments that informed staff to not respond to the email. 

US President Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with  French President Emmanuel Macron on February 24, 2025. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

“FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information,” Patel told employees in an email over the weekend. “The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures. When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.”

Trump lauded the directive Monday, arguing that it will expose government employees who aren’t actually carrying out tasks. 

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“There was a lot of genius in sending it,” Trump said Monday from the White House. “We’re trying to find out if people are working. And so we’re sending a letter to people. Please tell us what you did last week. If people don’t respond, it’s very possible that there is no such person or they’re not working.” 

Some unions and Democratic lawmakers have lambasted the directive, including Illinois Rep. Sean Casten calling on federal employees to flout the order, arguing it is a “a good opportunity for mass civil disobedience.”