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FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Government Efficiency launched a website where Americans can directly report and suggest how to deregulate policies within the federal government, Fox News Digital learned. 

“Your voice in federal decision making,” reads the website Regulations.gov, “Impacted by an existing rule or regulation? Share your ideas for deregulation by completing this form.”

DOGE worked with the Government Services Administration, an independent agency tasked with helping support the functioning of other federal agencies, and the Office of Management and Budget, which is the federal office frequently charged with overseeing deregulation efforts, to launch the website earlier this month, Fox Digital learned. 

“DOGE is combining the administration’s goals of adding transparency and slashing waste, fraud, and abuse by offering the American people the unique opportunity to recommend more deregulatory actions. This DOGE-led effort highlights President Trump’s priority to put the people first and government bureaucrats last,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox Digital. 

MUSK NOT LEAVING YET, WRAPPING UP WORK ON SCHEDULE ONCE ‘INCREDIBLE WORK AT DOGE IS COMPLETE’: WHITE HOUSE

The website’s main page directs users to a form where they can report “deregulatory suggestions,” which provides users with more than a dozen prompts regarding their issue. 

The prompts include describing which federal agency had promoted a regulation at issue, if the regulation is finalized or in the midst of the rule-making process, justification for the deregulation, the history of how the regulation operates, and the title and name of the agency’s leader, as well as other detailed information on the regulation. 

The form prompts users to provide their name, but the box is not mandatory to complete before submission. The person who submits a deregulatory suggestion could see the Trump administration name the rescission to the rule after the individual. 

“Only answer if you would like the rescission to be named after you or your organization. Providing your name does not guarantee that it will appear on any final agency action, and we reserve the right to refrain from using names that are inappropriate or offensive,” the prompt asking for the user’s name states. 

TRUMP WANTS MUSK TO STAY WITH ADMINISTRATION, SAYS DOGE FOUND SOMETHING ‘HORRIBLE’ TODAY

DOGE’s public leader, Elon Musk, has railed against government regulations for months, including when he joined President Donald Trump’s campaign in key battleground states to rally support. 

In a Pennsylvania rally ahead of the election, Musk recounted how his company SpaceX was wrapped up in “bunch of nutty stories” related to government overregulation, including studying the probability of the company’s Starship rocket hitting a whale or shark and facing lofty fines from the EPA for “dumping fresh water on the ground.” 

DOGE’S PLANS TO OFFLOAD GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS SUPPORTED BY FORMER GSA OFFICIAL

“I’ll tell you like a crazy thing, like we got fined $140,000 by the EPA for dumping fresh water on the ground. Drinking water. It’s crazy. I’ll just give you an example of just how crazy it is. And we’re like, ‘Well, we’re using water to cool the launch pad during launch. You know, we’re going to cool the launch pad so it doesn’t overheat. And in excess of caution, we actually brought in drinking water, so clean, super clean water,’” Musk said to the audience in Folsom, Pennsylvania, last year. 

“And the FAA said, ‘No, you have to pay a $140,000 fine.’ And we’re like, ‘But Starbase is in a tropical thunderstorm area. Sky water falls all the time,’” Musk recounted, referring to SpaceX’s headquarters in Texas. “‘That is the same as the water we used’ So, and it’s like… there’s no harm to anything. And they said, ‘Yeah, but we didn’t have a permit.’ We’re like, ‘You need a permit for fresh water?’” Musk recounted. 

DOGE CHAIN OF COMMAND REVEALED IN COURT FILING, SHOWING MUSK IS NOT THE BOSS

Trump went on a deregulation blitz targeting energy and climate regulations last week in a series of executive orders aimed to “unleash” the power of coal energy in the U.S., including ending a pause to coal leasing on federal lands, promoting coal and coal technology exports, and encouraging the use of coal to power artificial intelligence initiatives. 

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“President Trump knows that the bureaucracy is built to regulate, not deregulate. The result is an ever-increasing number of regulations that stifle innovation and limit American freedom,” the White House said in a fact sheet on the EOs last week. 

When lawmakers arrived on Capitol Hill last Monday, House GOP leaders’ plans to sync up with the Senate on sweeping legislation to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda seemed an all-but-impossible task.

House fiscal hawks were furious with Senate Republicans for passing an amended version of the former’s budget framework, one that called for a significantly lower amount of mandatory spending cuts than the House’s initial plan.

By late Thursday morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was celebrating victory in front of reporters after a narrow 216-to-214 vote.

“I told you not to doubt us,” a triumphant Johnson told the media. “We’re really grateful to have had the big victory on the floor just now. It was a big one, a very important one.”

HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS CHAIR URGES JOHNSON TO CHANGE COURSE ON SENATE VERSION OF TRUMP BUDGET BILL

The hard-fought win came after long hours and late nights as House Republican leaders — and leaders in the Senate GOP as well — worked to persuade holdouts, while Trump and his aides worked those same critics from the sidelines.

White House aides were at House Republicans’ weekly conference meeting on Tuesday, a rare sight but not unexpected, given the importance of the coming vote.

But GOP lawmakers filed out of that meeting doubting whether Trump’s influence could help this time, after he played a key role in helping shepherd earlier critical bills across the finish line this year.

“I don’t see it happening,” a House Republican told Fox News Digital when asked whether Trump would be enough to sway critics.

Nevertheless, a select group of those holdouts were summoned to the White House alongside House GOP leaders on Wednesday afternoon, hours before the expected vote.

MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE

Fox News Digital was told that Trump commanded the room for roughly 20 to 30 minutes, and told House conservatives he agreed with them on the need to significantly slash government spending.

Trump also communicated to holdouts that Senate leaders felt the same, but, like the House, were working on their own tight margins, Fox News Digital was told.

The president, meanwhile, has been concerned in particular with the looming debt limit deadline, Fox News Digital was told.

It’s one of the issues that Republicans are looking to tackle via the budget reconciliation process. By lowering the Senate’s passage threshold from 60 votes to 51, it allows the party controlling the House, Senate and White House to enact broad policy changes via one or two broad pieces of legislation.

In this case, Republicans are looking for some added funds for border security and defense and to raise the debt ceiling — while paring back spending on the former Biden administration’s green energy policies and in other sections of the federal government, likely including entitlement programs.

GOP lawmakers are also looking to extend Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the provisions of which expire at the end of this year. They will also need new funding for Trump’s efforts to eliminate taxes on tipped and overtime wages.

But first, Republicans wanted the House and Senate to pass identical frameworks setting the stage for filling those frameworks with actual legislative policy.

Whereas the House version calls for at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, the Senate mandated a floor of $4 billion — a wide gap to bridge.

The Wednesday-afternoon White House meeting did sway some holdouts, but far from enough. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., also met with House GOP critics of the bill for more than an hour on Wednesday evening ahead of the planned vote.

“He couldn’t have been more cordial and understanding in talking to us about what we needed to know. And honestly, he had some of the same concerns that we did,” Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital.

“You know, he’s got to get it over the finish line, and he had to make certain commitments. But he committed to us to work with us.”

Ultimately, however, plans to advance the measure that evening were hastily scrapped as an unrelated vote was held open for over an hour, leading to confusion and frustration on the House floor.

“He looked like he was in no better spot than he was at the beginning,” one House Republican said of that night.

Trump was not called to address the group during that huddle with holdouts, two sources in the room told Fox News Digital. 

However, the president did have individual conversations with some holdouts on Wednesday and Thursday, one person said.

The Wednesday night failure gave way to a late night of negotiations involving both holdouts and House GOP leaders.

Two House GOP leadership aides told Fox News Digital that Johnson had huddled with Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., until late Wednesday to figure out a path forward.

When they emerged shortly before midnight, they had settled on a plan — a televised promise by Johnson and Thune to put both leaders on the record committing to deep spending cuts.

SENATE GOP PUSHES TRUMP BUDGET FRAMEWORK THROUGH AFTER MARATHON VOTE SERIES

“I’m happy to tell you that this morning, I believe we have the votes to finally adopt the budget resolution so we can move forward on President Trump’s very important agenda for the American people,” Johnson said.

Thune added, “We are aligned with the House in terms of what their budget resolution outlined in terms of savings. The speaker has talked about $1.5 trillion. We have a lot of United States senators who believe in that as a minimum.”

A senior Senate GOP aide argued to Fox News Digital, “Absent Thune’s intervention, Mike Johnson would not have gotten this resolution through the House.”

But the speaker was also putting in his own long hours with holdouts.

The office of Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who ultimately voted to advance the framework, told Fox News Digital that critics were sent a memo by Johnson early on Thursday, assuring them that he was committed to deep spending cuts.

“The Senate amendment to H. Con. Res. 14 preserves untouched language from the original House-passed resolution, including the reconciliation instructions to House committees and Section 4001 — Adjustment for spending cuts of at least $2 trillion,” the memo said.

It referred to a measure in the House-passed framework that suggested funding toward tax cuts would be reduced by a corresponding amount if final spending cuts did not equal $2 trillion.

“This language reflects a critical principle — that deficit-increasing provisions of the final reconciliation bill are accompanied by concomitant spending cuts,” it said.

Then, as the vote was called around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, a final huddle between holdouts and leaders sealed the Republicans’ victory.

“At some point, it was heated. And then the speaker’s leadership team [House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.] made sure we were clarified on some issues which are very important to some of the members,” Burchett said.

“And then Steve Scalise, really batting cleanup, and he came in with the final with the final conclusion, which everybody agreed to pretty much. And then the speaker closed the deal.”

Burchett said he believed that Johnson had spoken to Trump separately at some point during that huddle.

A senior House GOP aide said McClain was also present for that meeting.

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Republicans clinched the win minutes after 11 a.m. on Thursday, with the GOP side of the House chamber erupting in applause.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., who helped lead the opposition, told reporters after the vote, “We made tremendous progress over the last two days in making certain that whatever we do on reconciliation, we don’t increase this country’s budget deficit.”

“We take the Moody report from two weeks ago pretty seriously, that you can’t have unpaid-for tax cuts, and we made progress in making, getting assurances both from the Senate and the House leadership that that’s not going to occur,” Harris said.

EXCLUSIVE: The White House is gearing up for an “extraordinary” celebration for Holy Week ahead of Easter, with President Donald Trump participating in a number of events to celebrate and honor the holiday “with the observance it deserves.” 

The new White House Faith Office organized the Holy Week schedule.

“The newly created White House Faith Office is grateful to share that President Trump will honor and celebrate Holy Week and Easter with the observance it deserves,” Jennifer Korn, faith director of the White House Faith Office, told Fox News Digital. 

“Throughout the week, we will distribute a Holy Week proclamation, a special presidential video message (and) host a pre-Easter dinner and White House staff Easter service.”

FLASHBACK: BIDEN SLAMMED ON SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER ANNOUNCING TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY ON EASTER SUNDAY

Korn said it “will be a special time of prayer and worship at the White House to be shared with Americans celebrating the week leading up to Resurrection Sunday.” 

On Palm Sunday, the president is expected to issue a presidential Easter proclamation that will speak directly to Christians as Holy Week begins and maintain his commitment to defend the Christian faith in schools, in the military, in workplaces, hospitals, in government and beyond. 

On Monday, the president is expected to release a Holy Week video and will host an Easter dinner Wednesday evening. 

The dinner will feature hymns from the Marine Corps Band, Christian opera by singer Charles Billingsley, prayers and remarks from President Trump. 

TRUMP DEMANDS BIDEN ISSUE APOLOGY OVER ‘BLASPHEMOUS’ TRANS VISIBILITY DAY ON EASTER SUNDAY: ‘APPALLING’

Christian pastors, priests and faith leaders are expected to attend the dinner along with the president, Korn, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Pastor Paula White, the senior advisor to the White House Faith Office. 

On Holy Thursday, the president is expected to host a staff worship service at the White House, where White, the Rev. Franklin Graham, Pastor Greg Laurie and Pastor Jentezen Franklin will participate in prayer, scripture, service and communion. 

During the service, an ensemble from Liberty University will perform worship music. 

“President Trump promised millions of Christians across the country that he would create a White House Faith Office, and he delivered on that promise,” Leavitt said. “The White House Faith Office has put together an extraordinary weeklong celebration for Holy Week ahead of Easter Sunday.” 

Leavitt stressed that this “is another sharp contrast from the previous administration.” 

Leavitt noted that, last year, the Biden White House marked Easter Sunday, which fell on March 31, 2024, the most solemn Christian holiday, as Transgender Day of Visibility.

RELIGIOUS-THEMED DESIGNS BANNED FROM WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ART CONTEST

“On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives,” a statement released by the Biden White House stated. 

“Today, we send a message to all transgender Americans: You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. You belong. You are America, and my entire Administration, and I have your back,” it added. “NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.”

Biden’s defenders were quick to say he didn’t choose March 31 as the date for Transgender Day of Visibility, and that, since 2021, when Biden took office, the White House had issued the same proclamation every year on March 31.

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At the time, Leavitt, who was serving as the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, blasted Biden’s proclamation as “appalling and insulting,” calling it an example of the Biden administration’s “yearslong assault on the Christian faith.”

“We call on Joe Biden’s failing campaign and the White House to issue an apology to the millions of Catholics and Christians across America who believe tomorrow is for one celebration only — the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” she said last year.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Saturday his latest rally with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour was also their largest with a stop in downtown Los Angeles before a massive crowd of supporters.

“Your presence here today is making Donald Trump and Elon Musk very nervous,” the 83-year-old independent, who caucuses with Democrats, said to loud cheers, adding about 36,000 attended the event.

Sanders mentioned that after their last rally in Denver, Colorado, in March, which was slightly smaller than Saturday’s in LA, Tesla CEO and DOGE policy advisor Musk claimed most of those in attendance were “paid organizers.” 

“Anybody here being paid to come today?” asked Sanders, who was met with shouts of “no!” from the crowd assembled at LA City Hall. 

BERNIE SANDERS SCOLDS CNN DURING TOWN HALL WITH ANDERSON COOPER FOR NOT TALKING HEALTHCARE

He also took a jab at the president, claiming Trump is “envious” of crowd “sizes.”

“[Trump] said, ‘Well, Bernie has rallies of (2,000) or 3,000 people, can’t compete with Trump.’ He lied,” Sanders said. 

Sanders continued to go after Musk and Trump, attacking their wealth, a common refrain for him. 

‘THE VIEW’ HOST WARNS DEMOCRATS ABOUT HOW PERFORMATIVELY ‘SCREAMING’ AT RALLIES IS NOT FIXING THE COUNTRY

“We’re living at a moment where a handful of billionaires control the economic and political life of our country,” Sanders said. “We’re living in a moment with a president who has no understanding or respect for the Constitution of the United States and, let us make no doubt about it, moving us rapidly toward an authoritarian form of society. And, Mr. Trump, we ain’t going there.” 

Sanders also noted that Musk had recently posted on social media that Sanders “has been talking about the growth of oligarchy year-after-year-after-year.”

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Sanders added, “Well, Elon, you’re damn right. That’s what I’ve been talking about. The difference is I’m no longer talking about how we’re moving to oligarchy. I’m talking about how we are living today in an oligarchic form of society.” 

The pair have already done rallies in Las Vegas; Tempe and Tuscon, Arizona; and Denver and Greeley, Colorado, and they have upcoming rallies scheduled in Bakersfield and Folsom, California; Salt Lake City; Nampa, Idaho; and Missoula, Montana. 

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

The U.S. military will take control of a strip of federal land that spans three states along the southern border in an effort to stem illegal immigration, a memorandum Friday by President Donald Trump said. 

The memorandum, “Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions,” directs the secretaries of Defense, Interior, Agriculture and Homeland Security “to provide for the use and jurisdiction by the Department of Defense over such Federal lands, including the Roosevelt Reservation and excluding Federal Indian Reservations, that are reasonably necessary to enable military activities.”

He wrote it could include “border-barrier construction and emplacement of detection and monitoring equipment.”

NAVY DEPLOYS ANOTHER HOUTHI-FIGHTING WARSHIP TO NEW US SOUTHERN BORDER MISSION 

“Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats,” Trump wrote in the memorandum. “The complexity of the current situation requires that our military take a more direct role in securing our southern border than in the recent past.”

The federal land, which consists of a narrow, 60-foot-deep strip at the border within the Roosevelt Reservation, would become a “military installation” designated as “National Defense Areas” where “military activities” would occur. 

AMERICAN WOMEN ARRESTED AT CALIFORNIA IMMIGRATION CHECKPOINT FOR ATTEMPTING TO SMUGGLE CHILDREN: ‘UNBEARABLE’

The Roosevelt Reservation covers California, New Mexico and Arizona and was designated as federal land by Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 to keep the border secure. 

The memorandum added that the secretary of defense can “determine those military activities that are reasonably necessary and appropriate to accomplish the mission” of keeping the border secure. 

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Trump campaigned on securing the border and “mass deportations” and has focused on both in the first months of his presidency. 

The Trump administration is ending the protected status for thousands of Afghans who entered the U.S. after its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 under the Biden administration. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security doesn’t plan to renew Afghans’ Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which lasts six to 18 months and applies to people from countries that are war-torn or have a natural disaster or some other event that makes returning dangerous. 

The U.S. military evacuated more than 82,000 Afghans from the country when the U.S. withdrew in 2021, and the Taliban took over. 

TALIBAN LEADER SAYS ‘NO NEED’ FOR LAWS FROM THE WEST IN AFGHANISTAN: ‘WE WILL CREATE OUR OWN LAWS’

Thousands of Cameroonians are also expected to lose their status. 

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Reuters that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has determined that the situation in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer meets the standard for the Afghans and Cameroonians to have TPS protections renewed. 

“The Secretary determined that Afghanistan no longer continues to meet the statutory requirements for its TPS designation and so she terminated TPS for Afghanistan,” McLaughlin said in a statement, according to NPR. 

Shawn VanDriver, who served in the military and is president of #AfghanEvac, disagreed with the administration’s assessment on Afghanistan. 

COURT TELLS TRUMP ADMIN TO ‘FACILITATE’ RETURN OF DEPORTED MARYLAND IMMIGRANT

“The conditions on the ground haven’t improved — they’ve worsened,” he told NPR. “Afghans who were invited here, who built lives here, are now being told they don’t matter. It’s cruel, it’s chaotic, and it undermines everything America claimed to stand for when we promised not to leave our allies behind.”

More than 14,000 Afghans and 7,000 Cameroonians are expected to lose their TPS protections. 

The Biden administration renewed TPS protections for Afghans in 2023. 

Afghan TPS protections end in May and Cameroonian protections in June. At that time, foreign nationals will be eligible for deportation. 

HOUSE GOP RELEASES SCATHING REPORT ON BIDEN’S WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN

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

Last month, a judge delayed a Trump administration effort to end TPS protections for Venezuelans. 

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Both Afghanistan and Venezuela are listed by the U.S. State Department as “Level 4: Do Not Travel” because of the risk of terrorism, unlawful detention, civil unrest and kidnapping. 

Cameroon is listed as “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution” due to the risk of terrorism, kidnapping and armed violence. 

Reuters contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX — In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Republican South Carolina Senator and former presidential candidate Tim Scott shared his views on his first hundred days as Senate Banking Committee chairman, breaking down a trade war with China, the future of cryptocurrency and controversial debanking policies.

With Republicans holding power in both chambers of Congress and President Donald Trump in the White House, party leaders and supporters across the country had high expectations of the GOP’s policy agenda and ability to pass critical legislation swiftly and effectively. 

However, it has not been a perfect start to the 119th Congress. Republicans in the House of Representatives hold a slim 7-seat majority, and GOP infighting has forced internal debates that have delayed key pieces of legislation, like Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax bill, which passed last Thursday just 216 to 214. 

GOP SENATORS BULLISH ON POST-EASTER ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ BUDGET AGREEMENT

On the Senate side, Republicans hold an 8-seat majority over Democrats. With just 100 members in the upper chamber, the same principle of internal harmony must exist for legislation to move forward. 

Despite the narrow margins, Scott says some of the policy goals the committee has set they have “been able to accomplish.”

“I wanted within the first hundred days to have some crypto or digital asset legislation marked up and run through our committee,” Scott told Fox News Digital. “Good news is the GENIUS Act is stamped. Done. Heading to the Senate floor. Number two, the FIRM Act. Focusing on debanking. Done. Heading onto the Senate Floor. Number three, our ability to listen to President Trump, the leader of not only our party, but of our country.”

Trump’s role in working with congressional leaders was first demonstrated as every cabinet member that reached the Senate so far for confirmation was approved at the fastest pace in more than 20 years.

“We’ve been running these folks through our committee,” said Scott. “It is a lightning-fast approach, but the good news is President Trump and the American people deserve his team in place. Promises made, promises kept. We are well on our way.”

VP VANCE BLASTS MCCONNELL’S VOTE AGAINST TRUMP PENTAGON NOMINEE: ‘POLITICAL PETTINESS’

Outside the nominees, several prominent issues have made their way through the banking committee in the first hundred days. And one of the hottest items in banking today is the implementation of cryptocurrency into U.S. markets and day-to-day life. Notably, the GENIUS Act, a bill “to provide for the regulation of payment stablecoins,” would be a major advancement for crypto markets, showing the federal government is taking the digital asset market more seriously.

But Scott blamed the Biden administration for the lack of enthusiasm to get pro-crypto legislation signed into law. 

“There’s no doubt that under the Biden administration and Gensler at the SEC, they just… didn’t like crypto. What I’ve said very often is simply this: we must innovate before we regulate. That means allowing innovation to happen here at home in the digital asset space is critical to American economic dominance across the globe,” he explained. 

The GENIUS Act passed through committee in March and now heads to the Senate Floor. Scott predicted the timeline as to when the bill would be signed into law, telling Fox he believed the legislation would be “passed into law by August.”

TRUMP CRYPTO CHIEF SAYS WE ARE IN THE ‘GOLDEN AGE’ FOR DIGITAL ASSETS, ‘CLEARING THE DECK’ OF BIDEN BARRIERS

The bill made its way through committee with an 18-6 as Senators Mark Warner, D-Indiana, Andy Kim, D-New Jersey, Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Pennsylvania and Angela Alsobrooks, D-Maryland all voted with Republican against the wishes of Ranking Leader Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts. 

But crypto markets, along with U.S. stocks, have been highly volatile in the past weeks, largely due to Trump’s controversial tariffs policies and trade standoffs. 

When asked about the mounting pressure between the U.S. and China, Scott backed Trump’s strategy, telling Fox News Digital, “This is about a country, China, that lies, cheats, and steals. Not on the watch of President Trump. He is going to use every tool in his toolkit to make sure that the Chinese government does not continue to take advantage of the American economy. I am thankful that we finally have a president with a backbone made of steel to stand up to President Xi and protect not just America’s present but America’s future.”

HERE’S WHEN AMERICAN CONSUMERS, BUSINESSES WILL FEEL THE STING OF 145% CHINA TARIFFS

Scott argued that establishing economic dominance “requires hard conversations and a tariff regime to push China into the smallest corner of the global economy if they’re going to lie, cheat, and steal against us.” 

He added, “We are not going to give them full and unfettered access to our market. That’s called common sense.”

On Friday, China raised tariffs on U.S. imports to 125%, which Trump has maintained that a 145% tariff will be placed on China’s imports.

As for the remainder of the 119th Congress and heading into what will be a critical midterm election year, Scott remains optimistic about the policies in progress and the legislation yet to come.

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“Thank God Almighty President Trump is in the White House,” the former presidential candidate added.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

While most Democrats have rejected President Donald Trump throughout his second term, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer bucked the party line during a trip to Washington Wednesday amid speculation about her 2028 campaign aspirations.

Democratic governors, many rumored to harbor 2028 presidential ambitions, spoke out against Trump’s tariffs this week as governors JB Pritzker and Gavin Newsom worked independently with trade partners to try to soften the damage to their state economies. Whitmer’s diplomatic moves put her out of step with her party, and the verdict is still out on how it will affect her politically down the line.

Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist and the president of Bannon Communications Research, told Fox News Digital dialogue with Trump is critical to Whitmer delivering for Michigan, particularly through the uncertainty of Trump’s tariff deals. But he said Whitmer, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, getting too close to Trump could jeopardize her status as a “first-tier presidential candidate,” alongside governors Josh Shapiro, Andy Beshear and Newsom. 

“This is a double-edged sword,” Bannon said. “She has to have an open dialogue with the president, but at the same time, if she’s going to win the Democratic presidential nomination or have a chance to win it, she is going to have to be very critical of Trump.”

DEM GOVERNORS REVOLT AGAINST TRUMP’S ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS

TRUMP PRAISES DEM GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER AFTER SLAMMING HER LAST YEAR: ‘VERY GOOD PERSON’

“In this political environment, there’s no room for nuanced discussion about Donald Trump among Democratic primary voters,” Bannon said.

“Whoever’s going to be the Democratic nominee is someone who’s going to be very critical of the president. And that applies to Andy Beshear of Kentucky or Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, even Gavin Newsom in California,” Bannon added. 

Newsom, long considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, has also embraced political dialogue across party lines since the Democrats’ big November losses. Newsom has invited Trump allies and conservative guests, including Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon, onto his show 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. 

Whitmer seemed to embrace the bipartisan strategy this week by carefully criticizing Trump’s tariffs while also acknowledging an understanding the president’s “motivation behind the tariffs” and even agreeing with Trump that we “need to make more stuff in America.”

GRETCHEN WHITMER ANGERS DEMOCRATS, SUFFERS ‘HUGE EMBARRASSMENT’ WITH TRUMP MEETING AT WHITE HOUSE

Later that day, Whitmer had her second meeting with Trump in a month. As Trump signed executive orders and answered questions from the press in the Oval Office, he said Whitmer had “done an excellent job” as governor and called her a “very good person,” a break from his typical lines of attack on her character. 

“One of her opponents will dig that clip up and put it in a television ad,” Bannon said.

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA), which applauded Democratic governors for standing up and speaking out against Trump’s tariffs this week, characterized Whitmer’s trip to Washington as a willingness to work with “anyone” to deliver for Michigan. 

“Gov. Whitmer and Democratic governors across the country are doing what they’ve always done as strong and successful state executives — working with anyone to get real results for their states while also standing up against policies that harm their residents. As Donald Trump and Republicans in D.C. continue to sow economic chaos and raise prices, it’s more important than ever that we continue to elect Democratic governors who know how to get things done on the biggest issues impacting families every day,” DGA communication director Sam Newton told Fox News Digital. 

Whitmer vowed to keep showing up for Michigan regardless of who is in the White House. 

“If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” Whitmer said after her speech in Washington. “My oath to the people of Michigan is to continue to show up, even when it means I’m going to get my lunch handed to me. I’m going to keep showing up and keep fighting for the people of Michigan, no matter who is at the other side of the table. That’s my job, and I’m going to do it until my last day as governor.”

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Just a month ago, Trump and Whitmer sparred after the Michigan governor warned her constituents during her 2025 State of the State address that Trump’s tariffs could put Michigan’s auto industry in peril. The White House trolled her for “running more for Governor of Canada” by supporting the “deadly status quo.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Whitmer’s office for comment on her political aspirations but did not receive a response.

President Donald Trump ramped up steep tariffs against Chinese imports to the U.S. this week while alleviating them for other countries during trade negotiations this week. He also signed a series of executive orders aimed at repealing Biden-era restrictions. 

The Trump administration announced Wednesday it would lower reciprocal tariffs on other countries, while also revealing that the administration would immediately hike tariffs on Chinese goods to 145%. In response, China has raised its tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%. 

Trump disclosed historic tariffs in a ceremony at the White House’s Rose Garden for a “Make America Wealthy Again” event on April 2, asserting that these new duties would generate new jobs for U.S. workers.

HOW WE GOT TO LIBERATION DAY: A LOOK AT TRUMP’S PAST COMMENTS ON TARIFFS

The tariff plan established a baseline tax of 10% on all imports to the U.S., along with customized tariffs for countries that place higher tariffs on U.S. goods. The baseline tariffs of 10% took effect Saturday, while the others took effect Wednesday at midnight.

But Trump announced in a post on Truth Social Wednesday that reciprocal tariffs announced last week would remain paused for 90 days, during which period the countries would only face the baseline 10% tariff. 

“At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform on Wednesday. 

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said that the tariffs suggest that China is at odds with the rest of the world. 

“China is the most imbalanced economy in the history of the modern world,” Bessent told reporters Wednesday. “They are the biggest source of the U.S. trade problems, and indeed they are the problem for the rest of the world.” 

Here’s what also happened this week: 

Shipbuilding, water pressure executive orders

Trump also signed an executive order this week aimed at reinvigorating the shipbuilding industry in the U.S., amid concerns that China is outpacing the U.S. in production. 

China is responsible for more than 50% of global shipbuilding, compared to just 0.1% from the U.S., according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

The executive order requires agencies to craft a Maritime Action Plan and instructs the United States Trade Representative to provide a list of recommendations to deal with China’s “anticompetitive actions within the shipbuilding industry,” among other things. 

TRUMP ENDS BIDEN-ERA WATER REGULATIONS TO ‘MAKE AMERICA’S SHOWERS GREAT AGAIN’

Trump also signed an executive order to reverse Obama- and Biden-era conservation measures that limited water pressure in showers in an attempt to “make showers great again.” Former President Barack Obama initially imposed the water pressure restrictions, and Trump sought to ease some of them during his first term. 

However, former President Joe Biden reinstated the measure, which limited multi-nozzle shower heads from releasing more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute. 

“I like to take a nice shower, take care of my beautiful hair,” Trump said Wednesday. “I have to stand in the shower for 15 minutes until it gets wet. Comes out drip, drip, drip. It’s ridiculous.”

Gearing up for talks with Iran 

The Trump administration also unveiled plans this week for upcoming talks to negotiate with Iran on Saturday. While Trump has reiterated that these discussions will be “direct” nuclear talks, Iran has pushed back on that description and characterized them as “indirect” negotiations instead. 

Middle East envoy Stever Witkoff will travel to Oman on Saturday and is slated to potentially meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. However, Iran has maintained that the discussions will be held through a third party instead. 

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“The ultimate objective is to ensure that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon,” Leavitt told reporters Friday. “The president believes in diplomacy, direct talks, talking directly in the same room in order to achieve that goal. But he’s made it very clear to the Iranians, and his national security team will, as well, that all options are on the table and Iran has a choice to make. You can agree to President Trump’s demand, or there will be all hell to pay. And that’s how the president feels. He feels very strongly about it.”

Fox News’ Bonny Chu, Danielle Wallace, and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report. 

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited employees at the FDA on Friday and reportedly told them that “the Deep State is real.” The visit was his first appearance with FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and was reportedly meant to welcome the new chief.

“President Trump always talks about the Deep State, and the media, you know, disparages him and says that he’s paranoid,” Kennedy said according to Politico, which reported it obtained an audio recording and transcript of the secretary’s remarks. “But the Deep State is real. And it’s not, you know, just George Soros and Bill Gates and a bunch of nefarious individuals sitting together in a room and plotting the, you know, the destruction of humanity.”

According to multiple reports, Kennedy pointed the finger at “institutional pressures.”

RFK JR. PLANS TO DIRECT CDC TO STOP RECOMMENDING FLUORIDE IN WATER

Kennedy also reportedly said the FDA had become a “sock puppet” of the industries it was meant to regulate. NBC News reported that Kennedy said that this was the case with “every agency,” not just the FDA.

One area where Kennedy said he has seen this within the FDA is its Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) system, which he says acts as a “loophole” for food companies. In March, Kennedy directed the FDA to reevaluate its policies on food companies obtaining approval before adding new ingredients to their products. He believes that “eliminating this loophole” will not only provide consumers with more transparency, but will be key in improving Americans’ health.

‘HEALTHY SNACK TIME’ WITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS LAUNCHED BY SECRETARIES ROLLINS, RFK JR.

The HHS secretary has not hidden his disdain for the FDA, especially as he spoke throughout the 2024 election cycle about what changes he believes are crucial to improving Americans’ health. About a week and a half before the election, Kennedy — who had already endorsed now-President Donald Trump — issued clear warnings on social media to those who “work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system.”

He told them to preserve their records and to “pack your bags.”

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Kennedy recently embarked on a MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) tour in which he visited Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. According to HHS, Kennedy was set to speak on state laws banning ultra-processed foods and food dyes from school lunches, among other regulations.

Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment on the reports outside working hours but did not receive a response for publication. 

Longtime Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan says that as soon as Democratic Sen. Gary Peters announced earlier this year that he wouldn’t seek re-election in the key Great Lakes battleground state in next year’s midterms, “my phone started to ring and it hasn’t stopped ringing.”

Huizenga, who was first elected to the House in 2010 and represents Michigan’s 4th Congressional District, which covers parts of the southwestern part of the state, highlighted that he’s getting “encouragement” to seek the Senate from “grassroots folks,” as well as donors.

“I have been very flattered and honored to have this kind of support emerging,” he said.

The Senate seat in Michigan is a top target for the GOP in the 2026 midterm elections to flip from blue to red, as the party aims to expand its current 53-47 majority in the chamber. And the emerging showdown is expected to be one of the most expensive and bruising battles of the cycle.

2026 ELECTIONS: THIS SENATOR IS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR NEXT YEAR

Huizenga, who is now the vice chair of the House Financial Services Committee, pointed to “the connections that I’ve got and have built up over the last now going into my eighth term here” when asked about fundraising.

“It’s donors in Michigan. It’s donors nationally,” he touted. “I’ve got a network of folks that have been very, very helpful in the past, and they’re very interested in helping me out again.”

WILL THIS BLUE STATE REPUBLICAN END THE GOP’S 20-YEAR LOSING STREAK IN HIS STATE?

But Huizenga isn’t the only Republican making noise about a Senate run.

Former Rep. Mike Rogers announced at the end of January that he was “strongly considering” a second straight Republican run.

And Rogers, a former FBI special agent who later served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee during his tenure in Congress, is likely to announce his campaign on Monday.

Rogers won the 2024 GOP Senate nomination in Michigan but narrowly lost to Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats’ nominee, in last November’s election in the race to succeed longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who retired. Slotkin, who vastly outspent Rogers, edged him by roughly 19,000 votes, or a third of a percentage point.

Asked if a campaign launch by Rogers would affect his decision-making process, Huizenga said “quite honestly, no.”

“I think the question that everyone needs to answer is, who can win? Who can win the state of Michigan, and Michigan politics has shifted, and that’s the reality,” he said.

A LIKELY BRUISING SENATE BATTLE IN BATTLEGROUND MICHIGAN HEATS UP AS THIS CANDIDATE ENTERS THE RACE

Michigan was once part of the Democratic Party’s blue wall states that helped boost the party’s candidates in presidential elections. But President Donald Trump narrowly carried Michigan in his 2016 and 2024 White House victories.

“What we don’t know is whether that Trump coalition of union households, Hispanics, the Arab American population and African Americans, especially males, that came out and supported Donald Trump, along with those independents and Republicans, whether that coalition is going to be held,” Huizenga said.

And Huizenga pointed to his double-digit re-election margin last year in a competitive House District (his seat is one of 35 House seats Democrats are targeting in next year’s midterms). Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer narrowly won the district in her 2022 re-election victory, and Trump carried the district by six points last November.

WHY PETE BUTTIGIEG SAID NO TO RUNNING FOR THE SENATE NEXT YEAR

An endorsement by Trump, whose sway over the GOP is stronger than ever, is expected to play a significant role in the Republican Senate primary in Michigan.

And while Trump has yet to weigh in on the race, Rogers earlier this year hired veteran Republican strategist and 2024 Trump co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita as a senior advisor.

Asked about his relationship with Trump, Huizenga called it “very good” and claimed that “there is one elected official that has spoken at all three of his last rallies [in Michigan], in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and that’s me.”

As for his timetable, Huizenga said: “I’m still going to do my evaluation here, and need to kind of push through on the fundraising and need to make sure that I’m able to get the support that I really need to have to be able to do this kind of run.”

“We’re still more than a year out from the filing deadline, and so there’s a lot of runway here, and so I’m not in a huge hurry,” he added. “It needs to be done soon. But it would seem to me, sometime this summer or right after Labor Day, is more than enough time to make sure that we got the right candidate.”

THIS CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR IS MULLING 2026 STATEWIDE RUN IN KEY BATTLEGROUND

And in what appeared to be a comment directed at Rogers, Huizenga added that “it’s better to have the right person at the right time, rather than somebody early on.”

Besides Rogers and Huizenga, business executive, conservative commentator and 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon has said she’s seriously mulling another run for governor, or for the Senate, in 2026.

And Republican businessman and auto dealership executive Kevin Rinke, who ran for governor in 2022, is also thought to be considering another statewide run next year.

Earlier this month, Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow launched a campaign for the Democratic Senate nomination.

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Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet and Haley Stevens are considering a run, as is Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. 

Last month, Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who later served as Transportation Secretary in former President Joe Biden’s administration, ruled out a campaign after seriously considering a bid.

At least 26 Americans held hostage abroad have been freed since President Donald Trump entered the Oval Office in January. Those who gained their freedom include a ballerina, a teacher and a mechanic, among others.

Ryan Corbett and William McKenty

On Jan. 21, 2025, just one day after Trump’s second term began, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty were released from Taliban captivity in Afghanistan. While Corbett and McKenty were freed under Trump, the deal that secured their release was completed by the Biden administration.

Corbett and his family moved to Afghanistan in 2010, where they lived in Kabul and Jalalabad. According to a website set up by his family, Corbett did work for NGOs, which focused on education, birth and life-saving skills. He also started a project in 2017, Bloom Afghanistan, with the goal of strengthening the country’s private sector. In 2021, the Corbett family evacuated as the Taliban took control of the country. Corbett returned to Afghanistan a year later and was captured by the Taliban, which his family suspects was because of his “value as political leverage.”

There aren’t many details on McKenty or exactly why he was in Afghanistan. According to the BBC, his family asked for privacy.

2 AMERICANS RELEASED IN EXCHANGE FOR TALIBAN PRISONER

Anastasia Nuhfer

Anastasia Nuhfer, who was detained in Belarus during the Biden administration, gained her freedom Jan. 26, 2025. While Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Nuhfer’s release, he did not give details on when she was detained or why. However, according to The Associated Press, a former high-ranking Belarusian official said the arrest was linked to 2020 protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. 

Six unnamed American citizens

Special envoy Ric Grenell secured the release of six Americans after meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Grenell posted a photo of himself and the men on a plane and said that they “couldn’t stop thanking” Trump when speaking to him on the phone. The men were not identified.

TRUMP ENVOY RICHARD GRENELL SECURES FREEDOM FOR 6 AMERICANS FOLLOWING MEETING WITH MADURO IN VENEZUELA

Keith Siegel

After spending 484 days as a hostage in Gaza, Keith Siegel was released as part of a ceasefire deal Feb. 1, 2025. Siegel was taken from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. His wife, Aviva, was also taken hostage but was released in November 2023. 

On April 8, Siegel, who has credited Trump with saving his life, thanked the president during an NRCC event in Washington, D.C.

“President Trump, I am here, and I am alive. President Trump, you saved my life,” Siegel said. He also asked Trump to continue working to secure the freedom of the 59 remaining hostages in Gaza.

Marc Fogel

American schoolteacher Marc Fogel was released from Russian captivity Feb. 11, 2025, more than three years after he was detained. Fogel was carrying less than one ounce of medical marijuana, according to his family’s website, which he used for severe pain. The Fogel family criticized former President Joe Biden’s handling of Marc’s case, especially in light of his work to release WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was also arrested for having marijuana. 

On July 13, 2024, Fogel’s mother, Malphine, attended a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Marc’s hometown. She spoke with Trump, who promised to bring her son home.

Trump invited Marc and Malphine to attend his address to a joint session of Congress in March 2025.

Unnamed American

On Feb. 12, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that an American “unjustly detained in Belarus” had been released. The statement did not include details or identifying information about the hostage. In a press release, Rubio affirmed the administration’s commitment to releasing Americans held hostage across the globe.

Sagui Dekel-Chen

On Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli American Sagui Dekel-Chen was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists from his home at Kibbutz Nir Oz. He was shot in the shoulder during the massacre and endured torture while in captivity.

Dekel-Chen spent almost 500 days as a hostage in Gaza and gained his freedom in February 2025. While he was in captivity, his wife gave birth to their third child. He only learned about his daughter’s birth after being released.

10 unnamed Americans

On March 13, 2025, 10 unidentified Americans, including veterans and military contractors, were released from captivity in Kuwait. According to The Associated Press, the American citizens were detained on drug charges.

George Glezmann

Delta Airlines mechanic George Glezmann spent more than two years as a hostage in Gaza after being detained by the Taliban in December 2022. According to senators John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Democrats from Georgia, Glezmann went to “Afghanistan for a five-day trip to explore the cultural landscape and rich history of the country.” The two senators advocated for Glezmann’s release, which eventually occurred March 20, 2025.

TALIBAN FREES AMERICAN HOSTAGE GEORGE GLEZMANN FOLLOWING NEGOTIATIONS WITH US, QATAR

Faye Hall

The Taliban released Faye Hall in March 2025, though it is unclear when she was detained. CBS News reported that Hall was arrested on charges of using a drone without authorization.

The Trump administration posted a video of Hall thanking the president for her release. In the video, Hall said she had “never been so proud to be an American citizen.”

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Ksenia Karelina

Russian American ballet dancer Ksenia Karelina was released from detention April 10, 2025, after being wrongfully detained for over a year. Karelina was arrested and sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony after donating approximately $50 to a Ukrainian charity.

“Mr. Trump, I’m so, so grateful for you bringing me home,” a teary-eyed Karelina said upon her arrival in the U.S. “I never felt more blessed to be American.”

Christopher Guly contributed to this report.

California has a $6.2 billion budget deficit for Medicaid services, and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest budget proposal projects the state will spend a staggering $8.4 billion to cover Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid, for illegal immigrants in 2024-2025. 

Two new reports by the Bureau of Economic Analysis found the U.S. economy has become increasingly reliant on government handouts. Entitlements are growing faster than tax receipts and wages. Private wages grew by $67 billion in early 2025, while government payments to recipients surged by $162 billion.

In North Carolina and California, growth in Medicaid benefits was the leading contributor to increased personal income. Coverage for undocumented immigrants under California’s $6.2 billion budget gap for Medi-Cal is contributing to the surge in personal income. 

Fox News Digital asked lawmakers on Capitol Hill if taxpayers should have to pick up the Medicaid tab for illegal immigrants. Popular progressive senators Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; Michael Bennett, D-Colo.; and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., refused to say whether illegal immigrants are entitled to Medicaid benefits funded by U.S. taxpayers. 

NEWSOM ASKS FOR NEARLY ANOTHER $3B FOR STATE HEALTH PROGRAM OVERWHELMED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, who was tapped by moderate Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to replace Vice President JD Vance in the Senate this year, told Fox News Digital it should be illegal for Americans to fund healthcare for illegal immigrants. 

NEWSOM CONCEDES SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE COSTS FOR ILLEGALS ARE ‘PARTIAL’ CONTRIBUTOR TO MEDICAID PROBLEM

“That cost should be transferred back to the state of California if that’s the decision that they made. If people are here illegally, the taxpayers of this country should not be footing the bill for their healthcare when we can barely pay our own bills here in this country and people are going without. So, this is an astonishing thing that California would decide to do. Clearly, the leaders of that state are tone deaf because that’s not what the American public wants,” Husted said.  

Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., who serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and on Small Business, said she doesn’t support any federal funding for federal programs for illegal immigrants.

“We need to see those numbers,” Salazar said. “I’m not in favor of any undocumented migrants in the United States using any type of federal funding or federal programs, because if you are not documented, you cannot be using any of the government or the federal government services. 

“But I need to know what are the numbers. I do believe that in construction, hospitality and agriculture, the illegals, the undocumented are giving a lot to the economy.”

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, a fiscal conservative who serves on economic and commerce committees, said programs like Medicaid are solely for U.S. citizens. 

“They’re certainly not there for illegal aliens. And this is costing the American people a lot of money. So, yeah, that is a problem, and it’s one we need to fix,” Lee said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he has questions about the policy and wants to know more about the substance of Medicaid benefits for undocumented immigrants and “whether it applies in emergency situations where somebody’s life may be at stake.” 

Another Northeast Democrat, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said he is more concerned “we’re not taking away Medicaid from people with disabilities, seniors that need long-term care” before discussions begin on expanding resources. 

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said it could “threaten the benefits for disabled children.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., a Trump loyalist, said California made a “conscious decision” to allow taxpayers to pick up the tab on healthcare for illegal immigrants. 

“They fully realize and appreciate that the federal government does not have one single penny to spend until the taxpayer sends that penny into the treasury,” Blackburn said.  

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., said California needs to realize the impact its policies have on other states. 

“A lot of people in Wyoming are living paycheck to paycheck. They’re struggling to pay for things they used to be able to take for granted, like food and gasoline. And it’s absolutely wrong that one state can expand its benefits to illegals, and my state has to pay for it,” Lummis said. 

“Cost increases to the Medicaid program are driven by multiple factors, including expansion, increased enrollment for all populations and pharmacy costs,” a spokesperson for Newsom said when reached by Fox News Digital for comment. 

Newsom’s office emphasized that Medi-Cal covers approximately 15 million Californians, which accounts for more than one-third of the state’s population. Program costs have more than doubled in the past decade, according to the governor’s office. 

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Given Medi-Cal’s size, Newsom’s office said even a 1-2% increase in drug prices or hospital visits could mean billions of dollars in additional costs for the program, and states across the country and political spectrum are facing their own rising Medicaid expenses, specifically Pennsylvania and Indiana. 

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, literally tore up a list of 70 orders former President Joe Biden enacted that he said stymied the Last Frontier’s energy capabilities, and spoke Thursday about a bright future for the Land of the Midnight Sun.

Sullivan described the Trump administration’s openness to building an 800-mile LNG pipeline to power the U.S. and trade with Asia.

The pipeline would run from Prudhoe Bay – on the Arctic Ocean – to the Kenai Peninsula near Homer. Currently, essentially the only way to transport liquefied natural gas on the North Slope is via the AK-11 Dalton Highway of “Ice Road Trucker” fame, which is considered very inefficient and dangerous.

“This is a huge project, very geostrategically important — and, of course, it’s important to Alaskans to get us the gas we need… but also to get our allies: [South] Korea, Japan, Taiwan, energy that they need.”

AK CAN BE ‘CURE TO THE NATION’S ILLS’ WITH HELP FROM TRUMP ADMIN: GOV DUNLEAVY

Sullivan said Japan is still buying oil and gas from Russia – while a source familiar with the pipeline plans noted an Alaska-to-Asia trade route does not include any diplomatic or geographic pinch points like those that exist in the Mideast and elsewhere.

“Korea and Taiwan are getting their LNG from Qatar. None of that makes sense. Alaska is really close – We were the first place anywhere in the world to start exporting LNG in the late 1960s,” he said. “We did that to Japan for over 50 years.”

In his Joint Address to Congress, President Donald Trump flagged the pipeline plan, saying he is working on a “gigantic” project in Alaska.

Amid tariff and trade news, Sullivan said building the pipeline and supplying both North America and Asia with LNG obtained through the U.S.’ environmentally conscious means could reduce the West-to-East trade deficit by up to $10 billion per year.

Plus, the pipeline itself could “revitalize” the domestic steel industry and employ thousands of Americans.

He also sought to dispel a “fallacy” often touted on the left, that Native communities in and around the LNG territory are opposed to such development.

“Most of the media gets it wrong,” he said.

“The Alaska Native people … want this resource development done. This is how you help them with regard, not only to their economy, but their health, their pride, right? The best social program in the world is a good job.”

IN THE ONLY US STATE BORDERING RUSSIA, GOV SAYS DEFENSES ARE STRONG

Instead, he said, the Biden administration fought Juneau’s efforts to expand its energy production at every turn.

“Eight times [the Biden Interior Department] told [Natives visiting Washington] to go pound sand. They would never meet with them to develop their resources.”

When it comes to politicians in other states allegedly trying to dictate energy policy in Alaska, whether on environmental or other grounds, Sullivan quipped, “we don’t appreciate the lower 48 radical environmentalists coming up telling us what to do. And I really don’t appreciate what my Senate colleagues who try to do that, too.”

“You may have seen I gave a speech last week on the Senate floor ripping the hell out of one of them just because he needed it, right.”

As for talks with Trump, he said Secretaries Scott Bessent, Howard Lutnick and Doug Burgum have been very open and supportive.

Procuring financing is the next major battle, along with reciprocal trade agreements with target countries.

“Then you can finance these projects and start to build them. We’re talking about laying pipe as early as the end of this year or the beginning of next year. And think about the jobs that would come with that.”

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Turning to Biden, Sullivan held up a sheet listing 70 executive orders and actions the administration took to “shut [Alaska] down.”

“The left-wing media never cries about the jobs that were killed by Biden: Good union jobs; 70 EOs. The good news is this is now history,” he said, ripping up the list of orders and presenting instead a singular Trump order seeking to advance Alaska’s comprehensive LNG project.

The project is the only West Coast venture to secure federal permits and $26 million in loan guarantees. It would utilize more than 500,000 tons of steel and 5 million cubic yards of concrete.

In remarks to Fox News Digital, Energy Department spokesman Ben Dietderich said Alaskan LNG “has massive potential.”

“Accessing over 100 trillion cubic feet of North Slope natural gas will provide enormous energy security to the United States and its allies, thousands of high-paying jobs, and is estimated to reduce the United States trade deficit by $10 billion annually,” Dietderich said.

“While the previous administration openly discouraged investment in American LNG, President Trump and Secretary Wright are committed to expanding American energy at home and abroad.”

“Potential large scale investments and partnerships in U.S. LNG projects, including Alaska LNG, were discussed in the Secretary’s meetings with UAE officials yesterday and the Secretary intends to also raise these in Saudi Arabia in the coming days as well.”

President Donald Trump is heading to get his annual physical on Friday after declaring earlier this week that he’s “never felt better.” 

The 78-year-old announced the medical appointment on his Truth Social account, writing, “I am pleased to report that my long-scheduled Annual Physical Examination will be done at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Friday of this week.”

“I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!” Trump added.

The president left the White House midday Friday and arrived at the facility in Bethesda, Maryland, around 12:43 p.m. local time. Trump’s physical comes less than a year after he survived an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania while on the campaign trail.

TRUMP DEMANDS DO-OR-DIE NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN – WHO HAS THE LEVERAGE? 

At the time, Trump released a letter from his former physician Ronny Jackson, who wrote that “it is an absolute miracle he wasn’t killed.” 

“The bullet passed, coming less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head, and struck the top of his right ear,” Jackson added. 

Months later, in November, Florida neurosurgeon Dr. Brett Osborn told Fox News Digital that Trump remained in good health. 

TRUMP THREATENS TARIFFS AND SANCTIONS ON MEXICO FOR ‘STEALING’ WATER FROM TEXAS FARMERS 

“The fact that he attended 120 events in seven months, often multiple rallies in a single day in different states, is proof-positive that Trump has a tremendous amount of stamina, mentally and physically,” Osborn noted. 

But Democrats have disputed Trump’s health in the past, and members of the medical community have demanded Trump release his medical records. In an open letter from Oct. 13, over 230 doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals asked for a record release. 

The physical on Friday will be the first one of Trump’s second term in office. 

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In 2020, during his first administration, Trump was treated for COVID-19 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. 

Fox News’ Andrea Margolis contributed to this report. 

FIRST ON FOX: Republicans in Congress are launching a probe into a Biden-era green energy grant program that sent billions in funding to climate groups tied to Democrats and former President Joe Biden’s allies.

GOP leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent letters to the eight nonprofits awarded grants from the $20 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), seeking answers to ensure the Biden Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) followed proper ethics and conflict of interest protocols in distributing the funds.

In February, the Trump administration’s EPA announced it would take steps to get the money back, citing concerns over a lack of oversight related to how the money was being disbursed. In the announcement, new EPA administrator Lee Zeldin cited comments from a former Biden EPA political appointee, who described disbursements made through GGRF as akin to “tossing gold bars off the Titanic,” because Biden officials were allegedly trying to get money out the door before Trump took over. 

EPA ADMINISTRATOR ROLLS BACK 31 BIDEN-ERA REGULATIONS

It was also revealed that $2 billion from GGRF went to a Stacy Abrams-linked group, Power Forward Communities, which had not been established until after the Biden administration announced the GGRF application process. Meanwhile, during Power Forward’s first few months of operations — prior to receiving the funding — the group reported just $100 in revenue.

Climate United, another group that received the most money from the GGRF, roughly $7 billion, currently staffs a former Biden climate advisor who worked during the last two years of the former president’s term. The same group is also run by a CEO with ties to the Obama administration and a board member who was among those invited to Biden’s signing ceremony for his multitrillion-dollar infrastructure bill in 2021.  

Several GGRF grant recipients have ties to Democrats and Biden advisors, and some were reportedly founded shortly before or after the Biden administration announced the program. Meanwhile, these groups, according to Zeldin, had sole discretion on how to use the funds.

COMER PROBES NGOS THAT RECEIVED $20B IN BIDEN EPA GRANTS DESPITE ALMOST NO REVENUE: ‘SHADY DEAL’

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., alongside fellow committee members Reps. Gary Palmer of Alabama and Morgan Griffith of Virginia, both Republicans, said in a joint statement that their investigation into the GGRF recipients will be “key” to understanding whether these funds were allocated “fairly and impartially to qualified applicants,” while also helping to determine the manner in which the money has been used. 

“The Committee has had concerns about the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund program since its creation—including concerns about the program’s unusual structure, a potential lack of due diligence in selecting award recipients, and the recipients’ ability to manage the large influx of federal dollars they received from the EPA,” the lawmakers said in their statement. 

“A recent Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing that examined these concerns coupled with the speed with which money was pushed out the door by the Biden Administration’s EPA heightened the Committee’s concerns and raised additional questions about certain Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund recipients.”

LEE ZELDIN STANDS FIRM ON EFFORTS TO CLAW BACK BIDEN-ERA EPA FUNDING: ‘I’M NOT GOING TO APOLOGIZE’

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Several of the groups that were recipients of GGRF money sued the Trump administration in March over its attempts to rake back the funds. 

Subsequently, Obama-appointed Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a temporary restraining order preventing the EPA from freezing $14 billion in GGRF funds awarded to three of the climate groups.

The Associate Press contributed to this report.

Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds will not seek re-election in 2026 after nearly 10 years serving in the state’s highest office, teeing up what may be a competitive Republican gubernatorial primary in 2026. 

In a video announcement released on Friday, Reynolds thanked Iowans for their support throughout her political career and said she will not campaign for another term as governor to focus on her family.

“Today, I want to share a personal decision with you; one that was not made lightly, but comes with a full heart and a deep sense of gratitude. After a lot of thought, prayer, and conversations with my family, I have decided that I will not seek re-election in 2026,” she said. 

Reynolds began her political career in the Clarke County treasurer’s office, before winning election as a state senator and later as the state’s lieutenant governor.

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She has served as governor since 2017, when then-Gov. Terry Branstad was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as ambassador to China during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. Reynolds was elected to a full term as governor in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

“This wasn’t an easy decision, because I love this state and I love serving you,” Reynolds said in a video posted on social media. “But, when my term ends, I will have had the privilege of serving as your governor for almost 10 years.”

Reynolds said the work isn’t over yet and is committed to “working hard for you every single day until my term ends,” referring to her time as governor as the “greatest honor of my life.”

“This public service has been an incredible journey — one I wouldn’t trade for anything, but as Iowans know, family is everything,” she said. “Through the years, my parents and my husband Kevin, our daughters, and our grandchildren have stood by my side, supporting me through every challenge and every victory. Now, it’s time for me to be there for them.”

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Seasoned Iowa-based Republican strategist Jimmy Centers, who served in the Reynolds administration, said “her governorship is historic” for more than being the first female elected Iowa governor.

“It’s more than just her agenda; it’s about what she accomplished as governor. She was bold. She went out and sold her vision and she got it passed,” Centers told Fox News.

Nicole Schlinger, a longtime Iowa and Washington D.C.-based conservative strategist who is well-connected with evangelical groups, said that Reynolds “has been a transformation governor.”

But Schlinger told Fox News that “Kim Reynolds has put a lot of things in her life on hold for the state of Iowa and if you’re going to decide what you’re doing for re-election in 2026, now is the time you’re going to be making that decision.”

The Republican Governors Association (RGA) praised Reynolds for “her bold vision and conservative leadership” and said she “delivered transformational results for Iowa.”

Iowa, which was once a key general election battleground state, has turned red over the past decade, and RGA communications director Courtney Alexander said “we are confident that Iowa will continue to remain in Republican control.” 

But the rival Democratic Governors Association (DGA), pointing to Trump’s sweeping and controversial agenda during his first three months back in the White House, said that “even former RGA Chair Governor Kim Reynolds knows she can’t defend her party’s destruction of the economy and extreme, unpopular agenda for the next two years.”

DGA communications director Sam Newton argued that “in addition to leaving behind a failed record of corruption, gutting public education, and banning abortion, Gov. Reynolds has thrown the wide-open GOP field for governor into complete chaos. We look forward to holding Iowa Republicans accountable as this competitive race ramps up.”

Following Reynolds’ announcement, there was instant speculation that Iowa attorney general Brenna Bird, who was a top surrogate for now-President Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign and who spoke at last summer’s Republican National Convention, may make a bid to succeed the governor.

Bird, in a statement posted to social media, praised Reynolds but added that she and her husband will “consider what this decision means for our future.”

“I appreciate the calls of encouragement I’ve already received. I am committed to continuing my work on behalf of Iowans and to support President Trump,” she added.

Among the Republicans who may also have an interest in potentially running in 2026 to succeed Reynolds in the governor’s office in Des Moines are longtime state agriculture secretary Mike Naig; state House Speaker Pat Grassley, the grandson of longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; and all four members of Iowa’s all-GOP congressional delegation — Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01), Ashley Hinson (IA-02), Zach Nunn (IA-03) and Randy Feenstra (IA-04).

Two other names that are mentioned are Matt Whitaker, who ran statewide twice in Iowa but who is known nationally for serving as U.S. attorney general for a couple of months during the first Trump administration and who is currently serving as U.S. representative to NATO; and state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, son of longtime Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann.

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Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel, who has worked in Iowa politics for decades, noted that the Republicans have a “deep bench.”

When it comes to the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, speculation centers on Iowa state auditor Rob Sand, who is currently the only Democratic statewide officeholder in the Hawkeye State. 

Reynolds, pointing to Iowa’s shift to the right in recent election cycles, said the GOP “will remain in great hands” as the next generation of Iowa Republicans build on her legacy. 

Reynolds saw her national profile rise in recent years, through her previous tenure as RGA chair and by welcoming Republican presidential candidates to Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, which remain the lead-off contest in the race for the White House on the GOP calendar.

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In the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Reynolds’ endorsement was coveted by the crowded GOP primary field. Reynolds ultimately endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and joined him repeatedly on the campaign trail in the lead-up to the caucuses. 

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee grilled whistleblower Dr. Eithan Haim this week over his criticism of transgender medical treatments, months after the Biden Justice Department dropped criminal charges against him.

During a Wednesday hearing titled “Ending Lawfare Against Whistleblowers Who Protect Children,” Haim defended his decision to leak documents to the media, revealing that Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston performed transgender medical procedures on minors through May 2023.

“I wouldn’t want this to be done to anyone, not even liberals, even if they’re the craziest communists ever,” Haim said during the hearing. “There’s no one in this country who should be falsely accused and the entire power of the federal government be brought down on them.” 

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At one point during the hearing, ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., questioned Haim’s lawyer, Mark Lytle, about the precedent behind Haim’s case, drawing a comparison to a hypothetical scenario involving vaccination records for measles. 

“If I’m in Texas, and there’s a law requiring children to get measles vaccines, and I learn that another doctor’s patients aren’t vaccinated, does that give me the right to access their medical records and release them to the media or an ideological group?” Raskin asked.

“Dr. Haim didn’t break into any systems,” Lytle responded. “He was authorized to see these records by Texas Children’s Hospital, and the prosecutor knew that.”

“Was he authorized to release the information?” Raskin asked.

“He was because he was a whistleblower, and he was reporting wrongdoing,” Lytle said.

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Raskin asked Lytle to explain why Haim “did not follow Texas State law and go to the Department of Social Services or another medical authority or law enforcement authority” and instead “went to an ideological organization in the media.”

Lytle responded that Haim went to the Texas Attorney General’s office as well as the media, adding, “Congress favors going to the media for whistleblowers.”

Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., asked Haim whether the charges against him were “a case of the administration using weaponizing law enforcement to intimidate you and other dissenters.”

“There has to be a certain standard with our justice system, where people can’t just bring these charges and power through the courts and send these people to prison, because that’s what was going to happen to me,” Haim said.

Cline also asked Lytle whether the federal government treats whistleblowers differently depending on who’s in office.

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“This case is an example of that,” Lytle said. “It’s extremely rare for anyone to be charged with criminal HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] violations, let alone the maximum 10-year charge. It’s really outrageous, and the fact that he was charged in this way shows that the prosecutor was out to get him. He was biased.”

Later in the hearing, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., further pressed Haim about releasing the medical records, asking whether children and their families should worry about their private information being released. 

“When children are being mutilated and sterilized,” Haim said, adding that personal information, like the names of the patients, was not included. 

Haim, a surgeon formerly affiliated with Texas Children’s Hospital, was indicted on federal charges last year for allegedly accessing and sharing private medical records of minors receiving transgender medical procedures. 

Haim’s whistleblower report occurred during a transitional period in Texas’ policies regarding transgender treatments for minors. In March 2022, Texas Children’s Hospital announced it would stop such services to children following Gov. Greg Abbott’s directive to investigate such treatments as potential child abuse. The hospital later resumed these services after determining compliance with existing laws. In June 2024, the Texas Supreme Court upheld Senate Bill 14, which prohibits gender-affirming care for transgender minors in the state, with the law taking effect on Sept. 1, 2024.

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DOJ prosecutors claimed Haim obtained these records under false pretenses, violating the HIPAA and providing them to the media to harm the hospital’s reputation. Facing up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, Haim pleaded not guilty, arguing that no personally identifiable information was disclosed and that he was blowing the whistle on “child abuse” in the hospital. 

In January, the DOJ dismissed the case “with prejudice,” preventing future prosecution on the same grounds. Four days later, President Donald Trump signed the “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” executive order, suspending federal funds for gender-transition procedures for minors, including coverage under Medicaid.

After finding $382 million in fraudulent unemployment payments since 2020, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) identified California, New York and Massachusetts as the primary culprits. 

The three Democrat-led states accounted for $305 million in improper claim payments, DOGE said Thursday.

The group added that California also accounted for 68% of the benefits that were dispensed under former President Joe Biden to parolees identified by federal authorities as being on the government’s terrorist watchlist, or who had criminal records.

California, New York and Massachusetts all have a Democratic trifecta — meaning Democrats control the state House, Senate and the governor’s office. They also have a Democratic triplex, which includes party control of the Attorney General, Secretary of State and governorship.

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“There’s a reason for the mass exodus from Democrat-run states that have mismanaged their economies and driven residents to the nearest Republican-led state,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital. “High taxes, poor stewardship of taxpayer dollars and progressive policies continue to yield negative results, which is why Americans overwhelmingly support the work of DOGE.” 

Earlier this week, DOGE reported that since 2020, hundreds of millions in fraudulent unemployment benefits went to tens of thousands of recipients listed as over 115 years old, between ages 1 and 5, or even with birthdates that haven’t occurred yet.

“This is another incredible discovery by the DOGE team, finding nearly $400 million in fraudulent unemployment payments. The Labor Department is committed to recovering Americans’ stolen tax dollars. We will catch these thieves and keep working to root out egregious fraud,” said Labor Department Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

Additionally, DOGE also found this week that it was “routine” under the Biden administration to admit immigrants into the country with minimal screening and, as a result, led to more than 6,000 people — either with criminal records, or flagged on the FBI’s terror watchlist — entering the country. 

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Furthermore, DOGE found, hundreds of these people were able to collect public benefits — including approximately $42,000 through the government’s unemployment insurance program. These people also collected money from federal student loan programs, food stamp programs and IRS tax refunds. 

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The Trump administration ended parole for everyone identified as having a criminal record, or being on the FBI’s terror watchlist.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not hear back in time for publication. 

President Trump said on Friday that the first physical examination of his second term went well, and overall he feels he’s in “very good shape.”

The president told reporters on board Air Force One while en route to his home in West Palm Beach Friday evening that the yearly presidential physical at Walter Reed Medical Center showed he has a “good heart, a good soul,” and “overall, I think I’m in very – I felt I was in very good shape.” 

He also took a cognitive test.

“I don’t know what to tell you other than I got every answer right,” the president told reporters.

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He added, “I think it’s a pretty well-known test. Got it all right. I’ve taken the cognitive test, I think, four times and gotten nothing wrong. That’s what the American people want. Biden refused, Kamala refused.” 

He also said that doctors gave him “a little bit” of advice on lifestyle changes that could improve his health without going into detail. 

Biden’s yearly presidential exam at Walter Reed last year didn’t include a cognitive test. 

The former president’s mental abilities became a concern during the presidential election last year after he struggled in a June debate against Trump, which led to former Vice President Kamala Harris taking over as the Democratic nominee. 

Trump said he expected the report from the exam to be released by Sunday. 

The president was at Walter Reed for five hours undergoing “every test you can imagine.”

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“I was there for a long time,” Trump said. “I think I did very well.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that a readout of the exam would be released “as soon as we possibly can.”

The White House earlier this week promised to release the full results of Trump’s examination. 

“I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!” Trump wrote on Truth Social before the exam earlier this week. 

The exam was also his first presidential physical since his ear was grazed by a bullet during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. 

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Both Biden and Trump’s health have come under increased scrutiny as they are the two oldest U.S. presidents to ever serve, and Trump became the oldest president to be sworn into office in January.