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Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO Linda McMahon, tapped by President Donald Trump to head the Department of Education, is facing questions Thursday morning about her views on the agency’s future amid Trump’s quest to shutter it “immediately.”

During the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., first asked McMahon about whether she agrees the DOE would need Congressional approval to close it entirely. 

“Certainly, President Trump understands that we’ll be working with Congress,” McMahon responded. “We’d like to do this right. We’d like to make sure that we are presenting a plan that I think our senators could get on board with, and our Congress could get on board with, that would have a better functioning Department of Education, but it certainly does require congressional action.”

INTO THE RING: TRUMP EDUCATION CHIEF PICK MCMAHON TO TESTIFY ON CUTTING ‘RED TAPE’ AMID DOGE SWEEPS

Trump hopes Linda McMahon will ‘put herself out of a job’ if confirmed to lead the Department of Education. (Getty Images)

Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., asked McMahon a similar question after a line of questioning about her support for Pell Grants.

“Let me just once again, get your feelings on this, that if there is a movement to abolish the Department of Education, it has to go through the United States Congress?” Sanders asked. 

TRUMP EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES PROBE INTO ‘EXPLOSION OF ANTISEMITISM’ AT 5 UNIVERSITIES

President Donald Trump is seen in this March 2019 photo with McMahon, who worked in his first administration on the Small Business Administration. ( REUTERS/Joshua Roberts)

McMahon responded, “Yes, it is set up by the United States Congress, and we work with Congress. It clearly cannot be shut down without it.”

Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, asked McMahon about Maine’s TRIO programs that help first-generation college students from families without higher education experience. Collins questioned how these programs could be maintained if the Department of Education were “abolish[ed]” or “substantially reorganized.”

FORMER TRUMP EDUCATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT ‘UNFINISHED BUSINESS’ FOR NEW ADMIN ON SCHOOL REFORMS

“These various things, especially the trio program, which we both agreed was just hit with a terrible blow just by regulatory action when some of the students who were applying, their applications were rejected simply because of spacing on a form. And that kind of regulatory control just cannot stand. That is just impossible.”

“If I am confirmed to be able to get in and assess programs, how they can have the best oversight possible, how we can really take the bureaucracy out of education,” she said.

McMahon, nominated to head the Education Department, is stepping into a role that Trump has suggested he is seeking to eliminate. Trump recently indicated that if McMahon is confirmed, he wants her to “put herself out of a job.”

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President Trump vowed on the campaign trail to eliminate the Dept of Education and bring the power back to the states (Getty Images)

Ahead of McMahon’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Trump reiterated his intention to close the department, calling for it to be shut down “immediately.”

“It’s a big con job,” Trump said. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40.”

A prominent Democrat is arguing that “there isn’t a constitutional crisis” happening right now with the Trump administration. 

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., reportedly made the remark to HuffPost on Wednesday, the same day White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declared that “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.”  

Just roughly three weeks back in the Oval Office, Trump’s administration has been hit with at least 57 lawsuits working to resist his policies and executive orders. 

“When it was [President] Joe Biden, then you [had] a conservative judge jam it up on him, and now we have liberal judges that are going to stop these things. That’s how the process works,” Fetterman told HuffPost, adding that “There isn’t a constitutional crisis, and all of these things — it’s just a lot of noise.”  

WHITE HOUSE SAYS ‘THE REAL CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS IS TAKING PLACE WITHIN OUR JUDICIAL BRANCH’ 

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., told HuffPost there “isn’t a constitutional crisis” brewing with the Trump administration. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/Alex Brandon/AP)

“That’s why I’m only going to swing on the strikes,” he also said. 

The comments are a contrast to remarks made earlier this week by fellow Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy, who told CNN “this isn’t hyperbole to say that we are staring the death of democracy in the eyes, right now. 

“The centerpiece of our democracy is that we observe court rulings. Criminal court rulings, civil court rulings and constitutional court rulings. No one is above the law,” the Connecticut Democrat said Monday. “And whether we like it or not, the courts interpret the law.” 

On Wednesday, Leavitt said “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. 

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

President Donald Trump speaks as Tulsi Gabbard is sworn in as the Director of National Intelligence in the Oval Office of the White House, on Wednesday, Feb. 12. (AP/Alex Brandon)

“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,” Leavitt also said.  

Leavitt alleged that an “extremely dishonest narrative” has been emerging in recent days with media outlets “fearmongering the American people into believing there is a constitutional crisis taking place here at the White House.”  

“Quick news flash to these liberal judges who are supporting their obstructionist efforts: 77 million Americans voted to elect this president, and each injunction is an abuse of the rule of law and an attempt to thwart the will of the people,” Leavitt added. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a briefing at the White House, on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Leavitt said “the real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch.” (AP/Evan Vucci)

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“As the president clearly stated in the Oval Office yesterday, we will comply with the law in the courts, but we will also continue to seek every legal remedy to ultimately overturn these radical injunctions and ensure President Trump’s policies can be enacted,” she concluded. 

Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.  

Senate Democrats railed against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a late-night session Wednesday ahead of his confirmation vote to potentially become the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

Kennedy’s confirmation vote is expected around 10:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, but Democrat senators spent the evening before condemning former President Donald Trump’s HHS pick on a number of issues. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., described Kennedy as “obviously unqualified,” “obviously fringe,” and as holding views “obviously detrimental to the well-being of the American people.” 

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not remotely qualified to become the next Secretary of Health and Human Services,” Schumer said. “Robert F. Kennedy might be the least qualified people the president could have chosen for the job. It’s almost as if Mr. Kennedy’s beliefs, history and background were tailor-made to be the exact opposite of what the job demands.”

RFK JR NOMINATION TO SERVE AS TRUMP’S HEALTH SECRETARY CLEARS KEY HURDLE IN SENATE

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing on Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr)

Referencing Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard, the newly confirmed Director of National Intelligence, Schumer accused Republican senators of “rubber-stamping people no matter how fringe they are.”

“The HHS is an agency that depends on science, on evidence and impartiality to ensure the well-being of over 330 million Americans. HHS ensures we eat safe food, purchase reliable medication, oversee Medicare benefits and approve the use of lifesaving vaccines. Most importantly, a good HHS secretary makes sure the American people have access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. Mr. Kennedy, unfortunately, is not qualified to oversee any of these things,” Schumer said. “He is neither a doctor, nor a scientist, nor a public health expert, nor a policy expert of any kind. If Mr. Kennedy is confirmed given that lack of background, I deeply fear that he will rubber stamp Donald Trump’s war against healthcare, meaning we will see more of the disastrous funding cuts of the last few weeks, meaning that more people will lose health coverage, meaning that the interests of for-profit corporations and Big Pharma will come before the needs of working Americans.”  

On the Senate floor, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., read again the letter from Kennedy’s cousin, Caroline Kennedy, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Australia under the Biden administration. 

Her letter, which she released ahead of RFK Jr.’s Senate confirmation hearing last month, said, “Now that Bobby has been nominated by President Trump to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, a position that would put him in charge of the health of the American people, I feel an obligation to speak out. Overseeing the FDA, the NIH and the CDC and the centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services agencies that are charged with protecting the most vulnerable among us is an enormous responsibility, and one that Bobby is unqualified to fill. He lacks any relevant government financial management or medical expertise. His views on vaccines are dangerous and willfully misinformed.” 

Caroline Kennedy went on to write, “I have known Bobby all my life. We grew up together. It’s no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets because he himself is a predator.” Her letter said, “While he may encourage a younger generation to attend AA meetings, Bobby is addicted to attention and power. Bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own children while building a following by hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs.” 

“My view? Robert Kennedy has spent his considerable talent promoting misinformation to vulnerable people who have motives we all have and that is the well-being of people we love. You know, some of the things that Mr. Kennedy said when he’s attacking vaccines, they’re not based at all on science, but they appeal to people’s distrust of the standard medical profession,” Welch said. “He’s promoting it using the magic of the Kennedy name. The credibility that comes from being a member of one of the most starry political families in the history of our country.” 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left, railed against Kennedy. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., came to the floor to voice his “strong opposition” to Kennedy. 

DOGE SUBCOMMITTEE HOLDS FIRST HEARING SLAMMING $36T NATIONAL DEBT, AS HOUSE REPUBLICANS DECLARE ‘WAR ON WASTE’

“Mr. Kennedy says that he’ll always follow the evidence no matter where it leads. Well, if you look at his record, he hasn’t done that,” Hollen said. 

The senator said Kennedy has “no experience, no qualifications in the vast majority” of the wide range of subjects HHS covers, naming how the department “provides quality control for reproductive health services,” “ensures that contraception are covered under the Affordable Care Act, and it makes sure that Americans can have access to over-the-counter options” and also includes programs for early childhood development, the elderly and the disabled. 

“I don’t think any of us expect that one Secretary of HHS can know everything. But if you monitored the hearings and listened to Mr. Kennedy’s answers, you can see that Mr. Kennedy knows virtually nothing about all those important subjects,” he said. 

Van Hollen quoted former President John F. Kennedy, who said more than 60 years ago that he hoped “that the renewed drive to provide vaccination for all Americans, and particularly those who are young, will have the wholehearted support of every parent in America.”

“Unfortunately, his nephew, RFK Jr, has spent decades unraveling that hard won legacy by spreading lies and conspiracy theories about vaccines,” Van Hollen said. 

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., was among the Democrats to speak out against HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a late night session Wednesday.  (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., also took issue with the notoriety of the Kennedy name.

“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that there are very few people in this country that are less qualified to run this agency than Robert Kennedy Jr.,” Murphy said. “I say that because there are few people in the country who have been so enthusiastic, so public and so impactful in their ability to take some of the wildest conspiracy theories that are out there on the internet about our health system or about our kids, or about our families, internalize them and then disseminate them in a way that does great damage.”

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., asserted, “We live in the time of the greatest amount of distrust that we’ve ever seen in this country, and that is most pronounced, most clear when it comes to our health. And one of those people we need to trust the most in our country is the person who runs the Department of Health and Human Services.” 

After meeting with Kennedy and reviewing his statements, Kim said, “he is not someone I can trust with my health, and in good conscience, I cannot vote for him.”

“If I cannot trust him with the health of my own kids, how can I ask the families of 9 million other New Jerseyans to do it?” Kim said. “He has too often diminished that trust in the very healthcare he would be in charge of and too often has spread disinformation about the diseases and challenges and threats that we face.” 

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Acknowledging how Kennedy’s supporters would argue he is “fighting against a broken system” and “simply wants to make American healthy,” Kim said, “unfortunately what we’re seeing like most things coming out of this administration is corruption and conspiracy disguised as false promises of change.”  

Kim said his father was disabled by polio and his mother has Lyme disease, railing against Kennedy’s claims that Lyme disease could have been engineered by the military, as well as that the polio vaccine could be linked to increased rates of cancer. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump’s move toward negotiations with Russia to end the war with Ukraine was “no betrayal” during a visit to NATO headquarters in Belgium on Thursday.

Hegseth replied to a reporter’s question about the U.S. potentially betraying Ukraine after Trump had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about beginning to negotiate peace without Kyiv’s full involvement.

“There is no betrayal there,” Hegseth told reporters. “There is a recognition that the whole world and the United States is invested and interested in peace, a negotiated peace.”

Russia and Ukraine have been at war since February 2022, when Russia first invaded its neighboring nation. Trump had repeatedly said while on the campaign trail that if he was president in 2022 the war would not have broken out — vowing to end it if re-elected. 

PUTIN VIEWED AS ‘GREAT COMPETITOR’ BUT STILL A US ‘ADVERSARY’ AS UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS LOOM, LEAVITT SAYS

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)

On Wednesday, Trump said he had a “lengthy” call with Putin, which included the Russian leader agreeing to “immediately” begin negotiations over the war in Ukraine. Trump also spoke with Zelenskyy separately. After talks with both leaders, Trump said he would “probably” meet in person with the Russian leader in the near term, possibly in Saudi Arabia.

Responding to a separate question, Hegseth referred to the phone calls and pointed to Trump’s ability as a negotiator.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, right, and United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth address a media conference during a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

“I think you saw from President Trump yesterday, who himself is the best negotiator on the planet, bringing two sides together to find a negotiated peace, which is ultimately what everyone wants,” he said. “So I look forward to the ministerial today with our NATO allies to have honest conversations about where we are.”

‘LET’S DO A DEAL’: ZELENSKYY CALLS TRUMP’S TERMS ACCEPTABLE FOR SECURITY PARTNERSHIP

Hegseth also said he believes Trump is the “one man in the world capable of convening the parties together to bring peace.”

During his visit to NATO headquarters on Wednesday, Hegseth told allies that “returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective,” as Trump works to bring an end to the war.

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“He intends to end this war by diplomacy and bringing both Russia and Ukraine to the table.  And the U.S. Department of Defense will help achieve this goal,” Hegseth said. “We want a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.” 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Greg Norman, along with The Associated Press, contributed to this report.

The House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency held its first ever hearing Wednesday, as Republicans criticized the soaring $36 trillion national debt, as well as Democrats’ condemnation of Elon Musk’s effort to slash waste.

In her opening statement, Chairwoman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-S.C., said the committee must be “brutally honest about how this massive debt came to be in the first place – it came from Congress and from elected presidential administrations.” 

“We as Republicans and Democrats can still hold tightly to our beliefs, but we are going to have to let go of funding them in order to save our sinking ship,” Greene said. “This is not a time for political theater and partisan attacks. The American people are watching. The legislative branch can’t sit on the sidelines. In this subcommittee, we will fight the war on waste shoulder to shoulder with President Trump, Elon Musk and the DOGE team.” 

Greene said, “enslaving our nation in debt” is one of the “biggest betrayals against the American people’s own elected government” and vowed that her subcommittee, operating under the House Oversight Committee, would work with President Donald Trump’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is spearheaded by Musk as part of the executive branch. 

DOGE SLASHES OVER $100M IN DEI FUNDING AT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: ‘WIN FOR EVERY STUDENT’

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., talks with her counsel as she presides over a House DOGE subcommittee hearing on “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

“The federal government, government employees, and unelected bureaucrats do not live by the same rules as the great American people and private businesses,” Greene said. “The federal government’s income is the American people’s hard-earned tax dollars. Their literal blood, sweat and tears and taxes are collected by law at gunpoint. Don’t pay your taxes and you go to jail. The federal government does not have to provide excellent customer service to earn its income. It takes your money whether you like it or not. And federal employees receive their paycheck no matter what.” 

The subcommittee’s highest ranking Democrat, Rep. Melanie Stanbury of New Mexico, used her opening statement to slam Trump and Musk’s efforts, despite agreeing to a bipartisan approach to “digging into the more than $236 billion in improper payments that we see going out the door every single year,” as well as “putting into place rigorous oversight and controls to prevent fraud and abuse, and, of course, to go after bad actors.” 

“We can’t just sit here today and pretend like everything is normal and that this is just another hearing on government efficiency,” Stanbury said. “Because while we’re sitting here, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are recklessly and illegally dismantling the federal government, shuttering federal agencies, firing federal workers, withholding funds vital to the safety and well-being of our communities, and hacking our sensitive data systems.” 

One of the witnesses, Stephen Whitson of the Foundation for Government Accountability, testified that DOGE’s efforts have exposed $59 million paid to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal immigrants, $1.5 million to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces, $32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru, $10 million worth of food assistance funneled to al Qaeda and “the list goes on.” 

“But rather than applauding the work of DOGE, the left has launched a coordinated campaign to try to demonize Mr. Musk with the hope of shifting focus away from the disastrous waste, fraud and abuse that occurred on Biden’s watch. But guess what? It’s not working,” Whitson said. 

Former FBI Special Agent Senior Director of Federal Affairs Foundation for Government Accountability Stewart Whitson appears before a House DOGE subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

He shifted to the focus of Wednesday’s subcommittee hearing, Medicaid waste and fraud, testifying that more than 80% of improper Medicaid payments are due to eligibility errors, which Congress must address. Whitson testified that one in five dollars spent on Medicaid is improper, and Medicaid fraud and mismanagement is on track to cost U.S. taxpayers $1 trillion in the next 10 years. 

‘OBAMA BROS’ ON DOGE: ‘SOME OF THE STUFF WE SHOULD’VE DONE’

Whitson also offered Congress three ways to support Trump’s DOGE effort. The first is for Congress to strengthen the Medicaid program through legislative action. He testified that both the Biden and Obama administrations issued rules and guidance that made it harder for states to verify eligibility for Medicaid. He said repealing Biden’s Medicaid streamlining rule, which restricts eligibility verification that states can perform, would save $164 billion over 10 years. 

In a later exchange, Whitson said the Biden-era rule prohibits states from verifying eligibility more than once a year and prohibits in-person or phone call interviews to verify the recipient’s identity. 

It also opens “lengthy reconsideration periods,” opening the door for illegal immigrants to receive benefits. 

“A state has to wait at least 90 days” before verifying whether a recipient is an illegal immigrant, Whitson said. “And actually what we’re seeing is it’s let some states to wait as long as 13 years.” 

Elon Musk, left, speaks as President Donald Trump looks on in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 11, 2025. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Secondly, Whitson said Congress could help DOGE by “ensuring that entrenched partisan bureaucrats don’t stand in the way of reform.” To do that, Congress must codify the president’s authority “to fire unproductive or insubordinate agency employees as needed,” as well as grant the president authority to permanently eliminate vacant positions and consolidate nonessential positions across agencies and departments to help promote efficiency, Whitson said.

“Personnel is policy, and without competent staff to faithfully execute the president’s agenda, the DOGE project will fail,” he said. 

Thirdly, Whitson called on Congress to pass the REINS Act to “make President Trump’s DOGE cost-cutting and de-regulatory reforms permanent.” 

“There’s only one big problem with the DOGE effort. Most of its work can be undone by a future president with the stroke of a pen,” he said, adding that the REINS Act would “return Article One budgetary power of the purse to Congress while promoting deregulation. It would also help lock in the DOGE reforms and cement President Trump’s legacy as the most consequential de-regulatory and cost-cutting president in U.S. history.” 

At another point in the hearing, Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., played out archived video of former President Bill Clinton in 1997 and former President Barack Obama in 2011 pledging to reduce the federal workforce and close hundreds of government offices outside of Washington. Obama spoke in 2011 of his administration’s “Campaign to Cut Waste,” saying at the time, “We thought that it was entirely appropriate for our governments and our agencies to try to root out waste, large and small, in a systematic way.” From the Oval Office, Obama added that “a lot of the action is in Congress and legislative, but in the meantime, we don’t need to wait for Congress in order to, do something about wasteful spending that’s out there.” 

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Burlison said the video was meant to “remind my Democratic friends at a point in which you once had the majority of the American people on your side.” 

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced the cancellation of at least 58 contracts on Wednesday, resulting in more than $150 million in savings for the American taxpayer.

In a Wednesday evening post on X, the agency headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk said the contracts canceled fell under the media, DEI and consulting categories at various agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation.

“58 cancellations with savings of >$150M in categories including Media, DEI, and Consulting. This includes $405K at DHS for ‘resilience, energy, and sustainability management program support services’ and ~4M at DoT for ‘DEIA program and project management support services,'” the post said.

DOGE SLASHES MILLIONS MORE IN ‘NONSENSE’ CONTRACTS ACROSS SEVERAL FEDERAL AGENCIES

The Department of Government Efficiency, headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk, canceled at least 58 government contracts on Wednesday, totaling more than $150 million in savings for the American taxpayer. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Later Wednesday evening, DOGE also confirmed the Department of Education slashed its budget by canceling around $9 million in contracts that left students “no better off.”

Those contracts included $4.6 million to coordinate zoom and in-person meetings, $3 million to write a report that showed prior reports were not utilized by schools, and $1.4 million to physically observe mailing and clerical operations, according to the DoE.

DOGE described the aforementioned cancellations as a “good start.”

“We want to ensure that every dollar being spent is directed toward improving education for kids – not conferences and reports on reports,” the DoE posted on X.

‘CATEGORICALLY UNTRUE’: KEY GOVERNMENT AGENCY PUSHES BACK AGAINST MEDIA NARRATIVES OF DOGE CHAOS

DOGE also announced its website creating transparency in government spending officially launched under the URL doge.gov.

The DOGE.gov website launched on Wednesday and aims to provide complete transparency on government spending. (DOGE.gov / Screenshot)

Though certain aspects on the website are not yet available, the homepage includes all of DOGE’s posts on X, while other tabs feature a “consolidated government org chart” and a “summary of the massive regulatory state, including the unconstitutionality index ratio.”

Two other highly anticipated categories, a running description of each cost reduction with receipts and an overall savings scoreboard, will hopefully be live by Valentine’s Day, DOGE said.

“We will constantly be working to maximize the site’s utility and transparency. Please let us know what else you want to see!” DOGE said on X.

President Trump has praised Musk’s efforts in leading DOGE, acknowledging that the agency has located and addressed “massive amounts” of fraud, waste, incompetence and abuse within government spending. (Photo/Alex Brandon)

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President Donald Trump, who established DOGE via an executive order to “maximize governmental efficiency and productivity,” has praised the agency’s efforts thus far by acknowledging “massive amounts” of fraud, waste, incompetence and abuse have been located and addressed.

FIRST ON FOX: Linda McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Department of Education, will testify before the Senate on Thursday, centering her opening remarks around creating “a better future for every American learner.”

The Trump nominee, who was tapped in November, will kick off her confirmation process during a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee on Thursday morning. Republican Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Katie Britt of Alabama will introduce McMahon before the hearing, Fox News has learned.

McMahon will focus her remarks on enacting Trump’s vision with the idea that “education is the issue that determines our national success and prepares American workers to win the future,” according to an excerpt of her opening remarks, shared first with Fox News Digital.

“I would like to thank President Trump for his confidence in me to lead a Department whose mission and authority were a special focus of his campaign. He pledged to make American education the best in the world, return education to the states where it belongs, and free American students from the education bureaucracy through school choice,” McMahon will say in her opening remarks.

TRUMP EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES PROBE INTO ‘EXPLOSION OF ANTISEMITISM’ AT 5 UNIVERSITIES

Linda McMahon arrives for a meeting in Washington, D.C. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg)

McMahon is being boosted to head the department that Trump has suggested he wants to dismantle during his term, recently saying that if McMahon is confirmed, he wants her to “put herself out of a job.”

Trump said Wednesday just hours ahead of McMahon’s hearing that he wanted to close the Education Department “immediately.”

“It’s a big con job,” he said. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40.”

His comments came as Trump’s executive agency, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) run by Elon Musk, continues its financial audit of the federal government.

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McMahon previously served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term before stepping down in 2019 to “return to the private sector.” 

She plans to say during her opening remarks Thursday, “My experience as a business owner and leader of the Small Business Administration, as a public servant in the state of Connecticut, and more than a decade of service as a college trustee has taught me to put parents, teachers, and students, not bureaucracy, first.”

“Outstanding teachers are tired of political ideology in their curriculum and red tape on their desks. This is why school choice is a growing movement across the nation: it offers teachers and parents an alternative to classrooms that are micromanaged from Washington, D.C.” 

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Linda McMahon after announcing her resignation on March 29, 2019. (Joshua Roberts)

The Trump nominee also plans to highlight antisemitism in schools and the issue of biological males competing in women’s and girls’ sports.

“If I am confirmed, the department will not stand idly by while Jewish students are attacked and discriminated against,” her remarks read. “It will stop forcing schools to let boys and men into female sports and spaces. And it will protect the rights of parents to direct the moral education of their children.”

In her opening remarks, McMahon will note that “many Americans today are experiencing a system in decline” but that “the opportunity before us these next four years is momentous.”

Linda McMahon speaks at the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024. (Mike Segar)

“It is my great honor to announce that Linda McMahon, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration, will be the United States Secretary of Education,” Trump said in his nomination announcement in November.

Before being tapped to head the Education Department, McMahon founded WWE with her husband in 1980, which has grown into a global wrestling entertainment network. 

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“As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families,” the press release added. “Linda served for two years on the Connecticut Board of Education, where she was one of fifteen members overseeing all Public Education in the State, including its Technical High School system.”

After McMahon’s confirmation hearing, the committee will schedule a vote on whether to advance her nomination to a full floor vote.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin said Wednesday that his team has located $20 billion in tax dollars that the Biden administration purposely wasted.

“An extremely disturbing video circulated two months ago, featuring a Biden EPA political appointee talking about how they were ‘tossing gold bars off the Titanic,’ rushing to get billions of your tax dollars out the door before Inauguration Day,” Zeldin said in a video posted to X, citing another video from December. “The ‘gold bars’ were tax dollars and ‘tossing them off the Titanic’ meant the Biden administration knew they were wasting it.”

Zeldin said the EPA has plans to recover the “gold bars” that were found “parked at an outside financial institution,” which he does not mention by name.

He said that “this scheme was the first of its kind in EPA history, and it was purposefully designed to obligate all the money in a rush job with reduced oversight” before Inauguration Day.

TRUMP TAPS FORMER NEW YORK REP LEE ZELDIN TO LEAD EPA

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, appears before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Zeldin said “there is zero reason to suspect any wrongdoing by the bank,” but he thinks agreement with the institution “needs to be instantly terminated” and all the money should be immediately returned.

He also said the EPA needs to reassume responsibility for all of these funds, adding that his team will “review every penny that has gone out the door.”

THROUGH THE EPA, WE CAN PURSUE ENERGY DOMINANCE, LEE ZELDIN SAYS | FOX NEWS VIDEO

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y. arrives at EPA confirmation hearing. (Fox News Digital/Charlie Creitz)

“The days of irresponsibly shoveling boatloads of cash to far-left activist groups in the name of environmental justice and climate equity are over,” Zeldin said. “The American public deserves a more transparent and accountable government than what transpired these past four years.”

He also said that he would be referring this matter to the inspector general’s office and that he would work with the Department of Justice to assist President Donald Trump in regaining control.

FILE – U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican candidate for New York governor, participates in a debate against incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy, on Oct. 25, 2022, at Pace University in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, Pool, File)

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“Now we will get them back inside of control of government as we pursue next steps. As President Trump has vowed, we’re going to usher in a new Golden Age of American success for the citizens of every race, religion, color and creed,” Zeldin said at the end of the video.

Elon Musk also commended Zeldin on X for an “awesome job” saving taxpayer money.

The Trump administration simultaneously views Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “great competitor” and “adversary” as it hashes out negotiations regarding the war in Ukraine, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a Wednesday press conference. 

“I believe this nation views Putin and Russia as a great competitor in the region, at times an adversary,” Leavitt said when asked how President Donald Trump views Russia and Putin. “But as the president has said, as well, he enjoys having good diplomatic relations with leaders around the world. Finding that common ground, also calling them out when they are wrong. Leading from a position of peace through strength. That’s the president’s greatest strength.” 

Just ahead of the Wednesday afternoon press conference, Trump announced on Truth Social that he had spoken to Putin on the phone and the two had agreed to begin negotiations over ending the war in Ukraine. 

“We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations,” Trump posted to Truth Social. “We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now. I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful.” 

TRUMP SAYS RUSSIA AGREES TO ‘IMMEDIATELY’ BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS TO END WAR IN UKRAINE

The U.S. views Putin as a “great competitor” and “adversary” as the country works to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. (Getty Images)

Russia and Ukraine have been at war since February 2022, when Russia first invaded its neighboring nation. Trump has said while on the 2024 campaign trail that he would end the war if re-elected, while claiming it would never have begun if he had been in the Oval Office at the time. 

President Donald Trump posted a follow-up Truth Social post on Feb. 12, 2025, that he also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, remarking the conversation “went very well.” (Getty Images)

Leavitt was peppered with a handful of questions surrounding the negotiations, including why the Trump administration’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg was not included on Trump’s list of U.S. officials leading the negotiations. 

President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social Feb. 12, 2025, that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the two had agreed to begin negotiations over ending the war in Ukraine. (Reuters)

Kellogg “remains a critical part of this team in this effort,” Leavitt said. “He’s played a tremendous role in getting the negotiations to this point, and he’s very much still part of the Trump administration.” 

“The president, in his Truth following the phone call with Vladimir Putin, said that he has asked Secretary of State Rubio, the Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, our national security advisor here at the White House, Michael Waltz and Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations,” she said. 

FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE MARC FOGEL LANDS IN US AFTER YEARS IN RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY

The Kremlin posted a Russian language readout of the phone call with Trump on Wednesday, which was translated into English, and it reported Putin invited Trump to Moscow. Leavitt said she did not have any details to share on a potential visit to the country. 

Trump posted a follow-up Truth Social post on Wednesday that he also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, remarking the conversation “went very well.”

AMERICAN MARC FOGEL RELEASED FROM RUSSIAN CUSTODY

“He, like President Putin, wants to make PEACE,” Trump wrote. “We discussed a variety of topics having to do with the War, but mostly, the meeting that is being set up on Friday in Munich, where Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the Delegation. I am hopeful that the results of that meeting will be positive. It is time to stop this ridiculous War, where there has been massive, and totally unnecessary, DEATH and DESTRUCTION. God bless the people of Russia and Ukraine!” 

President Donald Trump welcomes Marc Fogel back to the United States on Feb. 11, 2025, after he was released from Russian custody. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The announcement of the initiation of peace negotiations follows the return of Marc Fogel to the U.S. on Tuesday. Fogel is a grade school teacher from Pennsylvania who was arrested in Russia in 2021 for possession of marijuana in an airport. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison before the U.S. secured his release. 

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“I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call, and for the release, yesterday, of Marc Fogel, a wonderful man that I personally greeted last night at the White House,” Trump added of the release in his Truth Social post earlier Wednesday. “I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!”

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

Here’s what’s happening…

–DOGE exposes millions more in canceled ‘nonsense’ contracts across several federal agencies

-RFK Jr nomination to serve as Trump’s health secretary clears key hurdle in Senate

-GOP bill takes aim at visa lottery allowing ‘faceless computer code’ to dish out green cards

Key Confirmation 

President Donald Trump continued his successful Cabinet confirmation roll on Wednesday, with Tulsi Gabbard officially being approved by the Senate to become his director of national intelligence (DNI). 

She became his 14th Cabinet confirmation following the 52-48 vote on Wednesday. The vote was party-line, except for former GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who opposed Gabbard. 

After an uphill battle during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the former Democratic representative managed to come back and get key Republicans to support her in her bid to oversee the nation’s intelligence agencies…Read more

Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, is introduced by former Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, during her Senate Select Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen building on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

White House

‘LENGTHY AND HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE’: Trump says Russia agrees on call to ‘immediately’ begin negotiations to end war in Ukraine…Read more

JUDICIAL SUPREMACY: 6 times judges blocked Trump executive orders…Read more

LOVE AND HATE: Which Trump policies Americans love and hate…Read more

U.S. President Donald Trump presents the second executive order during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of his second presidential term, in Washington, U.S. Jan. 20, 2025.  (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

‘LAMENTING’: Obama bros on DOGE: ‘some of this is stuff we should have done’…Read more

‘LIVING IN FEAR’: Dozens of religious groups sue to stop Trump admin from arresting migrants in places of worship…Read more

LAWSUIT BLITZ: New resistance battling Trump’s second term through onslaught of lawsuits taking aim at EOs…Read more

World Stage

KYIV ATTACKED: Russian missiles rained down on Ukraine just ahead of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s visit…Read more

STEP UP EUROPE: Hegseth warns Europeans ‘realities’ of China and border threats prevent US from guaranteeing their security…Read more

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

‘WELCOME THE STRANGER’: Pope blasts Trump admin over mass deportation plan, directs ire at Vance’s religious defense for policies…Read more

‘TOUGH TO WITNESS’: Ex-NY Giants player is helping deported migrants in Guatemala, blames Biden for the problem…Read more

Capitol Hill

ZOMBIE DRUG: Democrat looks to codify new AG Bondi’s crackdown on ‘zombie drug’ xylazine…Read more

GREER ADVANCES: Trump US trade rep pick Jamieson Greer advances out of Senate Finance Committee…Read more

SPENDING WARS: House, Senate Republicans clash over mammoth Trump budget bill seeking $1.5T in cuts…Read more

FIRST ON FOX: Patel camp derides Durbin accusations as ‘politically motivated’ attempt to derail FBI confirmation…Read more

A split photo of Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Trump FBI director nominee, Kash Patel, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Ia.  ( AP/Getty Images)

‘SAVE FACE’: Officials at Liz Warren’s pet project agency dismissed despite telling media they resigned…Read more

‘MEDICAL INCIDENT’: Complex partial seizure ruled as cause of pausing episode during House floor speech, Dem congressman says…Read more

GET OUT: DRAIN THE SWAMP Act seeks to move DC bureaucracy ‘out of Crazy Town,’ House DOGE leader says…Read more

Across America

DEFYING TRUMP: Maine sports governing body says trans athletes can still compete in women’s sports despite Trump order…Read more

‘COMMON SENSE’: Republican AGs praise Trump SEC move to reverse Biden climate rule they fought in court…Read more

FIRST ON FOX: Key government agency pushes back against media reporting of DOGE chaos: ‘Categorically untrue’…Read more

MINE CRAFT: Elon Musk describes limestone mine used for processing federal workers’ retirement papers: ‘Like a time warp’…Read more

STAFFING UP: RNC brings on new senior leadership to ‘work around the clock’ to support Trump agenda, elect Republicans…Read more

The Republican National Committee has brought on new leadership to support President Donald Trump’s agenda. Pictured; RNC Chairman Michael Whatley (left) and President Trump.  (Fox News Digital/Getty/Donald Trump 2024 campaign)

‘I WILL NOT REST’: Border state gubernatorial showdown expected as Trump-backed candidate enters race…Read more

‘SHOCKING WORDS’: Top hospital hit with blistering ad exposing ‘political agenda’…Read more

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

California’s top Republican leaders are asking the Trump administration “to intervene” against their own state’s push to get rid of traditional energy sources, especially gas, with one lawmaker telling Fox News Digital the push to ban gas appliances was particularly “sick” of the state’s liberal leadership.

In a letter sent to the Department of Energy Secretary Christopher Wright, California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher and state Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones urged the DOE to look at California’s efforts to “ban natural gas and gas appliances” and “evaluate these actions and their impact on issues of energy sufficiency, energy independence, and national security.”

“It’s a sick philosophy that tells fire victims we’re going to control how you build your home, we’re going to tell you all the things that you can and cannot have,” Gallagher told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. 

“This also has a lot of huge implications for the cost of living in California,” Gallagher said. “Let’s once and for all decide that you cannot ban gas appliances. People need these. They like having these. They’re more affordable. Let’s make sure that this is not going to get any further down the road.”

‘DEI ACTIVISM’: REPUBLICAN AGS PRAISE TRUMP SEC MOVE TO REVERSE BIDEN CLIMATE RULE THEY FOUGHT IN COURT

California Republican leaders like Assemblyman James Gallagher are asking the Trump Energy Department to intervene against the state’s climate agenda push to ban natural gas resources.  (Getty Images | Fox News Digital)

California has intensified efforts to phase out natural gas appliances in recent years for what lawmakers claim will cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve indoor air quality. In 2022, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved a plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered space and water heaters by 2030, requiring homes and businesses to transition to zero-emission alternatives like electric heat pumps. The state’s 2023 energy code also encourages all-electric construction, making it more costly for developers to install gas appliances.

“I hope the federal government weighs in and restores consumer choice in California,” Gallagher said. “We should be able to choose whether or not we want electric or gas, and we especially need to make those choices so we can ensure that we can afford to live in this state, because right now, electricity, because of [Gov.] Gavin Newsom and the Democrats policies, has exploded the prices through the roof.”

The Republicans are also requesting that the DOE “engage legally with any California jurisdiction violating EPCA [Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975] in order to enforce the federal preemption of any state or local gas bans.”

“In light of these actions by a number of California state agencies, local governments, and regulatory bodies, we ask the Department of Energy to intervene where appropriate to overturn these overreaching policies,” the letter stated.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PRO-ENERGY AGENDA WILL UNLEASH AMERICAN JOBS AND ENERGY SECURITY

President Donald Trump has vowed to unleash American energy, including oil and natural gas. (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has directed the DOE to implement policies to bolster natural gas production and exports. Late last month, he signed an executive order declaring a national energy emergency, which includes measures to enhance domestic energy production.

“Expanding consumer choice and removing burdensome restrictions on household appliances is a key component of President Trump’s agenda for reducing costs for the American people,” DOE spokesperson Ben Dietderich told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. 

While California — which has been a beacon of progressive environmental policies for other liberal states — participates in the federal government’s Appliance Standards Program, in some cases, the state’s stringent standards exceed federal requirements. Dietderich said the department is “conducting a comprehensive review and is working to advance a commonsense approach that prioritizes affordability and choice for all Americans” when asked about the California Republicans’ letter. 

“Any standards should include a cost-benefit analysis considering the upfront cost of purchasing new products and reflecting actual cost savings for American families,” Wright said in a statement last week while announcing his first secretarial order. 

NEW YORK ‘POLLUTERS PAY’ LAW BACKCHARGING OIL, GAS COMPANIES FACES REPUBLICAN AGS’ LAWSUIT: ‘DEVASTATING’

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday. (AP/Alex Brandon)

More than 70 cities in the Golden State, starting with Berkeley in 2019, enacted local ordinances prohibiting natural gas hookups in new buildings. However, a 2024 federal court ruling overturned Berkeley’s ban, prompting some municipalities to reconsider their policies. Meanwhile, the state legislature passed a bill requiring warning labels on gas stoves, citing health risks linked to indoor emissions. If signed into law, California would become the first state to ban gas appliances.

And California’s Democratic majority has the backing of Gov. Gavin Newsom. In recent years, Newsom signed laws restricting new oil and gas wells near certain sites and signed off on neighborhoods to transition to all-electric systems. Additionally, in December 2024, state regulators approved a plan to reduce reliance on a major natural gas storage facility.

In a recent interview with CNN’s Pamela Brown earlier this month, Newsom said homeowners who lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires “can’t rebuild the same, so we have to rebuild with science, we have to rebuild with a climate reality in mind […].”

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Fox News Digital did not hear back from Newsom’s office by time of publication.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order reinforcing a “unified” voice for U.S. foreign policy that prioritizes his “America First” agenda. 

The executive order emphasizes the State Department’s responsibility to uphold the Trump administration’s foreign policy priorities, and that the agency has the proper channels to ensure that “officers and employees faithfully implement the President’s policies,” according to a White House fact sheet. 

Additionally, the executive order instructs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to execute reforms to recruitment, evaluation, performance and retention standards to ensure that the State Department employs the most qualified individuals to represent the U.S., according to the fact sheet. 

Likewise, Rubio has the authority under the order to update the Foreign Affairs Manual or other procedural documents pertaining to foreign service. 

TRUMP MEETS WITH JORDAN’S KING AMID TENSE TALKS ABOUT RESETTLING PALESTINIANS 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has the authority under the order to update the Foreign Affairs Manual or other procedural documents pertaining to foreign service. (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press)

“President Trump is committed to safeguarding the integrity of U.S. foreign policy by ensuring that America’s interests are prioritized through a unified diplomatic voice, with related personnel held accountable to the President’s vision,” the White House said in the fact sheet. 

“No longer will America be taken advantage of by foreign nations or by rogue actors who undermine our sovereignty or security.” 

The executive order expands upon Trump’s America First policy directive that he signed after his inauguration, which states that “the foreign policy of the United States shall champion core American interests.” 

The Trump administration has put forward some bold foreign policy proposals during his second term, including unveiling an effort to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a group that works to deliver aid to impoverished countries and development assistance. 

Rubio, now acting director of the independent agency, said on Feb. 3 that USAID was not “functioning” and that the organization isn’t a “global charity.” 

TRUMP NOT COMMITTING TO PUTTING US TROOPS ON THE GROUND IN GAZA, WHITE HOUSE SAYS

President Donald Trump announces plans to “take over” the Gaza Strip in a “long-term ownership position” to deliver stability to the region during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, on Feb. 4. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“It needs to be aligned with the national interest of the U.S.,” Rubio said. “They’re not a global charity, these are taxpayer dollars. People are asking simple questions. What are they doing with the money? We are spending taxpayers’ money. We owe the taxpayers assurances that it furthers our national interest.”

Likewise, Trump also announced plans on Feb. 4 to “take over” the Gaza Strip in a “long-term ownership position” to deliver stability to the region during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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The proposal prompted swift backlash from Arab countries, including Jordan, and Egypt announced plans on Sunday for an emergency Arab Summit to discuss “new and dangerous developments” regarding the resettling of Palestinians on Feb. 27. 

Trump met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Tuesday, who said he would wait for the Egyptians to take the lead on a proposal moving forward as they negotiate with the U.S. on plans to take over Gaza. However, Abdullah did reveal plans to accept 2,000 sick Palestinian children to Jordan.

“I think let’s wait until the Egyptians can come and present it to the president and not get ahead of us,” Abdullah said. 

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against the state of New York and its governor, Kathy Hochul, and Attorney General Letitia James, alleging a failure to comply with federal law by shielding illegal immigrants, newly sworn-in Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Wednesday. 

“This is a new DOJ,” Bondi announced at a news conference. “New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today.”

Also charged is Mark Schroeder, commissioner of the New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Bondi cited New York’s Green Light laws, also known as the Driver’s License Act, which allows illegal immigrants to get a driver’s license. 

TOM HOMAN BELIEVES ICE RAID LEAKS ARE ‘COMING FROM INSIDE’ AS AURORA LEAKER CLOSER TO BEING IDENTIFIED

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a news conference about immigration enforcement at the Justice Department Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

The law also prevents certain federal agencies from accessing New York State’s driver’s license information.

“They have green light laws, meaning they’re giving a green light to any illegal alien in New York, where law enforcement officers cannot check their identity if they pull them over,” Bondi said. “And law enforcement officers do not have access to their background. And if these great men and women pull over someone and don’t have access to their background, they have no idea who they’re dealing with, and it puts their lives on the line every single day.

“If you don’t comply with federal law, we will hold you accountable,” Bondi said. “We did it to Illinois, strike one. Strike two is New York. And if you are a state not complying with federal law, you’re next. Get ready.”

The Justice Department last week asked a federal judge to strike down sanctuary policies in Illinois and Chicago. 

Bondi was joined by “angel mom” Tammy Nobles of Maryland, whose 20-year-old daughter, Kayla Hamilton, was raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant and MS-13 member in 2022.

FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM SENDING DETAINED VENEZUELAN IMMIGRANTS TO GUANTÁNAMO BAY

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a news conference on immigration enforcement at the Justice Department Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington, as Tammy Nobles, mother of Kayla Hamilton, listens.  (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

The Department of Homeland Security “did not do their jobs,” Nobles said Wednesday, at times choking back tears while sharing her family’s story. 

“They did not check his background,” she said. “I’m so thankful for Pam for having me here today, and I’m so thankful for the opportunities I got from Trump and and any other platform — and for the people (allowing) me to share her story, because this is going to end.”

The suspect, Walter Martinez, an MS-13 gang member from El Salvador who was in the United States illegally, entered the country through Texas as an unaccompanied minor in March 2022. He was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol and eventually sent to Maryland to live with a sponsor.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Four months later, Martinez moved to a mobile home in Aberdeen, where he was accused of killing Hamilton.

During the news conference, Bondi urged states with sanctuary policies to comply with federal law. 

“We don’t want to sue you. We don’t want to prosecute people. We want people to comply with the law,” she said. “This is very simple. An MS-13 member murdered her daughter. That’s happening throughout this country.

“One angel mom is too many,” she added. “And we have angel moms throughout this country who should not be going through this. Comply with the law. This is the last thing we want to be doing.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the offices of Hochul, James and Schroeder.

President Donald Trump called the Department of Education a “con job,” saying he saw a report that the nation ranks 40th in the world in education but is No. 1 in cost per pupil.

Trump spoke with reporters Wednesday afternoon from the Oval Office and was asked how soon he wanted the Department of Education (DOE) closed.

“Oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately. Look at the Department of Education. It’s a big con job,” he answered. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40.”

Trump said the last time he looked at where the U.S. ranked in education, it was 38th, but then he looked two days ago, and the country had fallen to No. 40.

DOGE SLASHES OVER $100M IN DEI FUNDING AT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT: ‘WIN FOR EVERY STUDENT’

President Trump said he would like the Department of Education to close immediately. (Donald Trump 2024 campaign)

He even noted that China had ranked in the top five.

“As big as it is, it’s ranked in the top five, and that’s our … primary competitor,” Trump said. “So, if we’re ranked No. 40, that means something’s really wrong.”

The president has ordered the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the department led by Elon Musk, to find ways to slash wasteful spending, and the DOE made the chopping block this week.

TRUMP PUTS HIGHER EDUCATION ON NOTICE FOR ‘DANGEROUS, DEMEANING, AND IMMORAL’ DEI TEACHINGS

The U.S. Department of Education building Aug. 21, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)

DOGE announced Monday that $881 million related to 89 DOE contracts was being cut.

Of that $881 million, DOGE identified $101 million that was being used for DEI training, including teaching educators to “help students understand/interrogate the complex histories involved in oppression, and help students recognize areas of privilege and power on an individual and collective basis.”

“Your tax dollars were spent on this,” Musk wrote of the DOE spending.

Last month, Trump signed two executive orders on education, one to remove federal funding from K-12 schools that teach critical race theory (CRT), and another to support school choice.

TRUMP EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES PROBE INTO ‘EXPLOSION OF ANTISEMITISM’ AT 5 UNIVERSITIES

Critical race theory (CRT) has emerged as a polarizing topic in recent years.  (Robert Gauthier)

The teaching of CRT and other controversial content in schools has sparked backlash from parents at school board meetings across the nation over the past several years. During his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to cut federal funding for schools that promote CRT, transgender ideology and “any other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content on our children.”

Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders targeting federal funding for schools as test scores continue to drop, according to the Nation’s Report Card.

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Trump administration officials are also reportedly weighing a plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, according to a Wall Street Journal report published last week.

Fox News Digital’s Kristine Parks contributed to this report.

A man with a lengthy criminal history who was previously on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold is on the run after being accused of groping a 7-year-old Texas girl as she walked home from school. 

Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, 43, has been charged with felony attempted indecency with a child, the Houston Police Department said. He is accused of grabbing the girl Jan. 27 while she was on her way home from her elementary school, Fox Houston reported.

The girl and her mother told the news outlet she was walking behind her older sister and a friend. They said the man ran up, groped her and ran away. The girl didn’t scream because she was in shock and told her older sister when they got home. 

TOM HOMAN BELIEVES ICE RAID LEAKS ARE ‘COMING FROM INSIDE’ AS AURORA LEAKER CLOSER TO BEING IDENTIFIED

Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, 43, is accused of groping a young Houston girl.  (Houston Police Department)

“A man came behind me, and he touched my private parts,” the girl told the station.

“I hope he’s caught and put away much longer, so he can’t hurt other children,” her mother said. 

Morales has a lengthy criminal history. In 2017, he was charged with four counts of indecency with a child and evading arrest. 

At the time, police believed Morales, who they called Ayala, was linked to “at least 10 sexual assault incidents in the northeast Houston and Harris County areas.” 

Authorities were investigating a string of “sexual assaults of school-aged juvenile females, 7-15 years of age, as they traveled to and from school,” according to the news outlet. 

FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM SENDING DETAINED VENEZUELAN IMMIGRANTS TO GUANTÁNAMO BAY

Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, 43, was captured on surveillance video before groping a young Texas girl, police said.  (Houston Police Department )

“Ayala would come up behind the victims and inappropriately touch them through their clothing,” a police news release states.  

In one incident, Ayala attempted to abduct one of the victims, a 7 year-old female, as she walked home from school with her 9-year-old brother,” police said. 

“Reading that made me so scared, because that could have been [my child],” the victim’s mother said. 

When he was arrested in 2017, ICE filed a detainer request for Morales, a Honduran citizen, which was lifted when he was convicted. 

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice told FOX 26 Ayala was transferred to prison to serve concurrent seven-year sentences for indecency with a child by exposure, three counts of indecency with a child, evading arrest, detention with a vehicle and burglary.

Carlos Jose Ayala Morales was seen following a young girl he grabbed, police said.  (Houston Police Department)

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In February 2024, he was released into ICE custody.

Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE.

The City of Chicago recently shared a video of its “gift room” after a watchdog group accused Mayor Brandon Johnson of improperly accepting valuable gifts.

On Wednesday, the city also announced new protocols for receiving gifts, along with a log and video of items currently inside its “gift room.”

The transparency attempt comes after the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) accused Johnson of accepting valuable gifts and failing to report them.

Alleged unreported gifts included jewelry, alcohol, AirPods, designer handbags and size 14 men’s shoes, prompting ethical concerns.

CHICAGO RESIDENTS SLAM THE ‘STUPIDITY’ OF MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON’S LIBERAL POLICIES DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETING

The Office of the Inspector General accused Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson of improperly accepting designer gifts. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The new protocols, which went into effect on Tuesday, note that officials must report and properly log gifts within 10 days; store gifts in a designated area that can be viewed publicly via video recording quarterly; and donate excess gifts.

The first video log was sent out on Wednesday and featured artwork, clothing, hats and shoes.

The footage attempts to combat OIG claims that Johnson denied internal investigators access to the room where the items were stored during an unannounced inspection in November.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was accused of improperly documenting designer gifts while also blocking access to the City Hall “gift room,” according to a report from the City of Chicago Office of the Inspector General. (City of Chicago)

TRUMP SUPPORTERS RIP CHICAGO MAYOR TO HIS FACE JUST DAYS BEFORE CITY COUNCIL REJECTS HIS TAX HIKE

A written log contains 18 pages of items, along with their location and the organization that donated the gifts.

“These procedures reaffirm the Mayor’s commitment to ethical governance and transparency and ensure prompt disclosure of all gifts received on behalf of the City,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson released a 20-second video showing off the inside of the controversial “gift room.” (City of Chicago)

Johnson previously accused the inspector general of a “mischaracterization,” while insisting he never personally benefited from any gifts.

The OIG report listed Hugo Boss cuff links, a personalized Montblanc pen, a 2023 U.S. National Soccer Team jersey, a Gucci tote bag, a Kate Spade red purse and Carrucci size 14 shoes from Feb. 2, 2022, through March 20, 2024.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was accused of improperly documenting designer gifts while also blocking access to the City Hall “gift room,” according to a report from the City of Chicago Office of the Inspector General. (City of Chicago)

While spotted in the video log, dated Feb. 11, the online log does not account for the tote bag, purse or shoes, as of Wednesday. 

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Other items like the cuff links and pen, while accounted for in the log, do not list the organization or person who donated the gift.

Fox News’ Patrick McGovern, Greg Wehner and Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.

A federal judge restored President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation program for federal workers in a decision on Wednesday.

The deferred resignation program, also known as the administration’s “fork in the road” offer, involved asking government workers to either stay or leave after Trump mandated them to return to their offices shortly after his inauguration. The legal group Democracy Forward had filed a lawsuit over the program on behalf of labor unions that represent thousands of employees. 

U.S. District Judge George O’Toole of Massachusetts made the ruling in favor of the White House on Wednesday evening. In his decision, who wrote that the plaintiffs in the case “are not directly impacted by the directive,” and denied their case on that basis.

“[T]hey allege that the directive subjects them to upstream effects including a diversion of resources to answer members’ questions about the directive, a potential loss of membership, and possible reputational harm,” O’Toole wrote. 

TRUMP TO SIGN MEMO LIFTING BIDEN’S LAST-MINUTE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS

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

“The unions do not have the required direct stake in the Fork Directive, but are challenging a policy that affects others, specifically executive branch employees. This is not sufficient.”

Additionally, the judge wrote that his court “lacks subject matter jurisdiction to consider the plaintiffs’ pleaded claims,” and noted similar cases where courts were found to have lacked authority.

“Aggrieved employees can bring claims through the administrative process,” O’Toole said. “That the unions themselves may be foreclosed from this administrative process does not mean that adequate judicial review is lacking.”

In a statement to Fox News, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the decision “the first of many legal wins for the President.”

“The Court dissolved the injunction due to a lack of standing,” Leavitt said. “This goes to show that lawfare will not ultimately prevail over the will of 77 million Americans who supported President Trump and his priorities.”

‘GET BACK TO WORK’: HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS

President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at Washington Hilton, Feb. 6, in Washington, D.C.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) began emailing more than 2 million federal civilian employees offering them buyouts to leave their jobs shortly after Trump’s inauguration. The offers quickly outraged labor leaders, with the president of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) calling the offers “shady” and claiming that the deals “should not be taken seriously.”

“The offer is not bound by existing law or policy, nor is it funded by Congress,” NFFE National President Randy Erwin said. “There is nothing to hold OPM or the White House accountable to the terms of their agreement.” 

“Federal employees will not give in to this shady tactic pressuring them to quit. Civil servants care way too much about their jobs, their agency missions, and their country to be swayed by this phony ploy. To all federal employees: Do not resign.”

Republican attorneys general previously signaled support for Trump’s program, writing in an amicus curiae brief on Sunday that a challenge to the constitutionality of the order “would inevitably fail.”

U.S. District Judge George O’Toole of Massachusetts made the ruling in favor of the White House on Wednesday evening in Boston. (Reuters/Lauren Owen Lambert)

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“Courts should refrain from intruding into the President’s well-settled Article II authority to supervise and manage the federal workforce,” the filing said. “Plaintiffs seek to inject this Court into federal workforce decisions made by the President and his team. The Court can avoid raising any separation of powers concerns by denying Plaintiffs’ relief and allowing the President and his team to manage the federal workforce.” 

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

It is said that talk is cheap. 

And that’s why House Republicans have done so much of it as they attempted to forge an internal agreement on a budget plan to slash taxes and cut spending. 

It is now the middle of February. House Republicans struggled to finalize plans for what President Donald Trump terms a “big beautiful bill.” Especially when you consider all of the talking Republicans did – among themselves – since the start of the year.

MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SHARES WHAT’S NEXT FOR HOUSE DOGE PANEL, WHETHER ELON MUSK WOULD TESTIFY

House Republicans cloistered themselves for not one but two daylong sessions on Saturday, Jan. 4, and Sunday, Jan. 5, at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. That’s where House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., presented their ideas to slash spending and engineer a budget reconciliation package.

Keep that term in mind. Budget reconciliation. More on that in a moment.

Back on Capitol Hill, House Republicans convened multiple large and small meetings to lay out details on their package. That included a three-day session at President Trump’s golf club in Doral, Florida. 

Republicans returned to Washington with claims of “unity.” But still no agreement.

THE CONFIRMATION JUGGERNAUT: HOW TRUMP IS GETTING EVERYTHING HE WANTS IN BUILDING HIS CABINET

Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images/File)

Arrington hoped to prepare the budget plan in his committee last week. Such a meeting would produce a “budget reconciliation” package. Budget reconciliation is a process where the Senate can bypass a filibuster and approve a bill with a simple majority. But the package must be fiscal in nature, such as addressing spending cuts and taxes. Thus, this plan likely qualifies for reconciliation. Senate Republicans must lean on budget reconciliation because they only have 53 GOP members. Not 60, which are required to break a conventional filibuster. But reconciliation is part of the annual budget process. And the reconciliation option isn’t available unless a budget blueprint is in place. No budget? No reconciliation.

House Republicans grappled last week to reach a deal. So the House GOP brass set off for the White House for a meeting with the president.

“He’s going to have to make some decisions,” said one senior House Republican of President Trump, noting he’s the only one who could help the party coalesce around an idea.

The session lasted for nearly five hours, although President Trump wasn’t in the session the entire time. Meantime, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was supposed to meet at the Capitol with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Netanyahu was left cooling his heels on Capitol Hill as Republicans debated plans and scribbled figures on whiteboards. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on July 24, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

“[President Trump] set the tone for us to push through some things that we were stuck on,” said Arrington when he returned to the Capitol. 

“We made serious progress and have narrowed the gap to where we’re very close to getting ready to bring this to Budget Committee,” said Senate Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. 

Johnson even predicted the plan may be ready later that evening. Hence, a group of Republicans retreated for another set of meetings until well after midnight.

“I’d like to see their plan,” complained Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. “They’re not going to force me into something.” 

HOUSE AND SENATE REPUBLICANS CLASH OVER MAMMOTH TRUMP BUDGET BILL SEEKING $1.5T IN CUTS 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. (Getty Images/File)

By Friday morning, Johnson was again diminishing expectations.

“It may not be today,” said Johnson. 

However, the speaker hinted that the details could be ready later that weekend. 

“We’ve got a few more people we’ve got to talk with and a couple more boxes to check,” said Johnson. “The expectation is it we’ll be marking up a budget next week, potentially as early as Tuesday.”

But the weekend optimism died when the speaker appeared on “Fox News Sunday.”

“We were going to do a Budget Committee markup next week. We might push it a little bit further because the details really matter,” said Johnson on Sunday. “But we’re getting very, very close.”

Johnson attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans later that day with President Trump. So could there have been a breakthrough amid the confetti, étouffée and Cooper DeJean madness of the Super Bowl?

“Are we going to have this bill this week, yes or no?” yours truly asked the speaker as he entered the Capitol on Monday afternoon.

Speaker Johnson is working to get a unified GOP effort for a reconciliation budget package for President Trump. (Getty Images)

Johnson deployed his favorite verbal placeholder.

“Stay tuned,” said the speaker, who uses this line as frequently as a 1950s radio announcer.

“You said last week we were going to have it,” I countered.

“I know,” said Johnson. “I’ve got 220 people that have shared their opinions on this.”

“Did you overpromise?” I followed up.

“No. No,” responded Johnson. “The hard work of the negotiation has to be done on the front end so that we can deliver a product that we know everybody will support.”

Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tired of the House GOP’s dithering last week, wrote his own budget package, which significantly differs from what the House intends to do. While the House blueprint will focus on taxes and government cuts, Graham’s measure would boost energy production and also call for spending money to tighten the border. The South Carolina Republican has long observed that people voted for border security in the election. He argues that provision should come first.

SENATE DOGE CHAIR SAYS SHE SPEAKS WITH ELON MUSK ‘EVERY FEW DAYS’ AS TRUMP ADMIN SLASHES SPENDING

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik/File)

Johnson said he talked with Graham at the Super Bowl and “he and I are on the same page.”

When asked by CNN’s Manu Raju whether Graham’s gambit was “complicating this,” Johnson answered, “Not much.” 

But when yours truly asked if the Senate moving first would help “increase the sense of urgency” in the House, the speaker responded differently.

“I wouldn’t say it’s helpful,” said Johnson. 

An hour later, reporters again peppered Johnson for timing details.

“I’m not going to give a projected date yet because then you’ll tell me that I overshot,” said Johnson. “So just wait. Everybody relax.”

This entire imbroglio boils down to one factor: the math. 

House Republicans currently boast 218 votes in the 433-member House. There are two vacancies. They can barely lose a vote on their side. Getting any bill across the floor is a monster. 

A major snowstorm was in the forecast for Washington, D.C., on Tuesday afternoon and into the day on Wednesday. House Republican leaders huddled in the Radio/TV Gallery in the Capitol Visitor Center for their weekly press conference Tuesday morning.

“Ready for snowmageddon?” House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., asked the press corps. “And the question is: Are we going to get it today or not?”

Families enjoy the snow by the Capitol, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, as they sled after a snowstorm in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

“Well, you were supposed to get a budget last week, and we didn’t,” observed your trusty reporter, drawing laughter from scribes and lawmakers alike.

At the press conference, Johnson insisted that the budget was on track. He announced that the Budget Committee would meet Thursday on the package. 

But what unfolded in the news conference wasn’t nearly as interesting as what happened afterward. 

Arrington hustled over to the Radio/TV Gallery to privately meet Johnson and other GOP leaders in an adjacent anteroom. Johnson and Arrington had not been on the same page with the budget. Fox is told that Arrington and Johnson had to make sure they were aligned. Arrington had pushed for deeper cuts than Johnson.

By Wednesday morning, Arrington delivered a budget blueprint. It called for $2 trillion in cuts from what’s called “mandatory spending,” like entitlements. It features $4.5 trillion in tax reductions. And it lifts the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.

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The question now is whether House Republicans can pry a bill out of committee, let alone pass it on the floor.

But after weeks of jawboning, House Republicans finally had a budget.

And, for the record, Washington, D.C., also got snow.

About 7 inches.

A tough-on-crime Republican sheriff in southern California who was a supporter of President Trump in last year’s election will launch a campaign for Golden State governor, a source familiar confirms to Fox News.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is expected to announce his candidacy at a scheduled event Monday in Riverside, California, about 50 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, in the 2026 race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Bianco, a vocal critic of Newsom and other state Democratic leaders when it comes to the issues of crime and punishment, was one of the leaders who helped push California’s Proposition 36 ballot measure to a landslide victory in last November’s elections.

WHAT SHERIFF CHAD BIANCO TOLD FOX NEWS

Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

The measure, which took effect in December, mandates stiffer penalties and longer sentences in California for certain drug and theft crimes.

MAJOR CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT PREEDICTS FORMER VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS WOULD CLEAR GUBERNATORIAL FIELD

Bianco, who has worked in law enforcement for more than three decades, was first elected sheriff in 2018. He’s been openly flirting with a 2026 gubernatorial run since at least last spring.

House Speaker Mike Johnson listens to Sheriff Chad Bianco speak during a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

When asked late last year in a Fox News interview if he knew of anyone who might be capable of producing change in Sacramento – California’s capital city – Bianco responded, “I might, I might know someone that would go there with nothing but common sense and the betterment of the citizens of California rather than some crazy ideological agenda that truly makes absolutely no sense to any of us.”

It’s been nearly two decades since a Republican won statewide office in heavily blue California. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election victory.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited and cannot seek re-election in 2026. (California Governor Gavin Newsom YouTube channel)

There has been plenty of speculation since former Vice President Kamala Harris’ election defeat last November to Trump regarding her next political move, with the two potential options likely being launching a 2026 gubernatorial run in her home state of California or seeking the presidency again in 2028.

Harris served as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general and U.S. senator before becoming vice president.

Sources in the former vice president’s political orbit say no decisions have been made about any next steps.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at the Democratic National Committee’s holiday reception in Washington, D.C., Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The Democrats’ field for governor in the heavily blue-leaning state is already crowded.

Among the more than half-dozen candidates already running for governor are Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a Harris ally, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

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Former Rep. Katie Porter, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic Senate nomination last year, has expressed interest in launching a campaign.

Additionally, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who served in Congress and as California attorney general before joining the Biden administration, is also seen as a potential contender.

Former Fox News Channel host and conservative commentator Steve Hilton is considering a Republican run for California governor.

In California, unlike most other states, the top two finishers in a primary, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election.

President Donald Trump’s new Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, was sworn in at the White House on Wednesday, just hours after being confirmed by the Senate. 

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during her briefing, “Senate Republicans continued to confirm President Trump’s exceptionally qualified nominees, most recently Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who will be joining us later at the White House for her swearing-in ceremony.”

DEM LOOKS TO CODIFY NEW AG BONDI’S DESIRED CRACKDOWN ON ‘ZOMBIE DRUG’ XYLAZINE

Gabbard was confirmed Wednesday afternoon.  (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

“It’s imperative that the remainder of the president’s Cabinet nominees are confirmed as quickly as possible,” she added. 

The Senate confirmed Gabbard in a 52-48 vote. The divide was along party lines, with the exception of former GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who opposed her. 

“In my assessment, Tulsi Gabbard failed to demonstrate that she is prepared to assume this tremendous national trust,” McConnell said in a lengthy statement on his vote. 

TRUMP LANDS KEY TULSI GABBARD CONFIRMATION FOLLOWING UPHILL SENATE BATTLE

McConnell was the only Republican to vote no.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

“The nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the president receives are tainted by a Director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment.” 

Gabbard notably faced scrutiny over her past meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, her previous FISA Section 702 stance and her past support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. 

SENATE DOGE CHAIR SAYS SHE SPEAKS WITH ELON MUSK ‘EVERY FEW DAYS’ AS TRUMP ADMIN SLASHES SPENDING

Nominee for Director of National Security, Tulsi Gabbard, left, and whistleblower Edward Snowden in Moscow, right  (AP/Getty)

But those  concerns were mostly quelled by Gabbard herself, in coordination with the significant efforts of Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Vice President JD Vance, who worked behind the scenes to get party members on board. 

She is the 14th Cabinet official to be confirmed in Trump’s second term. 

DEMOCRAT SENATOR BACKS TRUMP’S ‘COMMON SENSE MOVE’ TO FIRE THE PENNY

Kennedy will face a confirmation vote on Thursday. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

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Next up will be Trump’s similarly controversial pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is nominated to be secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). He will get a vote early Thursday morning after clearing his last procedural hurdle Wednesday afternoon.