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President-elect Donald Trump dispelled rumors Monday that his administration would seek to ban the polio vaccine, telling reporters Monday, “that’s not going to happen.” 

Questions about how Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has made a name for himself challenging the efficacy of vaccines, and on Friday the New York Times published a report that raised concerns he will attempt to ban the polio vaccine. According to the report, a lawyer assisting Kennedy with staffing the department, previously petitioned to pause the distribution of 13 vaccines while working for nonprofit Informed Consent Action Network, including a vaccine for polio. 

The report spurred criticism of Kennedy’s nomination, including from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said “efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are … dangerous.”  

When asked by reporters during a press conference from Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort whether his administration would ban the vaccine, Trump replied “No,” but said he wanted Kennedy “to come back with a report as to what he thinks” about the polio vaccine.

RFK JR SET TO FACE ABORTION, VACCINE SCRUTINY IN SIT-DOWNS WITH SENATORS ON CAPITOL HILL

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsing former President Donald Trump set off a wave of intense reactions from the mainstream media.  (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

“We’re going to have reports – nothing is going to happen very quickly,” Trump told reporters. “I think you’re going to find that [Kennedy] is much – he’s a very rational guy. I found him to be very rational.”

“You’re not going to lose the polio vaccine, that’s not going to happen,” Trump reiterated. 

Trump pointed out to reporters that he has friends who have been affected by the poliovirus and noted how when they took the vaccine “it ended.” He also lauded Dr. Jonas Salk, inventor of the first polio vaccine, for his efforts to help people like his friends. 

NOBEL LAUREATES CRITICIZE RFK JR. HHS NOMINATION OVER ‘LACK OF CREDENTIALS,’ VACCINE STANCE

President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla., as Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick listens. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Newsroom)

While Trump’s response squashed rumors his administration was planning on banning the polio vaccine, he did raise concern about the rising rates of autism in the United States, which Kennedy has linked to vaccines in the past.

“We’re going to look into finding why the Autism rate is so much higher than it was 20, 25, 30 years ago,” Trump said during his response about banning the polio vaccine. “I mean it’s, like, 100 times higher. There’s something wrong and we’re going to try finding that.”

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In response to an inquiry about the future of the polio vaccine, a Trump transition team spokesperson said, “Mr. Kennedy believes the Polio Vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly and properly studied.”

EXCLUSIVE – Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia will make her first visit to Capitol Hill since President-elect Trump nominated her to steer the Small Business Administration (SBA) in his second term in the White House.

Fox News has learned that Loeffler will meet on Tuesday with roughly a dozen Republican senators. Among those she’ll huddle with are Sen. John Barasso of Wyoming, who ranks third in GOP Senate leadership and is the incoming Majority Whip, and Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the incoming chair of the Senate Small Business Committee.

Loeffler, who hails from a family of small business owners and entrepreneurs, was raised working on the family farm in Illinois. After becoming the first in her family to graduate college, she spent nearly three decades working her way up in the private sector.  

Along with her husband Jeff, Loeffler built a Fortune 500 financial services and technology company from 100 employees to 15,000. 

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Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a Republican from Georgia, speaks during Erick Erickson’s The Gathering event in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. (Alyssa Pointer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Loeffler later launched another company, named Bakkt, as its founding CEO and first employee. She was also a part owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.

HEAD HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF WHOM TRUMP’S PICKED TO TOP ADMINISTRATION POSITIONS

“As an entrepreneur and business leader who founded startups and helped build a Fortune 500 company, Senator Loeffler looks forward to meeting with her former colleagues this week to discuss empowering America’s job creators,” Loeffler spokesperson Caitlin O’Dea told Fox News in a statement. “She is honored to be President Trump’s choice to lead the SBA, and, if confirmed, looks forward to advancing his agenda to make the small business economy great again.”

U.S. President Donald Trump and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) attend a campaign rally at Dalton Regional Airport on January 4, 2021, in Dalton, Georgia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Loeffler and her husband have long been major donors to Republican causes and and candidates, including Trump. Loeffler serves as co-chair of the president-elect’s inaugural committee.

Trump called Loeffler, a longtime ally, “tremendous fighter” as he announced her nomination as SBA administrator.

And Ernst, in a statement, said that “as a successful business owner, Kelly knows what it takes to innovate and create jobs that support American families, and I am confident that she will fight to get Washington bureaucrats off the backs of our nation’s small businesses.”

Then-Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler speaks during a campaign event at Valdosta Regional Airport in Valdosta, Georgia, December 5, 2020. (REUTERS/Dustin Chambers)

While successful in the business world, Loeffler was not well known until becoming a politician.

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After GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson resigned from the Senate at the end of 2019 due to his deteriorating health, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia appointed Loeffler to fill Isakson’s unexpired term until the next regular election.

Loeffler narrowly lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a runoff election in January 2021, after no candidate topped 50% of the vote in a crowded field of contenders in the November 2020 Senate election.

EXCLUSIVE: A top Republican senator will accuse Meta – the parent company of Facebook – of “shadow-banning” and removing social media posts in a letter Tuesday demanding answers from CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the top Republican on the Small Business committee, will, in part, cite a 2022 Washington Post report on social media companies’ “deamplification” of certain Facebook and Instagram content.

The report discussed Meta’s response to “problematic content,” which the executive at the time called “borderline” and argued must have reduced reach due to its proclivity to go viral.

In the letter addressed to Zuckerberg’s San Mateo County, California, office, Ernst alleged such content included that of the military as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Virginia.

TOP DOGE SENATOR DEMANDS ANSWERS ON PLAN TO EXHAUST CHIPS ACT FUNDS BEFORE TRUMP ARRIVES

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“Your platform, amongst others, provides an unparalleled opportunity to connect the U.S. military with younger generations. That is why I am concerned about Meta’s ongoing shadow banning and removal of the U.S. Armed Services’ posts,” Ernst wrote in the letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.

“The defense of our nation is entirely dependent upon the voluntary enlistment of brave women and men willing to put their lives on the line so every American can freely speak their minds.”

In remarks to Fox News Digital, Ernst said Americans’ freedoms are only possible through the all-volunteer armed services, which she previously served in.

“I am concerned Meta’s algorithms are hindering our investment in connecting with and recruiting the next generation of warfighters,” she added.

“The service and sacrifice of the brave men and women in uniform should be celebrated, not restricted.”

In her letter, Ernst accused Meta of sporadically adjusting its violations policies without “clear rationale” and cited reports to Congress showing an increase in content-restriction on military-related postings.

ERNST MEETS WITH HEGSETH

“I am concerned Meta’s algorithms are hindering our investment in connecting with and recruiting the next generation of warfighters,” Sen. Joni Ernst wrote. ( Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Embedding an image of an Instagram violation warning on one particular post, Ernst listed a handful of such reports and their loss of cyber “reach.”

A six-hour suspension of a post on Feb. 29 resulted in the loss of 2,500 impressions and 500 engagements, while a similar situation on March 3 reduced a post’s reach by 5,000 impressions and 1,100 engagements.

Ten posts on the GoArmy social media account were flagged as violating guidelines over a three-day period in September, Ernst said, and the account was briefly put on “non-recommendable” status twice.

The senator said the Army’s public affairs office reported disruptions to several posts, including one featuring the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and one depicting soldiers onboard a helicopter.

HAWLEY CALLS OUT FACEBOOK CEO AFTER SENATE HEARING

Facebook (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson via Fox News Digital)

In turn, Ernst asked Zuckerberg to lay out the guidelines used to mediate military-related content and how they are communicated to account holders.

She also asked for an explanation as to the apparent suppression of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier post, and actions taken thus far to prevent future shadow-bans that shouldn’t occur.

The lawmaker also demanded an estimate on the cost of the official Pentagon-sanctioned ads that were suppressed.

President-elect Trump on Monday said he would consider pardoning New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is the subject of a federal investigation into corruption and bribery charges. 

“Yeah, I would,” Trump said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. “I think that he was treated pretty unfairly.”

A federal indictment accuses Adams of soliciting illegal campaign donations from foreign entities and falsifying paper trails to cover them up. He allegedly defrauded taxpayers for $10 million over the past decade and frequently took free or steeply discounted vacations bankrolled by his foreign benefactors.

TOP ADVISER TO NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS ABRUPTLY RESIGNS AMID FEDERAL INVESTIGATION

On Monday, president-elect Trump said he would consider a pardon for New York City Mayor Eric Adams.  (Getty Images)

“I don’t know the facts,” Trump added. “I would certainly look at it.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Adams’ office. 

During his remarks, Trump downplayed allegations that Adams took free luxury travel and airline upgrades from Turkish officials.

“Being upgraded in an airplane many years ago ?” Trump said. “I doubt if there’s anyone here who hasn’t been upgraded.”

“It seems, you know, like being upgraded in an airplane many years ago — I know probably everybody here has been upgraded,” he added. “They see you’re all stars, they say, ‘I want to upgrade that person from NBC,’ and that would mean you’ll spend the rest of your life in prison,” he said.

NYC HOME IS NEARLY 60K ‘CRIMINAL’ MIGRANTS: REPORT

Trump said Adams was targeted because of his strong stance on illegal immigration and the impact it’s had on New York City. 

“I said, ‘He’s going to be indicted,'” Trump said. “And a few months later, he got indicted.”

Last week, Adams met with Trump’s choice for border czar, Tom Homan, to discuss the migrant crisis. After the meeting, Adams said the discussion was very productive.

“From what I heard from the incoming head of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is that we have the same desire to go after those who are committing violent acts, repeated violent acts among innocent New Yorkers and among migration asylum seekers,” Adams told reporters. “That’s what I heard from him. And I was pleased to hear that, because we share the same desire.”

Adams has denied any wrongdoing. In November, he rebuffed claims that he was aligning himself with Trump in order to get a pardon. 

He was asked about that matter during an appearance on “The View.”

Incoming border czar Tom Homan met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams in the Big Apple on Thursday where they discussed the city’s ongoing migrant crisis and ways of deporting criminal illegal migrants who have been terrorizing the city’s streets. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, left and Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images, right.)

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“I think nothing is more challenging than being — not being able to defend yourself in public,” he answered, avoiding the Trump part of the question.

“Listen, I said it over and over again. I did nothing wrong,” he continued. 

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is demanding that Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Lloyd Austin promise to keep all records as the Biden administration continues to sell southern border wall materials for low prices ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term. 

“I write to demand full accountability and transparency from the Department of Defense about its role in the disposal of excess border wall materials from the first Trump administration,” the senator said in a letter to Austin on Monday.

JUDGES BACKING OUT OF RETIREMENT AHEAD OF TRUMP TERM LEAVE GOP SENATORS FUMING

Cotton demanded Austin preserve records associated with the sales. (Reuters)

He acknowledged that President Biden was the one who decided “to halt the needed construction of the southwestern border wall,” but added that he had questions about the DOD’s role in the sale of materials. 

It was reported by Fox News’ William La Jeunesse that sections of wall were being sold “as scrap” and for just “pennies on the dollar.” 

RFK JR SET TO FACE ABORTION, VACCINE SCRUTINY IN SIT-DOWNS WITH SENATORS ON CAPITOL HILL

According to a DOD official, Biden’s administration has been disposing of excess border wall materials as was authorized by the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The official said that about 60% of these materials have been given to authorized recipients such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Texas and California. They added that 40% was purchased by GOVPLANET, a marketplace that sells surplus government equipment and materials. The border wall materials that are available on the site are not currently owned by the government and the DOD doesn’t have the authority to prevent any sales of them, the official said.

BIDEN CLEMENCY ANNOUNCEMENT GETS MIXED REVIEWS ON CAPITOL HILL: ‘WHERE’S THE BAR?’

Immigrants line up at a remote U.S. Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on December 07, 2023 in Lukeville, Arizona.  (John Moore/Getty Images)

In his letter to Austin, Cotton told the secretary to provide a written assurance that the department would “preserve all electronic and written material related to the disposition of the border wall materials.”

Additionally, he asked for a “full accounting” of how the border wall materials were disposed of as outlined in the NDAA. 

TIDE TURNS IN FAVOR OF TRUMP DOD PICK PETE HEGSETH AFTER MATT GAETZ FAILURE

And lastly, Cotton demanded a list of each company that materials were sold to. 

“Thankfully, the egregious waste of taxpayer money and flaunting of urgent national security concerns will end on January 20, 2025, when President-elect Trump assumes office,” the Arkansas Republican said. “Congress will use the records you are required by law to preserve to fully understand the Biden Department of Defense’s role in making our border less secure.”

The end of border wall construction on the Chilton ranch. (Adam Shaw/Fox News)

The DOD did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

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At a press conference on Monday, Trump pleaded with the Biden administration to halt their continued lame duck efforts to sell border wall materials. “It’s almost a criminal act,” the president-elect said. 

“They know we’re gonna use it,” Trump explained, adding that it will cost more to get back. 

He predicted it would cost “hundreds of millions of dollars more” to rebuild the wall portions. 

President-elect Trump tangled with a reporter who asked him Monday if he would entertain the idea of preemptive strikes on Iran.

Trump, following remarks at Mar-a-Lago, took questions from the media, and one reporter asked if he would target Iran’s nuclear facilities,

“Well I can’t tell you that. I mean, it’s a wonderful question, but how can I – am I going to do preemptive strikes? Why would I say that?” the president-elect responded.

“Can you imagine if I said yes or no? You would say, ‘That was strange that he answered that way.’ Am I going to do preemptive strikes on Iran? Is that a serious question? How could I answer a question like that?” Trump continued. 

ISRAEL EYES IRAN NUKE SITES AMID REPORTS TRUMP MULLS MOVES TO BLOC TEHRAN ATOMIC PROGRAM 

President-elect Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (AP/Evan Vucci)

The reporter then asked if Trump would be in support of Israel striking Iran. 

“How could I tell you a thing like that now?” Trump responded. “You don’t talk about that before something may or may not happen. I don’t want to insult you, I just think it’s just not something that I would ever answer. Having to do with there or any other place in the world.” 

CHRISTIAN LEADER IN LEBANON URGES US, ALLIES TO INTERVENE TO STOP HEZBOLLAH 

Trump fielded questions from reporters on Monday, Dec. 16, after announcing alongside Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of SoftBank, a $100 billion investment in the U.S. to create 100,000 new American jobs. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

“We’re trying to help very strongly and getting the hostages back, as you know, with Israel and the Middle East,” Trump added Monday. 

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks after casting his ballot in Tehran on July 5, 2024. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

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“We’re working very much on that. We’re trying to get the war stopped, that horrible, horrible war that’s going on in Ukraine with Russia. We’re going to, we’ve got a little progress. It’s a tough one. It’s a nasty one. It’s nasty,” he also said. 

In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s 2024 win, some federal judges have opted to make a rare move and unretire by changing their previously stated plans to move to senior status, which would have created vacancies that Trump would have the opportunity to fill on the federal bench. The move is being met with outrage by some Republicans in the Senate. 

U.S. Circuit Judge James Wynn of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided not to seek senior status this month as he had originally planned, instead retaining his role on the court. His choice came after Senate Democrats agreed to allow Trump to appoint his choices to several circuit court vacancies, including the seat being left by Wynn. 

The move angered Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., whose state is under the circuit’s jurisdiction. “Judge Wynn’s brazenly partisan decision to rescind his retirement is an unprecedented move that demonstrates some judges are nothing more than politicians in robes. Judge Wynn clearly takes issue with the fact that Donald Trump was just elected President, and this decision is a slap in the face to the U.S. Senate, which came to a bipartisan agreement to hold off on confirming his replacement until the next Congress is sworn-in in January,” he said in a statement.

RFK JR SET TO FACE ABORTION, VACCINE SCRUTINY IN SIT-DOWNS WITH SENATORS ON CAPITOL HILL

Some federal judges have opted to unretire in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in November. (Getty Images )

“The Senate Judiciary Committee should hold a hearing on his blatant attempt to turn the judicial retirement system into a partisan game, and he deserves the ethics complaints and recusal demands from the Department of Justice heading his way.”

A spokesperson for incoming Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital, “Senator Grassley looks forward to working with President Trump to fill judicial vacancies with constitutionalist judges, and will work with committee Republicans to respond to inappropriate partisanship on the bench,” when asked about potential hearings.

The same was done by lower level appointees U.S. District Judges Max Cogburn and Algenon Marbley, who changed their plans last month. 

BIDEN CLEMENCY ANNOUNCEMENT GETS MIXED REVIEWS ON CAPITOL HILL: ‘WHERE’S THE BAR?’

Sen. Tillis has called for hearings on the so-called judicial unretirements. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

While the district judges were not included in the agreement to leave certain vacancies to Trump, it had become increasingly unlikely that President Biden and Democrats would be able to fill the roles in time. 

In early December floor remarks on the rare decisions by the judges, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said, “They rolled the dice that a Democrat could replace them and now that he won’t, they’re changing their plans to keep a Republican from doing it.”

GOP ATTORNEYS GENERAL OFFER SUPPORT FOR TRUMP FBI PICK KASH PATEL, URGE SENATORS TO DO THE SAME

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called out the rare acts by Democrat-appointed judges. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“It’s a brazen admission. And the incoming administration would be wise to explore all available recusal options with these judges, because it’s clear now that they have a political finger on the scale,” he added. 

McConnell noted that the agreement made prior to Thanksgiving between Republicans and Democrats stated that the GOP would “forego our available procedural roadblocks on the remaining nominations to district courts—which have the votes to be confirmed—and in exchange the Democratic Leader won’t bring any of the remaining nominations to circuit courts to the floor—because they don’t have the votes to be confirmed.” 

President Biden is looking to beat President-elect Donald Trump’s judicial record, with help from Senate Democrats. (Getty Images)

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Trump’s transition office did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

As unknown airborne craft traverse the night skies in parts of the United States, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called upon the Department of Homeland Security to deploy 360-degree radar systems capable of detecting drones. 

“Our local people who have questions about these drones should not have to shake an eight ball to get an answer,” Schumer said, holding up a magic eight ball toy in one hand and an image of a drone in another. 

Schumer wants a 360-degree radar system produced by Dutch company Robin Radar Systems deployed to the New York and New Jersey region.

NJ DRONE SIGHTINGS COULD BE A ‘CLASSIFIED EXERCISE’: FORMER CIA OFFICER

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. speaks during a news conference following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 10, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The website of Robin Radar Systems notes, “Bird, bat, or drone, our 360° radar systems log thousands of observations, scanning every second to track and classify with precision.”

“They want real answers, and the Robin can supply those answers, and that’s why we want them here,” Schumer said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement on Sunday, “In response to my calls for additional resources, our federal partners are deploying a state-of-the-art drone detection system to New York State.” 

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS, Hochul’s office, and Schumer’s office for comment. 

DRONE MYSTERY CONTINUES IN NEW JERSEY AS EXPERTS OFFER NEW THEORIES ABOUT SIGHTINGS

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks to Senior Writer at Politico Magazine Ankush Khardori during Politico’s annual AI and Tech Summit on Sept. 17, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“DHS responds to Congressional inquiries directly via official channels, and the Department will continue to respond appropriately to Congressional oversight,” a DHS spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Department of Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas said during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” that some of the sightings have been drones while “some are manned-aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones.”

He said “we know of no foreign involvement” related to “the sightings in the north-east.” 

2 MASSACHUSETTS MEN ARRESTED FOR FLYING DRONE ‘DANGEROUSLY CLOSE’ TO BOSTON AIRPORT

President-Elect Donald Trump reacts during his meeting with Prince William, Prince of Wales at the Embassy of the United Kingdom’s Residence on Dec. 7, 2024, in Paris, France. (Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)

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“Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don’t think so!” President-elect Donald Trump declared last week in a post on Truth Social. “Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!”

House GOP allies of President-elect Donald Trump are pushing for him to have greater control over Congress’ annual government spending process next year.

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., is introducing a bill on Monday that would repeal a measure that forces the president to direct the federal government to spend the full amount of money allocated by Congress every year.

Clyde told Fox News Digital on Thursday that he also plans to introduce the bill in the next Congress, when Republicans control the House, Senate and White House – and that the issue is already being discussed in Trump’s circle.

“That was certainly a topic that was brought up” with Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk when they were on Capitol Hill earlier this month to discuss the Department of Government Efficiency, Clyde said.

REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY

Some Republicans want to give President-elect Donald Trump more say over the Congressional appropriations process. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“They’re in favor of it, because how can you be efficient and not have the ability to reduce spending? You simply can’t.”

He also told a small group of reporters earlier this month that incoming Trump Office Of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought “is very much in favor of this.”

The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 was passed during the Nixon administration and aimed at stopping the president from having unilateral say over government spending.

Currently, a president must get congressional approval to rescind any funding that has been allocated for a certain year. The funds in question can be held for up to 45 days while the request gets processed.

“I think the authority is very, very important for the president to exercise,” Clyde said. “Ever since Congress introduced that act, you’ve seen spending literally spiraling upwards. And that’s just not good for our country.”

DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., is leading the charge to repeal the Impoundment Control Act. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Clyde’s bill would roll back the Impoundment Control Act. A corresponding bill is being introduced in the Senate by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

Clyde said over a dozen House Republicans are backing his bill as well.

Musk and Ramaswamy advocated for Trump to have greater authority to rescind funding in an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal last month, after the president-elect tapped them to lead an advisory panel on cutting government waste.

The Georgia Republican acknowledged that the bill has long odds in the current Democrat-controlled Senate and with just one week left in the congressional term, but said he would “definitely” introduce it in the next Congress.

MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT

Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, is against the idea. (Getty Images)

He described Monday’s introduction as “putting a flag in the ground, saying ‘Hey, this is an authority that the president should be able to use in an unhindered fashion, and we are going to help.’”

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However, the issue is likely to fall along partisan lines. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, responded to Musk and Ramaswamy’s op-ed by calling their ideas “as idiotic as they are dangerous.”

“Unilaterally slashing funds that have been lawfully appropriated by the people’s elected representatives in Congress would be a devastating power grab that undermines our economy and puts families and communities at risk,” Boyle said in a statement.

Small businesses are optimistic about revenue boosts in 2025, when President-elect Donald Trump will kick off his second administration, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce report obtained by Fox News Digital shows. 

The latest Small Business Index report by MetLife and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released Monday morning found that seven in 10 small businesses, at 72%, reported they anticipate their revenues to increase next year. Last year, only 65% of businesses reported they anticipated revenue to increase, the data show. 

“The growing optimism among small business owners since the beginning of the year is a positive sign as we move into 2025 and potentially points to increasing opportunities in the new year,” Bradd Chignoli, executive vice president and head of Regional Business & Workforce Engagement at MetLife, said in a press release provided to Fox Digital. “As more and more employers look to increase investment and staff size, it is important to take advantage of the resources available to them, such as voluntary benefits, which can help strengthen their company’s culture and help attract and retain new talent.” 

The Small Business Index is a collaboration between MetLife and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that measures small business owners’ and leaders’ expectations. The survey released Monday was conducted between Oct. 7 – 21, before the election’s results, and included responses from 750 small business owners and operators. 

TRUMP VOWS TO CUT BUSINESS TAX RATE TO 15%, CREATE GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY COMMISSION LED BY ELON MUSK

Then-former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024 in Mint Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

The majority of business owners, at 70%, reported that holiday shopping is vital to their overall profit, which is slightly down from 2022’s Q4 report that found 79% of business owners reported the same.

The report found that inflation woes are small business owners’ top concern – as it has been for the last two years, according to the report. This year, however, an increase of business owners reported that both the U.S. economy and their local economies are healthier than they were this time last year. 

TRUMP PICKS BILLY LONG TO HEAD IRS, KELLY LOEFFLER TO LEAD SBA AND FRANK BISIGNANO TO LEAD SSA

Thirty-two percent of business owners reported the U.S. economy is in better shape than 2023, up from 25% last year, and 38% reported their local economies are healthier than last year, when 30% reported the same. 

The survey also found that the majority of small business owners, at 51%, reported that red tape – including licensing, certification, and permit requirements – makes it harder for them to grow their operations. While 47% of respondents reported that they spend too much time and energy on complying with regulatory requirements. 

Thirty-eight percent of business owners say their local economies are healthier than last year. (iStock)

​​”Too many regulations cause big headaches for small businesses, even if they feel confident in their ability to comply or have the means to outsource compliance tasks,” said Tom Sullivan, Vice President of Small Business Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “This quarter’s survey shows these requirements are complex, time-consuming, and often prevent small business owners from focusing on running and growing their businesses.”

SMALL BUSINESSES GET TEMPORARY REPRIEVE FROM ‘BIG BROTHER,’ BUT NEED MORE CERTAINTY

About 39% of respondents reported that in the last six months alone, they have increased their time and resources on complying with regulations alone, which is up from 33% reporting the same in the last quarter. Compliance with ​​taxes, bookkeeping, payroll and licensing ate up a “​​great deal or fair amount” of time for business owners, according to the report. 

The overall index score for this quarter sits at 69.1, a slight dip from last quarter’s score of 71.2, which was attributed to business owners’ reporting an increase in time and resources on regulation compliance. 

TRUMP WILL USE TARIFFS ‘CORRECTLY,’ SMALL BUSINESS OWNER SAYS

Small businesses have been on edge in recent years as inflation spiraled and choked spenders’ pocketbooks. Amid the highly-anticipated election cycle this year, Trump campaigned, in part, on lowering costs for Americans at check-out lines. Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris at the ballot box last month, securing 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226.

Then-former President Donald Trump gestures while walking onstage for a campaign rally on Oct. 12, 2024 in Coachella, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

“I am promising low taxes, low regulations, low energy costs, low interest rates, secure borders, low, low crime and surging incomes for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed,” Trump said from the campaign trail in September. “My plan will rapidly defeat inflation, quickly bring down prices and reignite explosive economic growth.” 

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“I took care of our economy like I would take care of my own company in every decision. I asked, will I create jobs here, or will I be sending jobs overseas? Will it make America richer and stronger, or will it make our country weaker and poorer?” Trump asked. “I always put America first every single time. And when our country was hit by the China virus, we saved the economy. We rescued tens of millions of jobs.” 

Vice President Kamala Harris tried to encourage Democratic staffers facing layoffs from the DNC on Sunday, telling them that their “spirit will not be defeated.”

Harris made the comments during the DNC’s holiday celebration in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. She spoke alongside President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the event, which played host to staffers who were let go from the DNC without severance packages after the election.

“This holiday season, like any time of the year, let us really be conscious of all the blessings we have. Let us celebrate the blessings we have; let us celebrate and advance the blessings we have yet to create,” Harris said. “And let us always remember our country is worth fighting for, and our spirit will not be defeated.”

“And hear me when I say this, that spirit that fuels the countless hours and days and months of work that you have put into this, that spirit. It can never be defeated. Our spirit is not defeated. We are not defeated. Let’s be clear about that. We are strong. We are clear about why we are in this. And because you’re here right now. I say again, thank you. Because not only are you clear about all of that, you’re willing to put in the hard work and that work must continue,” she said.

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Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a concession speech after the 2024 presidential election, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)

Biden took the stage after Harris and defended the pair’s legacy as they prepare to leave office. He argued that the country is in a “resoundingly” better position today than when he and Harris entered the White House.

“The one thing I’ve always believed about public service, and especially about the presidency, is the importance of asking yourself, have we left the country in better shape than we found it? Today, I can say with every fiber of my being, of all my heart, the answer to that question is a resounding yes,” he said.

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He went on to encourage staffers to “stay engaged” in the years ahead.

“You’re not going anywhere, kid,” Biden said of Harris. “Because we’re not gonna let you.”

President Joe Biden defended his administration’s legacy during a speech at the DNC holiday party. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Some DNC staffers had expressed frustration at the post-election layoffs, which are relatively common in Washington, D.C. The DNC union objected to the lack of severance packages and other benefits when the layoffs were announced in late November.

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“We find it very cruel that DNC management is trying to claim that layoffs are just part of the job,” a DNC union member told Mother Jones. “And we feel strongly that losing an election has not absolved the organization of its responsibility to treat its workers with basic dignity.”

The Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) executive committee meets for the first time since the presidential election, on Dec. 13, 2024, in Washington D.C.  (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison does not plan to seek re-election to his post, leaving a pool of would-be leaders to vie for the top position.

The next chair will be chosen by the roughly 450 voting members of the national party committee when they meet at the beginning of February at National Harbor in Maryland for the DNC’s winter meeting.

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The list of candidates seeking to replace Harrison includes Martin O’Malley, the former two-term Maryland governor, Ben Wikler, who has led the Democratic Party in Wisconsin for five years, and Minnesota Democrats chair Ken Martin.

An adviser to President-elect Trump’s campaign, Alex Bruesewitz, passed out and collapsed as he was speaking onstage during a New York Young Republican Club gala Sunday night.

Bruesewitz, 27, was introducing incoming White House senior aide Dan Scavino inside a venue in Manhattan when he began stumbling over his words and fainted, video on social media shows.

Several people quickly rushed to his aid after his collapse. It was not immediately clear what caused him to faint.

Master of ceremonies Raheem Kassam, also a former aide of British conservative politician Nigel Farage, later assured the audience that Bruesewitz was doing fine backstage and that he even asked if he “look[ed] cool” when he fainted.

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Alex Bruesewitz, center, is escorted backstage after collapsing on stage while speaking during the New York Young Republican Club’s Annual Gala at Cipriani’s Wall Street in New York City on Dec. 15. (Getty Images)

“I talked to our friend Alex Bruesewitz and you know what he said to me? He goes ‘Did I at least look cool?’ I said Alex, you used gravity like I’ve seen nobody use gravity before in their lives,” Kassam said. “But he’s recuperating back there, so give him a big cheer so he’ll hear you.”

Trump also said following the collapse that he believes Bruesewitz will be fine, according to the New York Post.

“I know that Alex is going to be fine because he’s a tough son of a gun,” Trump said. “There’s no doubt about that. So I want to say hello to Alex, because he’s a very special guy.”

Alex Bruesewitz, a staunch supporter of President-elect Trump, is the CEO of X Strategies LLC, which states its mission to help elect “America First” candidates. (Getty Images)

Bruesewitz is the CEO of consultancy firm X Strategies LLC, which states its mission to help elect “America First” candidates. Its website says he is “a prominent political consultant and strategist known for his unwavering support of President Donald Trump and the America First agenda.”

The website adds that Bruesewitz “has been the driving force behind the efforts to defeat Republicans who fight against Trump and the MAGA movement and works to replace them with Republicans who fight for the values we hold dear.”

DC RESTAURANT SERVER FIRED AFTER COMMENTS ABOUT REFUSING SERVICE TO SOME TRUMP OFFICIALS

President-elect Donald Trump described Bruesewitz as a “tough son of a gun” and a “very special guy.” (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Before his collapse, Bruewitz appeared to be OK while commending the New York Republican Club for backing Trump’s campaign. He also gave shout-outs to several supporters of the incoming president who were at the event, including former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, who recently resigned from his U.S. House seat.

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Other notable speakers at the event included former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and senior adviser to President-elect Trump, Corey Lewandowski.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on Capitol Hill this week for a series of meetings with senators after being chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to head up the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in his next term. 

Kennedy is expected to spend four days on the Hill before lawmakers leave town for Christmas.

While he’s there, Kennedy is expected to be pressed on his beliefs about abortion, which have left some Republicans with questions, as well as the efficacy of vaccines, which bipartisan lawmakers have publicly expressed concern about. 

BIDEN CLEMENCY ANNOUNCEMENT GETS MIXED REVIEWS ON CAPITOL HILL: ‘WHERE’S THE BAR?’

President-elect Trump tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head up HHS. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“I want to know what his real concerns are and what he would want to do different. But I do not want to lose our vaccine programs,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., recently told reporters, reflecting on his time as governor overseeing such programs. 

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., shared that while he will meet with Kennedy, he is already a resounding “yes.” 

“I’ve had the privilege to already sit down and answer most of my questions. We will meet, but I was supportive of the president nominating him for it,” he said.

“So, I was supporting before that even took place.”

TIDE TURNS IN FAVOR OF TRUMP DOD PICK PETE HEGSETH AFTER MATT GAETZ FAILURE

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said he’d spent time with RFK Jr. on the campaign trail. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Mullin, a close ally of Trump, noted that he had spent significant time with Kennedy on the campaign trail.

Kennedy is a prominent vaccination skeptic and has expressed his own criticism of many popular shots. This has drawn criticism from some on both sides of the aisle, as vaccinations have been commonly relied on for preventing viruses in childhood and diminishing their spread.

Since getting behind Trump before the end of the campaign, however, Kennedy has moderated his tack on vaccines somewhat. In an interview with NBC News, he pushed back at the suggestion that he is “anti-vaccine.” 

GOP ATTORNEYS GENERAL OFFER SUPPORT FOR TRUMP FBI PICK KASH PATEL, URGE SENATORS TO DO THE SAME

Vaccines have come under new scrutiny following the Covid-19 pandemic. (iStock)

“If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away,” he promised. 

“So, I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them.”

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital that he expects to meet with Kennedy. A staunch pro-life advocate, Lankford has previously said he had many questions about Kennedy’s position on abortion.

MANCHIN, SINEMA TANK SCHUMER LAME-DUCK EFFORT TO SECURE DEM MAJORITY ON TOP LABOR BOARD

RFK Jr.’s selection by Trump for HHS is stirring some concerns among Republicans.  (Reuters/ Istock)

A number of other Republicans have previously expressed to Fox News Digital their interest in talking to Kennedy about abortion.

At the same time, Kennedy has managed to appeal to some politicians with his plans to tighten food regulations and “make America healthy again.” 

The longtime Democrat-turned-independent could potentially gain support from those on the Democratic side of the aisle, given that there is bipartisan backing for addressing food safety.

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It’s unclear with whom Kennedy will meet on Capitol Hill, but some Democrats have signaled that their doors are open. 

A representative for Kennedy declined to comment to Fox News Digital on the visits planned this week.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, has filed a lawsuit against a New York doctor who allegedly prescribed abortion drugs to a woman in the Lone Star State, violating Texas law.

Paxton accused Dr. Margaret Carpenter of mailing pills from New York to a 20-year-old woman in Collin County, Texas, where the woman allegedly took the medication when she was nine weeks pregnant, according to the lawsuit. 

When she began experiencing severe bleeding, she asked the baby’s father, who had been unaware she was pregnant, to take her to the hospital.

The filing does not state if the woman successfully terminated her pregnancy or if she experienced any long-term medical complications from taking mifepristone and misoprostol.

PRO-LIFE GROUPS SOUND OFF AFTER TRUMP SAYS HE WILL NOT RESTRICT ABORTION PILLS: ‘SERIOUS AND GROWING THREAT’

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit accusing a New York doctor of prescribing abortion drugs to a Texas woman, violating laws in the Lone Star State. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Paxton’s lawsuit is the first attempt to test legal protections when it comes to states with conflicting abortion laws since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending federal protection on the matter.

Texas has enacted an abortion ban with few exceptions, while New York protects access to the procedure and has a shield law that protects providers from out-of-state investigations and prosecutions, which has been viewed as implicit permission for doctors to mail abortion pills into states with restrictions.

Texas has promised to pursue cases like this regardless of the shield laws, though it is unclear what the courts may decide on this issue, which involves extraterritoriality, interstate commerce and other legal questions. New York’s law allows Carpenter to refuse to comply with Texas’ court orders.

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It is also unknown whether New York courts would side with protecting Texas’ law, which prohibits prescribing abortion-inducing drugs by mail and prohibits treating Texas patients or prescribing medication through telehealth services without a valid Texas medical license.

The woman allegedly took mifepristone and misoprostol when she was nine weeks pregnant. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Texas’ abortion laws prohibit prosecuting a woman for getting an abortion, but do allow for physicians or others who assist a woman in receiving the procedure to be prosecuted.

The lawsuit says Carpenter, the founder of the Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, knowingly treated Texas residents despite not being a licensed Texas physician and not being authorized to practice telemedicine in the state. Paxton urged a Collin County court to prohibit Carpenter from violating Texas law and impose civil penalties of at least $100,000 for each violation.

Texas law states that physicians cannot prescribe abortion medication by mail and forbids physicians without a Texas license from providing telehealth services or prescribing medication to patients in the Lone Star State. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

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“In this case, an out-of-state doctor violated the law and caused serious harm to this patient,” Paxton said in a statement. “This doctor prescribed abortion-inducing drugs — unauthorized, over telemedicine — causing her patient to end up in the hospital with serious complications. In Texas, we treasure the health and lives of mothers and babies, and this is why out-of-state doctors may not illegally and dangerously prescribe abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents.”

Carpenter also works with AidAccess, an international abortion medication provider, and helped found Hey Jane, a telehealth abortion provider.

The details surrounding the emergency spending bill are expected to be delayed and may “slip by a day” as the deadline to avoid a government shutdown looms.

Lawmarkers were expected to share the text of the emergency spending bill to avoid a government shutdown and address disaster relief on Sunday, but Fox News is told the text “may slip by a day.”

It comes as both House and Senate lawmakers negotiate over how large the disaster aid package should be, and whether it should be attached to an end-of-year federal funding bill that’s critical to avoiding a partial government shutdown during the holiday season.

This could pose a problem because government funding expires at 11:59:59 p.m. on Friday. Pushing this back means the House may not be able to process the bill until the end of the week. 

GOP REBELS GO TO WAR OVER BIDEN’S MAMMOTH $98B DISASTER AID REQUEST

Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene damage. (National Weather Service)

It is also noted that it doesn’t take much for the Senate to slow things down if senators demand time. 

The House has a so-called “three-day rule” which requires text to be posted for three days before debate and vote. However, waiting until tomorrow means the House may not consider the bill until Thursday or Friday – the peak of the deadline. 

Fox News is told there are no hold-ups with government funding, through mid-March, or the disaster package for Hurricanes Helene, Milton, wildfires in Maui, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore and tornadoes in the Midwest, but that there is an issue with agricultural provisions “and other things important to leaders on both sides.”

BIDEN ASKS CONGRESS FOR $98 BILLION IN HELENE, MILTON DISASTER RELIEF FUNDING

President Biden wrote to Speaker Mike Johnson about disaster aid after Helene and Milton. (Getty Images)

One source declined to answer when Fox was asked if there was an effort to tuck last-minute provisions into the catch-all measure for Syria or drones. 

In early October, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News Digital that Helene would likely be “one of the most expensive storms that the country has ever encountered.”

The Biden administration has asked for over $100 billion in funding for disaster aid in the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus is calling on Republican leaders to reject President Biden’s disaster aid request.

President Biden, accompanied by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (R), gives an update on the government’s response to Hurricanes Milton and Helene in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on October 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C.

The group is demanding a slimmed-down package covering what is “absolutely necessary,” to be offset with spending cuts elsewhere.

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“Congress should not pass a whopping $100 billion unpaid disaster supplemental funding bill — that Democrats will use to cement their own unrelated priorities — in the waning days of Democrat control in Washington right before Republicans take control of the White House and both Chambers,” the House Freedom Caucus statement read.

“The House should consider only what is absolutely necessary right now to provide critical relief to hurricane victims and farmers, and pay for it with offsets from wasteful spending elsewhere in the government, then wait for President Trump to take office to better manage disaster relief.”

If new spending is not approved by way of appropriations bills or a stopgap measure, a partial government shutdown could happen before Christmas. 

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

New Jersey-based attorney Alina Habba hit the nation’s radar back in 2021, becoming President-elect Trump’s fierce legal defender and then spokeswoman as he battled an onslaught of legal cases and criminal charges ahead of his decisive win against Vice President Kamala Harris last month. 

Now, Habba is readying to take on a new role: counselor to the president under Trump’s second administration. 

“Alina has been a tireless advocate for Justice, a fierce Defender of the Rule of Law, and an invaluable Advisor to my Campaign and Transition Team,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social last week, announcing her new role. “She has been unwavering in her loyalty, and unmatched in her resolve – standing with me through numerous ‘trials,’ battles, and countless days in court.”

Following the once and future president’s announcement, Fox News Digital took a look back at Habba’s legal career and meteoric rise in Trump’s orbit and, now, the White House. 

TRUMP NAMES ALINA HABBA AS COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT; REVEALS SEVERAL STATE DEPARTMENT PICKS

President-elect Trump hired attorney Alina Habba in 2021 as he battled a bevy of court cases.

Habba is the managing partner of Habba Madaio & Associates LLP, a law firm based in Bedminster, New Jersey, that also practices in New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Habba, 40, is a New Jersey native, ​​born to Chaldean Catholic Iraqi immigrant parents. She attended Lehigh University in Pennsylvania as an undergraduate before earning her J.D. from Widener University. 

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“As a devout Catholic, a proud first generation Arab American woman, and a feisty Jersey girl who’s fed up with far-left corruption in Washington – President Trump championed my journey, empowering me to become who I am today. His unwavering support not only shaped my career but has inspired other young women with big dreams,” Habba declared in her RNC speech in July from Milwaukee. 

Ahead of joining Trump’s legal team, Habba litigated cases related to negligent nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also earned recognition on the Super Lawyers Rising Stars List between 2016-2022, as well as a spot on the “Top 100 Lawyers in America” list, and has supported a handful of charity efforts, including a charity that benefits pregnant homeless women, Birth Haven. 

Former President Trump returns from a lunch break for his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 28, 2024, in New York City. (Julia Nikhinson-Pool/Getty Images)

Habba has seen a meteoric rise to national prominence in recent years, after Trump hired her in 2021 to help litigate a barrage of cases leveled at him ahead of the 2024 election, becoming his legal spokesperson and trusted adviser. 

Habba hit the Trump legal scene when she spearheaded a lawsuit against the former and upcoming president’s niece, Mary Trump, and the New York Times for “tortiously breaching and/or interfering with his contractual rights and otherwise maliciously conspiring against him” to obtain and publish his tax records in 2018.

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Habba’s legal successes for Trump include former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos dropping a defamation suit against Trump in 2021 and the dismissal of another case related to New York state-level charges over allegations Trump and the Trump Organization were involved in a fraudulent marketing company. She also notched a win earlier this year when the Supreme Court dismissed ex-lawyer Michael Cohen’s appeal to revive a lawsuit against Trump as he sought monetary damages over his 2020 imprisonment related to lying to Congress and his previous work for Trump.

​​”Michael Cohen has exhausted every avenue of his pathetic attempt to drag my client into court time and time again.  As expected, the Supreme Court has correctly denied Michael Cohen’s petition and he must finally abandon his frivolous and desperate claims,”Habba told Fox News Digital in a statement in October. 

Alina Habba has served as Trump’s legal adviser. (Getty Images)

Habba’s national name recognition grew as Trump battled the E. Jean Carroll cases. 

Carroll, who previously worked as a columnist for Elle magazine, had filed two lawsuits against Trump since 2019, when she first accused him of raping her in an excerpt in her book “What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal.” Trump vehemently denied the allegation, saying, “it never happened,” ultimately leading Carroll to sue Trump for defamation when he was still president. At the time, she was barred by the statute of limitations from suing him over the underlying rape allegation.

A jury would eventually find Trump had sexually abused Carroll and that, in denying it, defamed her, awarding her $5 million. But while that case was tied up in appeals, and with Trump continuing to deny ever even meeting Carroll, she filed another suit in 2022 alleging both defamation and rape. She was able to do this because earlier that year, New York had passed a law that allowed sex abuse plaintiffs to file a one-time civil case despite the expiration of the statute of limitations. 

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Habba joined the Trump legal team for the second case, in which the former president was accused of rape and defamation for social media posts in which Trump denied the allegations and accused Carroll of promoting a “hoax and a lie.” 

Trump was never criminally charged with sexual assault, and the initial jury found him liable for sexual abuse – though not rape. The jury specifically said Carroll hadn’t proven that Trump raped her.

The second case sought more than $10 million for damage to her reputation stemming from Trump’s comments in 2019, when he was still president. The jury ultimately awarded her $18.3 million in compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages.

“I have sat on trial after trial for months in this state, the state of New York, Attorney General Letitia James and now this. Weeks, weeks. Why? Because President Trump is leading in the polls and now we see what you get in New York,” Habba said earlier this year following the verdict. 

“So don’t get it twisted,” she continued, calling the case evidence of the “violation of our justice system.” “I am so proud to stand with President Trump. But I am not proud to stand with what I saw in that courtroom.”

ALINA HABBA TAKES ON MAJOR ROLE IN TRUMP CAMPAIGN, DISHES ON HIS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RNC SPEECH

Trump attorney Alina Habba was named Trump’s counselor to the president for his second administration. (Fox Digital )

Habba also battled New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil fraud suit – one of Trump’s most high-profile cases that the AG has refused to dismiss after Trump’s electoral win. 

TRUMP ADVISER ALINA HABBA HITS CAMPAIGN TRAIL TO ATTRACT ARAB AMERICAN SUPPORT IN SWING STATE MICHIGAN

James announced an investigation into the Trump Organization, claiming there was evidence indicating that the president and his company had falsely valued assets to obtain loans, insurance coverage and tax deductions. 

Both inside the courtroom, during press conferences and in media interviews, Habba defended Trump against James’ case. 

Alina Habba speaks at a campaign rally for former President Trump at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 29, 2024. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

“​​Letitia James is putting her nose into private companies and private individuals’ work, which is not what is meant to happen and the law that she’s using is a consumer fraud law. So that she can establish some way to have control, to not have a jury to do certain things in this case that are nonsensical and shouldn’t be happening and we have been fighting it all along the way. The problem we have is the judge is the one that’s going make those decisions and he’s proven himself to be quite motivated by the other side,” Habba said on “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo last year. 

ALINA HABBA: WE’VE DONE SOMETHING ‘STRATEGICALLY DIFFERENT’ TO TARGET VOTERS

Trump and his legal team charged that James had conducted a “witch hunt” against him after she explicitly campaigned on a platform to prosecute the president. Trump and his family denied any wrongdoing, with the former president saying his assets had been undervalued. 

Alina Habba arrives at court for opening statements in former President Trump’s trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 22, 2024, in New York City. (Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images)

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron ruled in September of last year in the non-jury trial that Trump and his organization had deceived lenders by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth. Trump’s team called on James to drop the case following his election last month, which she rejected on Dec. 10. 

Former President Trump speaks during a campaign event, Sept. 25, 2024, in Mint Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Following the announcement that Habba will serve as counselor to the president, conservatives and supporters of Trump have touted Habba’s fiery defense of him over the last few years. 

“I have sat with President Trump for years now while he has been targeted with lies and with judges, AGs, and DAs who have specifically run in this city and others on getting Trump,” Habba said during a press conference in January following the Carroll verdict, rounding up the bevy of court cases Trump faced following his first administration. 

ALINA HABBA CALLS ON JUDGE MERCHAN TO ‘DISMISS’ TRUMP CASE

“The Trump administration will fix this problem. We will stop Kamala Harris’s regime – because she was there, let’s not forget that, and she still is – of using officials from the White House, putting them in DAs’ offices and AGs’ offices, and attacking your political opponent,” she continued. 

Habba also delivered a powerful speech at the RNC in July – following Trump’s first assassination attempt – that has been revived this month for her emotional tone when she described her tight relationship with Trump. 

“To my husband, whose family survived the Holocaust, [Trump] is a champion of the Jewish faith. To my Iraqi parents, he is a mentor to their daughter,” she said from the RNC. 

“But to me, he is my friend.”

Former President Trump and Alina Habba during a trial at New York State Supreme Court in New York, on Oct. 17, 2023. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In Trump’s first administration, the counselor to the president role was filled by Fox News contributor Kellyanne Conway. The role entails advising the president on all legal matters related to the office of the president and the White House. 

Habba joined Fox News’ Martha MacCallum last week, where she previewed that her new role will focus on “all things that we need to do to fix this country.”

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“First and foremost, anybody asked to serve this country in such an honorable role or any role, frankly, it’s a responsibility that I take very seriously, but an honor. I told the president, I am there to do whatever it is you need me to do, and that’s the truth. But I will say what a great privilege I will be there to advise. I will be there to help with policies that are important. I know that for me, obviously lawfare and all of the things that Pam Bondi is going to focus on are top of mind because of what we’ve lived for the last three and a half years. But I will tell you I’m ready to get to work, and that’s on all things that we need to do to fix this country,” Habba said. 

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom, Brooke Singman and Greg Wehner contributed to this report. 

A top adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams abruptly resigned on Sunday amid a federal investigation into a corruption and bribery indictment against Adams.

The adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, has had her phones seized and her home searched as part of the investigation. She issued a lengthy statement regarding her departure in tandem with Adams on Sunday, saying she plans to spend more time with her family.

“To my political partner, brother, and friend, Mayor Eric Adams: I thank you for seeking me out, way back in 2004, and asking me to run your Senate campaign. I thank you for seeing in me things that I did not see in myself,” Lewis-Martin said. 

“I extend humble gratitude to you for encouraging me to be my authentic self and for having my back during some trying times. As you would say, this has been a good ride; I will use author’s license and say that this has been an amazing ride,” she added.

NYC MAYOR ADAMS MEETS WITH TRUMP BORDER CZAR: ‘WE HAVE THE SAME DESIRE’ TO GO AFTER ILLEGAL MIGRANT CRIMINALS

New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks to reporters after a news conference in New York on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.  (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Adams’ statement echoed his aide’s friendly tone.

“Ingrid has not been just a friend, a confidant, and trusted adviser, but also a sister. We’ve always talked about when this day would come, and while we’ve long planned for it, it is still hard to know that Ingrid won’t be right next door every day,” Adams said.

“I, and every New Yorker, owe her a debt of gratitude for her decades of service to our city. While she gets to spend a lot more time with her granddaughter, I know Ingrid will still stay involved in moving our city forward from the sidelines as she continues to root for our administration and our city,” he added.

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The announcement comes just days after Adams met with incoming border czar Tom Homan. Adams has adopted a more aggressive immigration stance following President-elect Trump’s win in November.

Incoming border czar Tom Homan spoke with Dr. Phil about the Trump administration’s plan to deport illegal migrants. (The Dr. Phil Podcast YouTube channel)

“It went great,” Homan told Sean Hannity on Thursday night. “Look, I sat down with the mayor for well over an hour. He gets it. And today he proved that as the mayor in New York City, he’s more concerned with public safety than politics. I wish the mayor of Chicago and the San Diego City council mayor and Governor Pritzker, I wish they’d all take a page out of Mayor Eric Adams’ playbook.”

Homan recalled how the “ex-cop” came out of Adams during their closed-door meeting Thursday in New York.

NYC HOME IS NEARLY 60K ‘CRIMINAL’ MIGRANTS: REPORT

“He really cares about public safety, and he’s putting politics aside. He wants to help ICE take criminal threats off the street. He wants to help ICE look for national security threats. He wants to help ICE find over 340,000 missing children, which many are going to be in the city. So a great meeting.”

Incoming border czar Tom Homan met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams in the Big Apple on Thursday where they discussed the city’s ongoing migrant crisis and ways of deporting criminal illegal migrants who have been terrorizing the city’s streets. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, left and Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images, right.)

“Hats off to the mayor for coming to the table and working with us,” credited Homan.

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Homan disclosed that since his meeting with the New York mayor, other leaders from across the aisle have reached out to him.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had two thoughts about President Biden pardoning his son Hunter Biden after previously saying he would not, while talking to NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on Sunday.

“When you have his opponents going after his family as a father, as a parent, I think we can all understand Biden trying to protect his, his son and his family,” Sanders said. “On the other hand, I think the precedent being set is kind of a dangerous one. It was a very wide open pardon, which could, under different circumstances, lead to problems in terms of future presidents.”

Despite that, Sanders believes that Biden leaves a “strong legacy” due to being progressive on domestic policies. He also said that “the economy today in many ways is in very strong shape.”

Sanders even went as far as to say Biden was the most progressive president since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

ILLINOIS GOVERNOR SAYS ‘VIOLENT’ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SHOULD BE DEPORTED, OPEN TO MEETING WITH TRUMP OFFICIALS

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 19, 2024. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Discussing the minimum wage, Sanders told Welker he would work with President-elect Trump to raise it, as it has stood at $7.25 an hour since 2009.

Welker said Trump acknowledged it was too low, but Sanders said the last time he tried to get it raised to $15 an hour was two years ago and no Republicans voted for it. 

FORMER DEM CONGRESSMAN WHO LOST BY 109 VOTES IN 2020 CONFIRMED TO LIFETIME JUDICIAL SEAT

Sen. Bernie Sanders said he believes the U.S. should raise the minimum wage to $17 an hour. (iStock)

President Biden walks with Hunter Biden toward Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

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“Look, a $7.25 per hour minimum wage is an absolute disgrace,” Sanders said. “We have millions of people in this country who are working for starvation wages. They cannot afford housing, that cannot afford to adequately feed their kids.”

Sanders now believes the minimum wage should be $17 an hour, and hopes lawmakers “can work in a bipartisan way to finally accomplish that goal.”  

FIRST ON FOX: A labor union representing thousands of Border Patrol agents is all in on South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, calling on senators to confirm her nomination “qui​​ckly.” 

“On behalf of the men and women of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) who protect our nation’s borders, we are excited to provide our support for President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee, Governor Kristi Noem, to be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security,” National Border Patrol Council President Paul Perez wrote in a letter to Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Rand. Paul, R-Ky., the chair and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, respectively. 

Perez sent the letter, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, to the senators on Thursday, joining a growing chorus of law enforcement groups throwing their support behind Noem. The DHS oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The union, which represents about 18,000 Border Patrol agents, wrote in their letter to Paul and Peters that Noem has showcased her ability to “get things done” both at home in South Dakota, and on the national stage when she aided Texas’ “Operation Lone Star” to battle the immigration crisis. 

‘SECURE OUR BORDER’: MASSIVE POLICE ORG CALLS FOR SWIFT CONFIRMATION OF NOEM TO DHS

Former President Trump listens as South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks during a Buckeye Values PAC Rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on March 16, 2024. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

“Governor Noem is a seasoned leader who knows how to get things done – not only as chief executive of her home state but also in Washington, DC, where she served with distinction and integrity in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Perez wrote in the letter, which was also sent to Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the incoming Senate majority leader. 

“Governor Noem was the first governor to deploy National Guard personnel to the border in Texas to support Operation Lone Star. This deployment bolstered our resources at a critical time along the border and helped to protect Texans and Americans alike.”

TRUMP SELECTS SOUTH DAKOTA GOV KRISTI NOEM TO RUN DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Noem has repeatedly deployed South Dakota National Guard troops to the southern border in Texas to help stem illegal border crossings. 

Migrants wait in line adjacent to the border fence, under the watch of the Texas National Guard, to enter into El Paso, Texas, May 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton, File)

“The border is a war zone, so we’re sending soldiers,” Noem said in a press release in February, which marked the fifth deployment of National Guard troops to the border under the Biden administration. “These soldiers’ primary mission will be construction of a wall to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, drug cartels, and human trafficking into the United States of America.”

Earlier this month, Washington, D.C., insiders told Fox News Digital that they anticipate Noem will earn endorsements from a long list of law enforcement groups for her federal nomination. 

GOV KRISTI NOEM REFLECTS ON TRUMP WIN, SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘TRY TO PUT WOMEN IN A BOX’

Fox News Digital previously reported that the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers, the Fraternal Order of Police, sent letters to both President-elect Trump and Paul outlining their staunch support of Noem as secretary of homeland security. 

​​”Governor Noem has been a longtime ally of the FOP during both her tenure in the House of Representatives and as Governor of South Dakota. The South Dakota State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Governor Noem for her re-election campaign in 2022, citing her belief in the rule of law and commitment to public safety,” Fraternal Order of Police national president Patrick Yoes wrote in a November letter to Trump, which was obtained by Fox News Digital. 

 Immigrants are photographed at a U.S. Border Patrol processing center after they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on Dec. 7, 2023, in Lukeville, Arizona. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Perez echoed that sentiment for Border Patrol agents, specifically, calling for Noem’s speedy confirmation to bolster the border and homeland security overall. 

“We are confident that as Secretary, Governor Noem will continue to ensure Border Patrol agents have the resources and manpower that we need to secure our border. We urge you to quickly begin consideration of this critical nomination and confirm Governor Noem as Secretary once President Trump is sworn in,” Perez said. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT KRISTI NOEM, THE ‘BORDER HAWK’ NOMINATED BY TRUMP TO LEAD DHS

Noem has served as governor of the Mount Rushmore State since 2019, and notably gained national attention and praise from conservatives during the pandemic when she bucked lockdown orders and mask mandates common in liberal states such as California and New York. 

Gov. Kristi Noem visits FOX Business Network’s “Varney & Co.” on May 7, 2024, in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)

Trump, who ran on a pledge to end the immigration crisis at the southern border and crack down on the deadly drug epidemic ravaging communities across the nation, announced his nomination of Noem just days after his decisive win over Vice President Kamala Harris last month. 

EX-TRUMP OFFICIAL PREDICTS ‘ENTIRE MINDSET CHANGE’ AT SOUTHERN BORDER, HAILS ‘FANTASTIC’ PICK TO LEAD DHS 

“Kristi has been very strong on Border Security. She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times. She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the Border, and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries. I have known Kristi for years, and have worked with her on a wide variety of projects – She will be a great part of our mission to Make America Safe Again,” he wrote last month in his announcement. 

Noem began meeting with Senate lawmakers last week to rally their support for the confirmation process. 

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“We’ve just had great conversations with Sen. Peters, talked about some concerns within the agency, what we can do to solidify our national security interests,” Noem told reporters, according to Roll Call. “And I think Republicans and Democrats in this country recognize how important homeland security is, and that we’re working together to make sure that we’re safe.”