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The Republican-led House on Thursday passed a sweeping security package providing new military aid to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia, delivering a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration, who opposed the measure. 

Eighteen Republicans crossed party lines to support the Democrat-authored legislation in a vote of 226-195. California Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent who caucuses with Republicans, also supported the legislation. Meanwhile, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was the lone Democratic lawmaker to vote against the bill.

House GOP leadership and the vast majority of Republicans opposed the legislation aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s defenses amid a surge in Russian missile and drone strikes as the conflict enters its fifth year.

The measure now heads to the Senate, where it faces an uphill battle to clear the chamber. The White House said the legislation would undermine President Donald Trump’s goal of ending the prolonged conflict and that he would veto the measure, according to a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOP REBELS DEFY TRUMP AS CONGRESSIONAL GRIP CONTINUES TO WEAKEN ACROSS MULTIPLE VOTES

“The bill seeks to tie the President’s hands by mandating a wide-ranging U.S. response to the Russia-Ukraine war while adding hundreds of millions in unfunded authorizations,” the White House document reads, in part. 

The security package would reaffirm U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO, authorize more than $1.5 billion in new security assistance and $8 billion in direct loans, and extend a Pentagon program that procures weapons and military equipment for Ukraine. 

The legislation would also target the Kremlin’s energy profits, which are central to keeping Russia’s war effort going, as well as organizations and companies that do business with sanctioned Russian entities.

The White House warned that the legislation’s mandatory sanctions would “plunge the global economy into chaos.”

But Republicans who supported the measure said its passage should not be viewed as defying the president. 

“President Trump has been the leader to support the people of Ukraine, and so I’ll be voting for the people of Ukraine, continuing the Trump tradition of support,” Wilson, a South Carolina lawmaker, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

When asked about GOP opposition, Wilson said, “Putin needs to know that the American people stand with the brave and courageous people of Ukraine.”

PRO-UKRAINE GOP REP. BACON DECLARES ‘REAL REPUBLICANS KNOW THAT PUTIN’S RUSSIA HATES THE WEST AND FREEDOM’

Still, several Republicans who opposed the measure said their opposition should not be viewed as a lack of support for Ukraine. 

“This bill is not about helping Ukraine. This is not about standing up to Vladimir Putin,” Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., said. “This is about engaging in Trump Derangement Syndrome as President Trump tries to bring this [conflict] in for a landing.”

Others in the GOP conference voiced firm opposition to additional U.S. aid for the country.

“I oppose further funding of Ukraine,” Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., told Fox News Digital.

The successful vote came after the legislation, sponsored by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., had languished in the House Foreign Affairs Committee for more than a year after being introduced in early 2025. 

But the measure gained momentum after a handful of defecting Republicans signed a Democrat-authored discharge petition that triggered a vote over the objections of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who controls the floor.

Most Republicans are reluctant to support legislation that comes to the floor via a discharge petition, which is often seen as undermining GOP leadership and aiding Democrats in the minority.

“Democrats have repeatedly governed in the minority as if we were in the majority, and we’re going to do so again this week,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Tuesday.

Some GOP lawmakers also argued the Ukraine measure was poorly drafted and outdated. 

For example, the bill calls on NATO countries to increase defense spending to 2% of their economic output, but Trump secured a 5% commitment from allies in 2025.

“This bill literally moves us backwards, and a decrease of NATO defense member spending would be the result,” Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., said.

The legislation also proposes a lower figure for training and equipping Ukraine’s military than what Congress authorized last year in annual defense policy legislation.

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“It’s increasingly obvious that this [war] will end, and when it ends, it will be through negotiation,” Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, said during debate on the House floor. “If you support this bill, then clearly you are not interested in peace, because the consequences would tie the hands of this president and could lead to future hostilities that would bleed over into Europe.”

But the legislation’s proponents fired back that Ukraine is in desperate need of military aid amid stalled efforts to end the war.

“This is our Churchill moment or our Chamberlain moment,” Bacon, who is not running for reelection, said. “By God, I want to choose Churchill, and this House better choose Churchill.”

Four Senate Republicans broke ranks to kill another effort to pass President Donald Trump’s marquee voter ID and election integrity legislation as the GOP marches to fund immigration enforcement. 

Just like last time, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Thom Tills, R-N.C., joined all Democrats to thwart the move.

It’s the second attempt by Republicans to attach the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act to their budget reconciliation package, and the second time that they’ve failed to get the legislation across the line months after launching a quasi-floor takeover to debate the bill. 

DOZEN GOP REBELS FAIL TO PERMANENTLY KILL TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND

Trying to attach the bill to the nearly $70 billion budget reconciliation package geared toward funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol meant that the amendment from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., needed at least 60 votes to pass.

That threshold again proved too high a bar on Thursday night. 

And it’s a result that further solidified the political reality in the upper chamber that the SAVE America Act has little chance of passing, given the unanimous Democratic resistance and lack of total buy-in among the Senate GOP, even if Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., launched the long sought after talking filibuster. 

REPUBLICANS FAIL TO ATTACH SAVE AMERICA ACT TO PARTY-LINE FUNDING PACKAGE

Still, Graham challenged Democrats to bat down the amendment, accusing them of being “probably into cheating” in elections for not supporting voter ID.

 “There’s no other reason to say you don’t have to have an ID. It just makes cheating easier,” Graham said. “Who wants a noncitizen voting in our election if you’re against that, that makes me wonder.”  

“And biological males playing girls sports [is] not good for anybody, and a minor should not be allowed to transition their sex,” he continued. “That’s the biggest change you can make in your entire life. You shouldn’t be allowed to do that as a minor. This is what we say. What do you say?”

DEMS BLOCK GOP AMENDMENT TYING VOTER ID BILL TO TRANSGENDER SPORTS BAN

But Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., noted “that just over a month ago, a similar proposal was defeated on a bipartisan basis.”

“Current safeguards are working,” Padilla said. “And yes, it is already unlawful for non-citizens to vote in the United States. What this amendment does is mirrors earlier attempts to push through the president’s priorities, to try to take over elections, to ban vote by mail.” 

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“And while we’re at it, while they’re at it, attacking trans folks during pride month, that’s pretty damn offensive,” he continued.

Some of Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner’s ex-girlfriends spoke out in a damning report Thursday, which chronicled new allegations of rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent episodes.

Platner continues to be under fire for a chest tattoo called the Totenkopf; used by Nazi death camp guards, alleged sexting of younger women and publicly finding humor in a Taliban attack that nearly killed former Pennsylvania lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Teddy Daniels.

One of his ex-girlfriends, Lyndsey Fifield, told the New York Times the two met in 2013 when he was a George Washington University student and she was with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with a growing presence in conservative circles.

Fifield recounted how Platner would poke fun at his chest tattoo of a Totenkopf — an emblem used by Nazi death camp guards.

Fifield told the paper that Platner explained he and other members of his military unit chose it because of parallels between them and the Schutzstaffel — in that “they were a death unit… killers,” which appears to contradict his narrative that he did not know the tattoo was associated with Nazi symbols.

DEMOCRATIC MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE GRAHAM PLATNER CONFRONTED BY MS NOW HOST ABOUT TATTOO CONTROVERSY

She also recalled how the oyster farmer and veteran would sharpen an ax while watching television and ruminate about raping home invaders.

“He said this a lot: If anybody ever broke in here, I would rape them,” but not in a sexual or “gay” way, Fifield said, adding that Platner stated he would want to instead impose dominance over them through penetration.

She also alleged that when they were previously in public, Platner purportedly pulled her out of a taxi by her wrist during an altercation.

LEFT-WING DEM SENATE HOPEFUL CHEERED ON ANTIFA VIOLENCE IN UNEARTHED RANT: ‘KILL A MOTHERF—ER’

Platner, who has acknowledged his battle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from his time in the military, told Fox News Digital that he has “been open about what was a very dark period of my life where I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD.”

“Throughout this campaign, I’ve been open about what was a very dark period of my life where I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD, too often self-medicated with alcohol, and was a far from perfect boyfriend,” Platner said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better. Any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated. I’m not proud of who I was then, but I am proud of the work I’ve done since, and the movement we are building in Maine.”

Fifield recounted another incident when Platner reportedly pushed her into a bedroom and held the door shut. She later was able to leave after falling asleep and waking after some time had passed.

SENATE CANDIDATE GRAHAM PLATNER SENT EXPLICIT TEXTS TO MULTIPLE WOMEN WHILE MARRIED, WIFE SAYS: REPORT

Besides the rape visualizations, Platner would “fantasize about killing people he deemed a threat,” according to the Times’ conversation with Fifield – who declined to comment for purposes of this article.

Fifield added that in addition to the ax which he had from prior work bushwacking on the Appalachian Trail, Platner kept an AR-15 in his Capitol Hill home. The firearm type is currently prohibited in the District of Columbia, but that law is under legal challenge from the Trump Justice Department.

Of Fifield’s allegations, Platner’s campaign pointed to her conservative-leaning politics and called her a “lifelong GOP operative who’s dedicated her career to electing Republicans.”

NEW WEBSITE PUTS PLATNER ON NOTICE BY AMPLIFYING SCANDALS: ‘ONE RED FLAG AFTER ANOTHER’

In turn, Fifield said she is not affiliated with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine; the five-term incumbent Platner is challenging.

Another woman, Jenny Racicot, is a fellow Maine Democrat who was in an “off-and-on” relationship with Platner between 2019 and 2021, according to the Times.

She told the paper some of Platner’s controversial Reddit posts hardened her view that he has issues with women.

DEMOCRAT BLASTED BY LEFT AND RIGHT AFTER SOFTENING STANCE ON SCANDAL-HIT MAINE CANDIDATE

“I recognized a version of him that I had experiences with,” she said.

Another Maine Democrat who he dated declined to have her name published by the Times and said Platner would at times drink heavily, and that her role in the relationship seemed like “collateral damage to the world that is his.”

The Republican National Committee said the report appears to be nothing new in the cadence of scandals facing the Democratic challenger.

WATCH: SCANDAL-PLAGUED PLATNER DODGES QUESTIONS BEFORE DC MEETING WITH DEMOCRATS

“Every day brings another deeply disturbing revelation about Graham Platner,” spokeswoman Delanie Bomar said.

“If he’s willing to do this to his own girlfriend, imagine what he’s willing to do in a position of political power. Maine voters deserve to know why Democrats are willing to excuse this deranged behavior,” said Bomar.

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“If Chuck Schumer and national Democrats don’t distance themselves from Platner, they’ll be forced to answer for his behavior every day from now until Election Day,” she continued.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Collins, Gov. Janet Mills, Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, and Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Old Orchard Beach; the legislature’s top Democrat, for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed to this report.

Democrats splintered over a resolution seeking to block the U.S. from assisting Israel’s war against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group, on Thursday. 

The measure, offered by progressive Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., would require President Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Lebanon. For months, Israel and Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group and Iranian proxy, have been at war in southern Lebanon, but the United States has not joined the conflict.

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., rejected the measure. Critics argued the resolution could aid Hezbollah and potentially hamstring U.S. military operations in the country. 

Tlaib’s resolution failed 92-324, with more than half of House Democrats joining nearly all Republicans to vote it down.

REP RASHIDA TLAIB MOVES TO BLOCK US OPERATIONS IN LEBANON BUT IGNORES HEZBOLLAH

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., an Israel critic, was the lone Republican to support Tlaib’s measure. Meanwhile, Reps. Derek Tran, D-Calif., and Betty McCollum, D-Minn., voted present.

House Democratic leaders said shortly before the vote they would oppose Tlaib’s resolution and work with the progressive lawmaker on a narrower measure exempting some U.S. military operations in the country. Their statement also denounced Hezbollah as a “violent terrorist organization” and a “sworn enemy of the United States.”

Tlaib, who has accused Israel of committing “ethnic cleansing” in Lebanon, did not mention Hezbollah in her resolution. She and other proponents of the measure also avoided discussing the Iranian proxy force during heated floor debate over the measure. 

Republicans highlighted the omission and accused the legislation’s supporters of serving as “proxies for Hezbollah.”

“Apparently they don’t want to see Israel killing Hezbollah, even though it’s Hezbollah that is killing Israeli children, Israeli adults, Israeli elders,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., said Wednesday, referring to his Democratic colleagues.

Tlaib asserted that her resolution would only affect U.S. forces actively engaged in hostilities. Republicans, however, disputed that claim and suggested it would hurt U.S. efforts to counter Hezbollah. 

“It doesn’t say anything about [whether] you can keep the Marines that are in the embassy,” Mast said, referring to the U.S. embassy in Beirut. “That’s a pretty big oversight. It doesn’t say anything about whether we can keep United States armed forces that are training missions with the LAF [Lebanese Armed Forces]. Again, pretty big oversight.”

RASHIDA TLAIB HIT WITH HOUSE CENSURE THREAT, ACCUSED OF ‘CELEBRATING TERRORISM’ IN PRO-PALESTINIAN SPEECH

The debate turned personal when Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, linked Tlaib to Hezbollah.

“Hezbollah is a terrorist organization … and its members are butchers that you like to hang out with to a certain extent,” the Ohio lawmaker said, referring to Tlaib.

A shouting match between the two then broke out, with Tlaib demanding that Miller’s remarks be stricken from the record.

The presiding chair ultimately complied with her request, but Miller doubled down on his remarks.

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“Yes, I said it. I own it, and I stand by it,” Mast said on behalf of Miller on the floor.

Tlaib’s failed war powers resolution comes as Iran has sought to tie Israel’s invasion of Lebanon to its ceasefire negotiations with the United States.

Hezbollah, which has long helped Iran project power in the region, rejected a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon’s government Thursday.

Several Democratic senators repeatedly declined to say whether they still support Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner when pressed about leaked explicit sexual messages tied to the candidate.

Platner’s latest controversy in the public eye involves sexually explicit text exchanges with multiple women that surfaced publicly while he was married to his wife, Amy Gertner.

The Maine candidate also has an active profile on Kik — private messaging app associated with casual sex and anonymous encounters. The app lacks proper identification methods that have led it to enable child predators to share inappropriate material.

His profile, Phustle0331, has been active since 2016, but Platner’s campaign previously acknowledged that the Kik account, which was created in 2016, belonged to him, stating that he had deleted the app from his phone but did not deactivate the account, according to The Wall Street Journal.

WATCH: SHAHEEN DODGES REPORTER’S PLATNER QUESTIONS AS AIDE CREATES DONUT DISTRACTION

While most Democrats were hesitant to vocalize their support for Platner, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., made it clear that he supports Platner in securing the Senate spot in Maine because of his opposition to President Donald Trump.

“We have in Maine, a candidate, that is Platner, who wants to stop Trump’s authoritarian destruction of our democracy,” Markey told Fox News Digital. “And we have another candidate, an incumbent, who hasn’t stood up to Trump. And so if you care about our Constitution, there’s really only one choice.”

Many Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have continued to back Platner despite the growing scandal, arguing that flipping Maine’s now Republican-held Senate seat remains a top political priority.

WATCH: CHUCK SCHUMER SIDESTEPS PLATNER SCANDALS, CONFIRMS SUPPORT FOR CONTROVERSIAL DEM 

Not all Democrats offered an outright endorsement. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said the decision ultimately belongs to Maine voters.

“I think that’s up to the voters of Maine to decide,” Shaheen said. “I don’t think inappropriate sexual behavior should be approved by anybody who does it, but the voters of Maine will have to decide that.”

Some Democrats declined to weigh in on the controversy or say whether they still support Platner as the countdown to Maine’s primary election enters its final days.

“I haven’t met him, I haven’t engaged with him, and I’m not going to answer that,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said.

THE GROWING LIST OF CONTROVERSIES THREATENING DEMOCRAT GRAHAM PLATNER’S MAINE SENATE BID

“I don’t do campaign stuff in the Capitol,” Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said when asked both if he was still supporting Platner and if he attended the meeting between some Democratic senators and Platner on Tuesday.

Platner invited the entire Senate Democratic caucus to a meeting Tuesday, though only about half a dozen senators were seen attending. Those in attendance included Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt.

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The primary election is set for Tuesday, leaving Maine voters just days to decide whether the controversy changes the trajectory of one of Democrats’ most closely watched Senate races.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Pack and Taylor Penley contributed to this report.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Rep. Linda Sánchez, D-Calif., traded barbs during a Thursday congressional hearing after she pressed him over a DOJ settlement requiring the IRS to end any existing tax audits of President Donald Trump, with Sánchez ultimately accusing him of overseeing the “most corrupt Treasury Department” in U.S. history. 

“I hope that you’re proud of your performance today, Mr. Secretary,” Sánchez told Bessent as he testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday. 

“I hope you get some social media clips,” he shot back.

The tense exchange came as Sánchez cited a settlement reached between the Department of Justice and the Trump family in May that forced the IRS, which is overseen by the Treasury Department, to end any existing tax audits of Trump, his family and their business interests. By the end of the back and forth, both parties had become incensed, with the congresswoman accusing Bessent of running the “most corrupt Treasury Department.”  

TRUMP FILES $10B LAWSUIT AGAINST IRS OVER ALLEGED TAX RETURN LEAKS TO MAJOR NEWS OUTLETS 

“Why are you allowing President Trump and his family to have complete immunity from being audited?” Sánchez asked Bessent as he testified before the House Ways and Means Committee. 

“Again, since you are a lawyer, you will understand that the U.S. Treasury and the IRS are represented by the Justice Department and the acting attorney general,” Bessent responded.

The clash highlighted a broader fight over how far executive power should extend when it intersects with federal agencies, personal finances and politically charged investigations. It also provided a familiar dynamic: Democrats warning of special treatment for Trump, and the administration framing the issue as another example of combating institutional overreach against him.

It is unclear whether Trump is currently facing any audits, a detail pressed by Bessent, eliciting indignation from Sánchez.

“Do you have specific knowledge of an audit of President Trump?” he asked Sánchez.

DEMOCRAT CONGRESSWOMAN DRAWS BOOS OVER ‘SHAMEFUL’ SEXISM REMARK IN COMMITTEE HEARING WITH TREASURY SECRETARY 

“Excuse me? It’s my time. You’re not here to ask me questions. I’m here to ask you questions. And hopefully you’re here to try to answer some of them,” she responded. “I’m curious to know who counts as Trump’s family for the purposes of this immunity. Is it his children, his in-laws, his grandchildren, his second or third cousin? His great-great-grandchildren? Do you know the answer to that question, Mr. Secretary?”

“Again, I imagine you have the Justice Department phone number. I suggest you call them,” the secretary responded. 

The exchange only heightened from that point. 

“Safe to say that this is probably the most corrupt Treasury Department in our nation’s history,” Sánchez said as her time speaking expired. 

“And I am going to have to take exception with that,” Bessent hit back, waving away her claim as “slanderous.” 

“The congresswoman is slanderous,” Bessent continued. “She has nothing but … the unsubstantiated opinions. And I will not stand for that. There is nothing corrupt. We move at the highest levels.” 

ACTING AG BLANCHE REVEALS FATE OF TRUMP’S ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND’ UNDER PRESSURE FROM HOUSE LAWMAKERS

Critics have questioned whether the DOJ has authority to bind the IRS and accused Trump, who was in 2024 reportedly facing a tax investigation that could have cost him up to $100 million, of pressuring the government for personal gain. Supporters, meanwhile, argue that the immunity is an appropriate response to alleged government weaponization.

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The state of the Trump family’s immunity is currently uncertain, especially after a federal judge blocked the president’s proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund. Bessent has declined to comment on whether the immunity deal is still in place, citing pending litigation.

The Department of War has officially removed 180 faiths from its list of recognized religions, acting on a change previously announced by War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The U.S. Military Chaplain Corps previously recognized over 200 faith codes that servicemembers could claim affiliation with. That number now sits at just 31 as of a Thursday memo from Undersecretary of Defense Anthony Tata, according to Military.com.

Tata’s memo says the change will “streamline the DoW collection of religious preferences for service members to enhance the delivery of targeted religious support from the Chaplaincy.”

“The new list will provide chaplains with clear, readily available information that will better enable them to anticipate the religious support needs of service members and to provide religious support activities that align with service members’ personal faith and practices,” he added.

AMERICA’S COMBAT CHAPLAINS OF ‘ALL FAITHS’ ARE THE FOCUS OF NEW FILM

The new list includes Agnostics, Buddhists, Hindus, Islam (Muslims), Judaism, Sikh, and a wide range of Christian-based groups like Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans and Methodists, the outlet reported.

Hegseth had announced the intention to trim the list of faiths earlier this year.

“The previous system had ballooned to well over 200 faith codes.… It was impractical and unusable, and many codes were never used at all,” Hegseth said in March. He went on to note that the vast majority of military members fit under just six of the faith codes.

Alongside that change, the Pentagon also directed serving chaplains to replace their rank insignia with their religious insignia.

“A chaplain is first and foremost a chaplain, and an officer second. This change is a visual representation of that fact,” Hegseth said in a statement in March.

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“Specifically unique to the role of a chaplain, they are first and foremost called and ordained by God. And, while they will retain rank as an officer to those they serve, their rank will not be visible,” he added.

FIRST ON FOX: A top Republican confirmed he will seek a “full investigation” of a likely Democratic colleague whose ties to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing mastermind roiled the 2026 midterm landscape after New Jersey’s Tuesday primaries.

Dr. Adam Hisham Hamawy is a veteran combat plastic surgeon who operates his own practice near Princeton but has been heavily criticized for his ties to and service as a defense witness for terrorist Omar Abdel-Rahman — better known as the “Blind Sheikh” — who later died in a North Carolina federal prison.

Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Middle East Subcommittee, expressed his concerns about Hamawy serving in Congress and later confirmed to Fox News Digital that he will indeed seek a probe of the controversial progressive.

Hamawy won a 12-way Democratic primary Tuesday for a Central Jersey seat that has not elected a Republican this century — and now faces perennial candidate Prof. Gregg Mele in November.

LONE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FINDS HIS EDGE AS A DOZEN DEMOCRATS CLASH IN RACE TO REPLACE MIKIE SHERRILL

Lawler told Fox News Digital that Hamawy’s resume is more than disqualifying for someone whose day job would give him access to the nation’s most sensitive national security information.

“Adam Hamawy was a defense witness for Omar Abdel-Rahman, the Blind Sheikh behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and a year earlier volunteered in Bosnia with an organization the U.S. Treasury designated a financier of terrorism and the 9/11 Commission tied to Osama bin Laden’s network,” Lawler said.

“He has never answered for any of it.”

Lawler questioned Hamawy’s “fit[ness] to serve” in Congress and to be privy to the same information he is on the Foreign Affairs panel.

“If he’s elected in November, I’ll push for a full investigation because the American people deserve the truth.”

Lawler notably represents Rockland County, N.Y. — an area just north of New York City with a sizable Orthodox Jewish population — and has been a steadfast defender of Israel and the Jewish people against threats from Iran and Hezbollah.

DEM FREE-FOR-ALL ENGULFS NJ AS 13 CONTENDERS SCRAMBLE FOR SHERRILL’S HOUSE SEAT AHEAD OF CRITICAL 2026 FIGHT

Hamawy previously volunteered at a Gaza hospital amid the conflict.

Lawler’s district recently hosted President Donald Trump’s rally featuring New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart — and his visibility on counterterrorism and Israel issues was brought to the fore when Sen. Rand Paul’s, R-Ky., son drunkenly confronted Lawler at a Washington bar and “accused” him of being Jewish during a diatribe about Israel.

Neighboring Congressman Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat from North Jersey, didn’t directly call for a probe but told Jewish Insider that he has “serious questions and deep concerns” about Hamawy’s “associations with terrorist organization and leaders who have attacked America.”

Like Lawler, Gottheimer said Hamawy must answer for these connections to the people of the Garden State.

Abdel-Rahman’s team called Hamawy as a witness, where he described traveling to Detroit for a conference at which the extremist cleric would appear.

Hamawy testified Abdel-Rahman regularly spoke of “jihad” and that at one point the Sheikh questioned Emad Salem — who later became a government informant — as to why Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had not yet been assassinated.

Hamawy has blamed Islamophobia for some of the invective directed his way — and pushed back on similar characterizations, including from one of his own Democratic primary challengers, Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp.

“Any Muslim is going to be called a terrorist at some point, and these tropes are outdated and worn,” he told the New Jersey Monitor in response to Mapp.

Hamawy’s campaign previously told Fox News Digital that he was in the military when the events covered Abdel-Rahman’s trial took place, and pointed to allies like Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who credited the surgeon with saving her life on the battlefield.

The prosecutor who led the U.S. government’s case against Abdel-Rahman, however, noted how Hamawy appeared voluntarily to defend the Blind Sheikh.

“He didn’t have to come unless he wanted to,” former U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy told “The Story” on Wednesday.

“It wasn’t like I subpoenaed him. It wasn’t like the government brought him in as a hostile witness. He volunteered to testify for this guy. He knew exactly who he was. And in fact, on cross-examination, his testimony that he didn’t recall a conversation about Mubarak was not very persuasive,” McCarthy said, referring to the cleric’s trip to Detroit.

Hamawy also greeted Abdel-Rahman from the stand with the Muslim greeting of Salaam Alaykum, suggesting personal familiarity, according to several critics.

When pressed by reporters earlier in the primary, Hamawy argued that Abdel-Rahman was a spiritual leader in the state’s Muslim community and “wasn’t preaching death and destruction all the time” while adding that he himself abhors all violence.

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Hamawy and Abdel-Rahman first met at a middle school forum in Matawan, New Jersey, in 1991, according to the former’s testimony in court.

The candidate did not respond to Fox News’ latest request for comment.

Outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, in a heartfelt X post Thursday, revealed her husband Abraham Williams is recovering at home after undergoing nearly seven hours of surgery for what she described as a “very rare sacral chordoma.”

“My husband Abraham was diagnosed with a very rare sacral chordoma,” Gabbard wrote Thursday on X. “The surgery to remove bone and surrounding tissue lasted almost seven hours and was successful.

“He had a rough night and is in a lot of pain but is finally home resting. Now recovery begins.”

Gabbard announced her pending resignation as DNI to support her husband through his battle with “an extremely rare form of bone cancer,” as first reported by Fox News Digital last month.

DEMOCRATS, MEDIA SPARK FURY WITH ‘DISGUSTING’ RESPONSE TO TULSI GABBARD’S DNI RESIGNATION

Gabbard notified President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office in mid-May. Her last day at ODNI was expected to be June 30.

“We’re so grateful for the outpouring of prayers and kind messages from all of you,” Gabbard’s Thursday post, revealing the precise diagnosis for the first time, concluded. “Our hearts are full.”

Trump announced Tuesday he appointing Federal Housing Finance Agency chief Bill Pulte as acting DNI to succeed Gabbard.

TRUMP NAMES BILL PULTE ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

“During this period, he will remain Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Gabbard assumed office in February 2025 and is a U.S. Army Reserve officer and combat veteran. She previously served in Congress for multiple terms as a Democrat before leaving the party to become an independent and later joining the Republican Party.

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained her formal resignation letter, in which Gabbard says she is “deeply grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for the last year and a half.”

RARE SPINAL CANCER TUMOR REMOVED THROUGH PATIENT’S EYE AT UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

“Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026,” she wrote. “My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.”

Gabbard said her husband “faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months.”

“At this time, I must step away from public service to be by his side and fully support him through this battle,” she said.

I’M 41 WITH A HUSBAND AND CHILD. I HAVE TOO MUCH TO LOSE AND WON’T GIVE UP MY FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

Gabbard added: “Abraham has been my rock throughout our eleven years of marriage — standing steadfast through my deployment to East Africa on a Joint Special Operations mission, multiple political campaigns and now my service in this role.”

She wrote that she “cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position.”

Trump responded to the resignation on Truth Social, writing that she “rightfully” wants to support her husband during a tough battle.

‘REAL HOUSEWIVES’ STAR TEDDI MELLENCAMP HOSPITALIZED WITH MULTIPLE TUMORS ON HER BRAIN

“I have no doubt he will soon be better than ever. Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her,” he wrote.

A sacral chordoma is a rare, slow-growing cancerous bone tumor that develops in the sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spine above the tailbone.

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The National Cancer Institute describes chordoma as a rare bone cancer that can develop at the base of the skull, in the spine or at the end of the spine in the sacrum or coccyx.

Fox News’ Madison Colombo, Brooke Singman and Robert Schmad contributed to this report.

Former White House national security advisor John Bolton will plead guilty to retaining classified information, two sources confirmed to Fox News Digital on Thursday.

Authorities raided Bolton’s home and office in August of last year, and he was officially indicted in October. That indictment charged Bolton with both transmission and retention of classified information.

He is now expected to accept a plea deal with federal authorities to plead guilty to a single count of retention of classified information. He faces 60 months in jail and a fine of up to $2.25 million.

“From on or about April 9, 2018, through at least on or about August 22, 2025, BOLTON abused his position as National Security Advisor by sharing more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor—including information relating to the national defense which was classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level—with two unauthorized individuals,” the indictment read.

“BOLTON also unlawfully retained documents, writings, and notes relating to the national defense, including information classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level, in his home in Montgomery County, Maryland,” it continued.

The documents, according to the indictment, revealed intelligence about future attacks by an adversarial group in another country; a liaison partner sharing sensitive information with the U.S. intelligence community; intelligence that a foreign adversary was planning a missile launch in the future, and a litany of other “TOP SECRET” information.

“The FBI’s investigation revealed that John Bolton allegedly transmitted top secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house in direct violation of federal law,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in October. “The case was based on meticulous work from dedicated career professionals at the FBI who followed the facts without fear or favor. Weaponization of justice will not be tolerated, and this FBI will stop at nothing to bring to justice anyone who threatens our national security.”

Bolton served as Trump’s White House national security advisor during his first administration, from 2018 to 2019.

A source familiar with the early stages of the investigation told Fox News Digital that CIA Director John Ratcliffe provided Patel with limited access to U.S. intelligence that served as the basis for the search warrant. The source told Fox News Digital that the evidence justified the raid on Bolton’s home.

Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump’s nearly $70 billion immigration enforcement package has entered uncertain waters as the Senate embarks on a marathon of votes that could blow up the legislation. 

At the heart of the issue is the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) now-defunct nearly $2 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. It’s another rare instance where both sides of the aisle are frustrated with the administration, and it could spell doom for the broader bill. 

That’s because Democrats and Republicans are lining up amendments to ensure the fund is dead, to varying degrees. 

GOP ADVANCES ICE FUNDING PACKAGE AFTER FORCING TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND INTO RETREAT

Senate Republican leadership is hopeful that they can prevent those amendments from surviving during the newly launched “vote-a-rama,” but success isn’t guaranteed. One positive for the GOP is that every Republican voted for the package in its first procedural hurdle Wednesday afternoon.

“I feel good going into it,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. “But, you know, you got a lot of conversations with our members [who] understand what’s at stake, how critical it is that we defeat amendments that would be corrosive to the bill or undermine in any way its privilege.”

One issue is that should an amendment targeting the fund pass, it could remove the reconciliation package’s ability to advance with just a simple majority of votes. That would effectively give Democrats a win in killing the package outright. 

Whether the amendments will be considered under a simple majority or 60-vote threshold could change the landscape and will ultimately be up to the Senate rules referee to determine whether they comply with the Byrd rule, which undergirds the reconciliation process.

GOP DEMANDS TRUMP KILL CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND BEFORE REVIVING ICE FUNDING PACKAGE

Republicans believed that those add-ons would hit that 60-vote mark, giving them a little bit of breathing room. 

“I mean, you never know with 100% accuracy,” Thune said. “There are a lot of creative ways of drafting amendments, but we feel pretty confident that most of those would be at 60.” 

The fund, announced last month as part of a settlement between the Trump family and the Internal Revenue Service, received strong pushback from Republicans who feared that without proper guardrails, people convicted of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on Capitol Hill could access the taxpayer funds.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., whose main job is to wrangle and twist the arms of wary Republicans to vote for the package, put the primary blame on Senate Democrats as fractures in the GOP simmered.  

GOP LEVERAGES ICE FUNDING PACKAGE TO MAKE TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND ‘NEVER EXIST’ 

“The Democrats continue to talk about everything they want to talk about, except actually securing the border and protecting the American people,” Barrasso said. “They’re gonna come with all sorts of things, all in an effort to delay our efforts to support the American people and keep them safe and secure.”

But there are Republicans who will have their own anti-weaponization fund amendments. So far, Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., two lawmakers who are increasingly prone to break with Trump, have teed up add-ons to address the fund.

There is the option to deal with the fund outside of reconciliation, too. 

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Cassidy, who Trump successfully just ousted from office, didn’t say which route he would prefer, but wanted “something which just makes it sure that somebody doesn’t change their mind in the White House, it doesn’t come back.”

Tillis contended that there were enough Republicans with concerns over the fund that something needed to be done, but wanted it to be a GOP-led initiative. He’s not picky about whether his amendment gets a shot either. 

“I don’t care about my own personal amendment,” Tillis said. “There’s a few out there, as long as one touching on the issue gets there. I’m not gonna slow leadership down. I
wouldn’t do anything to make it as corrosive to the underlying bill so that it loses privilege. But we gotta do this.” 

EXCLUSIVE: Republican candidate Eric Flores believes that, despite national headwinds, Democrats are heading for a major defeat in a critical South Texas swing district after he said the party has “missed the queue” with a key demographic: Hispanic voters.

Democratic leaders have been projecting confidence that they will retake the House of Representatives this midterm election. However, Texas Congressional District 34, which is primarily made up of Hispanic voters, is one race that could complicate those plans.

Currently held by Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, District 34 has been trending hard toward Republicans in the last several elections. And with Republicans’ razor-thin House majority at stake, Flores’ race is considered a top pick-up opportunity for the GOP.

Flores, a 34-year-old veteran and former U.S. attorney, spoke with Fox News Digital after a meeting with shrimping business leaders at the Port of Brownsville. He asserted that South Texas Hispanic voters “can see through the smoke and mirrors.” With Democrats like Senate candidate James Talarico at the top of the ticket in Texas, Flores believes voters are seeing the distinction between the two parties even more clearly.

WATCH: TALARICO EMBRACES ‘FREAKY’ IDENTITY AS CROWDS CHANT NAME MEANT AS INSULT: ‘SO WEIRD’

“Here in South Texas, we’re conservative. We go to church … we want to keep the family unit whole, whereas James Talarico is talking about six genders, right? He’s talking about the first thing that he loves outside of his family and friends are transgender children. That’s not what we’re about here in South Texas,” said Flores.

“We’re about taking care of our family values of keeping Christ first. They’ve absolutely missed that.”

Further, Flores said that South Texans are not connecting with Democrats’ messaging in opposition to President Donald Trump and the administration’s immigration policy.

“The issues that I’m hearing right now from the South Texas constituent is not the mainstream media point or the invisible villain that folks like Vicente Gonzalez, AOC and James Talarico are casting right now,” he said. “I’ll tell you what the constituent and what the voter is focusing on right now. They’re focusing on the cost of living. They’re focusing on affordability.”

“We’re talking about the one big, beautiful bill, the working family tax cut. That is what they’re talking about. They want the prices to continue to go down, and they want the future generation to be able to afford a house,” he added.

HOUSE GOP RUSHES TO COURT CRITICAL VOTING BLOC WHILE FACING UPHILL MIDTERM BATTLE

Meanwhile, he accused Gonzalez of not having passed “a single substantive piece of legislation for South Texas” during his nearly 10 years in Congress.

“I don’t know any job that you can have for 10 years and not be able to point to one substantive thing that you’ve done other than, well, I got this earmarked money, or I got these boys and girls grant. We appreciate that, but South Texas is deserving of much more than just that,” said Flores.

“He is using excuses that President Trump is wanting to deport brown people, and that’s not the truth,” he went on.

In response, Gonzalez called it “beyond hypocritical for Eric Flores and Republicans in Washington to feign concern for the economy when they openly celebrate stripping affordable health care and food assistance away from millions of families through their One Big, Ugly Bill.”

Gonzalez told Fox News Digital that “when Democrats retake the majority in November, I will focus on ending these ‘America Last’ policies that cater to the wealthiest few at the expense of hardworking South Texas families.”

“While Eric panders to the Administration like a lapdog, I’ve delivered more than $8 billion in federal funding to support law enforcement, improve infrastructure, assist veterans, and strengthen public education in my district,” he continued, adding, “South Texans deserve a fighter who puts our community first, not someone like Eric, who served as the lead defense counsel for a child predator and will only work for party bosses.”

Additionally, JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico, commented to Fox News Digital that “there is a growing backlash in South Texas to the corruption we’re seeing from politicians like [GOP Senate candidate] Ken Paxton.”

“They promised to make everything less expensive and put working families first, but now everything is more expensive and working families are further behind – all because they’d rather cut taxes for billionaire mega-donors than help working Texans,” said Ennis. “While Ken Paxton hurls cheap insults to distract from his career of corruption, James will continue bringing working people together to fix this broken political system and lower costs for families.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Paxton, who currently serves as Texas attorney general, for comment.

HOUSE CANDIDATE PREDICTS HISTORIC RISE OF ‘NEW GENERATION’ IN CONGRESS AS PARTIES TARGET KEY DEMOGRAPHIC

Meanwhile, in a statement to Fox News Digital, Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, criticized Gonzalez and Talarico for having “fought as transgender warriors for a decade, trying to convince Texans there are six genders and men can become women using your tax dollars for sex change surgeries.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for comment.

Though South Texas has been dominated by Democrats for roughly a century, Flores concluded that “folks down here feel absolutely abandoned by the Democrat[s].”

“We can say 50 to 100 years, people are tired of not having results. They’re tired of the Democrats coming down here and saying that they’re the representative party for this area. And it’s just false,” he said.

“This is the number one targeted seat in the entire nation. And why is that? Because we continue to see the Hispanic voter moving closer and closer to the Republican Party. What drives that? A lot of people don’t understand this. Here in South Texas, we’re really about three things: It’s faith, family, and hard work.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., for comment. 

California’s primary election results remain undecided for several closely-watched races Wednesday, including the gubernatorial race and the Los Angeles mayoral race.

As of Thursday morning, Republican Steve Hilton is leading the gubernatorial race with roughly 28% of the vote. Behind him are the two top Democratic candidates, former Biden official Xavier Becerra at 25% and billionaire Tom Steyer at 20%.

Los Angeles also remains too close to call, though incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has secured her spot in the November election. Her upstart opponent, Spencer Pratt, was holding in second place early Wednesday morning, but more of the vote remains to be counted.

Under California law, only the two top-performing candidates in state primaries can proceed to the general election in November, regardless of political party.

HILTON, BECERRA, IN THE LEAD WITH VOTES STILL BEING COUNTED IN BATTLE FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR

Pratt had received 30% of the vote as of Wednesday morning, with left-wing candidate Nithya Raman trailing him at 22%.

“This idea that I don’t represent Democrats and Republicans and independents — anyone that’s just a Los Angeles citizen that wants basic quality of life — I’ll be able to show that in five months,” Pratt said Wednesday night.

“I’m an Angeleno who said, ‘Enough is enough,’ and I had to step up,” he said. “I’m going to show everybody that I’m their mayor.”

RNC RAILS AGAINST CALIFORNIA’S LATE MAIL-IN BALLOT COUNTING AMID NATIONAL LITIGATION: ‘IT IS ABSURD’

California has faced routine criticism for its sluggish election system, with key races remaining undecided for days after the June 2 elections.

“The fact that California elections often can’t be resolved for weeks is kind of insane and not common in other electoral systems around the world,” Nate Silver, a top political data analyst, wrote on X on Tuesday afternoon. “Like honestly ‘it’s going to take us several weeks to tell you who won the election’ is failed state s— and should be much more stigmatized. The fact that it’s tolerated is bad too a textbook example of learned helplessness.”

Lengthy vote counts in California are a product of the state’s reliance on mail voting and its thorough review process. Under California law, every registered voter receives a mail-in ballot and votes that arrive at election offices up to a week after election day are considered valid so long as they were postmarked by election day.

In tight primaries where a handful of votes decide outcomes, this process can cause voters to go weeks without knowing who will advance to the general election.

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“Every other state manages to count its votes in a somewhat timely manner,” Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent who caucuses with the GOP, wrote on X. “California’s inability to competently handle the basic administration of democracy is embarrassing. It’s also indicative of why our state has so many other problems.”

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced on Wednesday the administration is on track to have the primary border wall, from the Pacific to the Gulf of America, completed by June 2027.

He added all contracts will be out by the end of this month, noting the department is making “great progress.”

Mullin’s comments came as he testified before the House Homeland Security Committee about his department’s 2027 fiscal year budget. He testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday.

BORDER WALL CONSTRUCTION SURGES AHEAD AS ILLEGAL CROSSINGS PLUMMET TO HISTORIC LOWS

However, Mullin clarified the primary wall is separate from the secondary wall.

“The primary wall is the first wall up because of the way the cartels adjust… they’re thugs and they’re terrorists,” Mullin said. “We have to push out a secondary wall because they’ve been going in and cutting the wall, and before we can respond to some of these remote areas, they’ve been able to get through.”

He said that every mile of fencing the department puts up, “the smaller the choke point gets for criminals to cross.”

THE NEW HIGH-TECH TOOL TRUMP IS USING TO SECURE OUR BORDER

To combat the potential break-ins, Mullin said the secondary 150-foot walls will be placed in certain locations, in addition to a smart wall, which will tell the department how many people are there.

“The smart wall is pretty impressive and we can put a drone in the sky and immediately keep eyes on them,” he said. “We’re well within track. The secondary wall — we feel like if we can continue to have the progress we have and the partnerships we’re having, we will probably complete that in the summer of 2028. All of it will be fully completed.”

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Mullin noted he has made multiple trips to oversee the wall construction and used aircraft to fly over “a tremendous amount of it.”

“We have some Democrat members that [have] had some concerns — some Democrat senators, congressmen — every one we try to address immediately,” he said.

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, a Democratic member of Congress known for his repeated attempts to impeach President Donald Trump, sparked blacklash online after accusing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin of racism.

When Mullin began defending himself, Green cut him off.

“Shut up,” Green barked.

The moment immediately drew condemnation online with the Republican National Committee’s official X account, reposting a clip of the interaction, calling it “UNHINGED.”

DEM REP. AL GREEN, BOOTED FROM TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS, DOUBLES DOWN ON IMPEACHMENT

The moment and reactions to it underscore how many of Green’s theatrical stunts to protest the Trump administration have turned into online sensations, drawing questions of where effective pushback to the administration begins and at what point it runs the risk of inflaming unwanted attention.

Green, 80, recently lost a primary election to newcomer Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, when a new redistricting map put the two Democratic lawmakers on a collision course to represent Texas’ 18th Congressional District.

Green has positioned himself as one of the party’s most consistent adversaries of the Trump administration, having spearheaded at least six different impeachment efforts and calling on other Democrats to more visibly resist the president’s agenda.

Earlier this year, Green was removed a second time from a State of the Union Address for displaying a sign reading “black people aren’t apes.”

In Wednesday’s hearing, Green noted that then-Senator Mullin had been one of many Republicans who tried to snatch away his sign.

“A racist would depict people of color as apes. A racist would take offense at a peaceful protest. This was a peaceful protest, Mr. Secretary,” Green said, holding up a photo of the moment.

VOCAL ANTI-TRUMP DEM REVEALS WHICH INDUSTRY IS TRYING TO OUST HIM FROM HOUSE SEAT: ‘I WAS A TARGET’

After Mullin tried to interject, Green continued to ask that Mullin be silenced. When Mullin continued, the congressman tried to ask the Republican chair to force Mullin’s compliance.

“Reclaiming my time. Ask him to shut up. It’s my time. Tell him to shut up,” Green said.

Benny Johnson, a political commentator, blasted Green’s attempt to block Mullin’s response in his own post to X.

“This is the modern Democratic Party in one clip. Green’s response? ‘Shut up, up, up, up. Shut up.’ No respect. No argument. No facts. No substance. Just “shut up” and a temper tantrum. This is all they have left,” Johnson said.

The Libs of TikTok, a conservative influencer account, similarly called the moment an embarrassment for Democrats.

“Rep. Al Green (D) has a complete MELTDOWN, calling DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin a “racist” before telling him to “SHUP UP” Thank God this unhinged lunatic was voted out,” the account wrote.

Eric Daugherty, another conservative media personality, also celebrated an impending end to Green’s time in Congress.

“Insufferable Rep. Al Green (D) just went on a BERSERK RANT and DHS Sec. Mullin took NO BS,” Daugherty wrote. “Al Green just lost his House seat. GOOD RIDDANCE!”

DEMS THROW HOUSE INTO CHAOS AFTER 10 MODERATES JOIN GOP TO PUNISH AL GREEN

After a moment, Homeland Security Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., gaveled the room into silence.

“No — the gentleman will suspend,” Garbarino said. “There will be no addressing anyone’s character in a negative way.”

Before the hearing got going again, Mullin got in one last jab at Green.

“Evidently, his constituents heard enough of him because they voted him out,” Mullin said.

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After being instructed to stay away from making attacks of character during the hearing, Green continued with his remarks.

“I will speak into the microphone so that I may be heard. I ask that any person who desires to interrupt me shut up,” Green said one last time.

After delays spurred by shock announcements from the Trump administration, Senate Republicans have officially launched their play to fund immigration enforcement. 

The upper chamber took the first step in the last leg of the process to advance a roughly $70 billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol after being derailed by the administration’s surprise “anti-weaponization” fund. 

It comes after uncertainty over whether acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s testimony under oath that the administration was “not moving forward with the fund” would be enough to satisfy skeptical Republicans.

GOP LEVERAGES ICE FUNDING PACKAGE TO MAKE TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND ‘NEVER EXIST’

Republican leaders hope that the unity on display Wednesday afternoon carries through the forthcoming “vote-a-rama,” where Democrats, and some Republicans, are considering several amendments to ensure that the nearly $2 billion fund is dead and never returns.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged that there may be some Republicans who weren’t satisfied with Blanche’s testimony, and reiterated that the main goal was to “get the base bill across the finish line.” 

“Hopefully, all of our members who have amendment ideas will, as they think through that, and they have the opportunities to have conversations… about their ideas, keep in mind we need to keep the bill together and make sure we’ve got 50 votes for it,” Thune said. 

GOP DEMANDS TRUMP KILL CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND BEFORE REVIVING ICE FUNDING PACKAGE

The fund, announced last month as part of a settlement between the Trump family and the Internal Revenue Service, received strong pushback from Republicans who feared that without proper guardrails, people convicted of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on Capitol Hill could access the taxpayer funds.

Republicans who were irate at the fund are still deciding whether they’ll support amendments, and beyond that, whether they will support final passage from the upper chamber. 

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., wanted a guarantee from leadership that his add-on to permanently kill any attempt at an “anti-weaponization” fund would at least get a vote. And if there’s no language that makes its way into the package that addresses the fund, he said, “It’s going to be hard for me to vote yes.”

“I mean, I think we got to know this is a huge political liability,” Tillis told reporters. “I said it was stupid on stilts a week or two ago.”

Senate Democrats intend to take advantage of any lingering fractures among Republicans with a plethora of amendments on the fund, along with other issues like the war in Iran and affordability. 

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said, “Whenever we go into a vote-a-rama, Democrats will be ready.” 

TRUMP ADMIN BACKS OFF CONTROVERSIAL $2B FUND, CLEARING PATH FOR GOP TO RESTART AGENDA

“Every vote, every amendment we bring to the floor will demonstrate that Democrats are standing up for the American people, and Republicans are selling out to Donald Trump,” Schumer said.

Meanwhile, the “anti-weaponization” fund, along with scrapped funding for security upgrades to President Donald Trump’s ballroom, became a distraction from the reconciliation package’s primary purpose.

Republicans turned to the process after congressional Democrats refused to fund immigration enforcement absent stringent reforms — that dispute led to the longest government shutdown in history. 

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But the march to fund ICE and Border Patrol has been marred at times by infighting, either within the Senate GOP or with the administration, that has threatened to blow up the exercise.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said Republicans were “moving in the right direction,” despite the issues that have cropped up. 

“We need to get border security funded, we need to get Immigration and Customs Enforcement funded,” Barrasso said. “And the Democrats continue to stand — and I am sure they will today — stand with illegal immigrant criminals over the safety and security of the American people.”

You always knew Lady Elaine Fairchilde would sow chaos on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” when she uttered the incantation “boomerang-toomerang-soomerang!”

Lady Elaine was the mischievous puppet on the show who bore a resemblance to Rod Stewart. She often waved around her boomerang if someone in the Neighborhood of Make Believe ticked her off, and she would literally flip the neighborhood upside down with her “boomerang-toomerang-soomerang!”

That’s where we stand with things these days on Capitol Hill.

The vote margins are really tight in both the House and Senate. Republican lawmakers are frustrated with the President over the war and the economy. That’s to say nothing of the now-abandoned $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. Then there are lawmakers who the president helped unseat in their primaries: Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Bill Cassidy, R-La. And now President Trump is insisting on a primary challenge against Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., in 2028 over her support of Massie, and he didn’t back Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, who ended up losing his primary, too.

HOUSE GOP TENSIONS ERUPT AS REPUBLICANS TURN ON EACH OTHER HEADING INTO YEAR’S END

We haven’t even gotten into various skirmishes between the president and retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., over the January 6th riot, or the investigation into former Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. And there are pockets of resistance within the party from Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine — with the latter facing a competitive re-election bid this November.

With all of that, there is a “disaffected caucus” of Republicans now serving on Capitol Hill.

In addition, some Senate Republicans are seething at the White House actively working against Cornyn and Cassidy. Some congressional Republicans on the ballot this fall are now trying to put some real estate between themselves and a president growing unpopular within his own party on Capitol Hill.

Senate Republicans are forging ahead to finally fund ICE and Border Patrol. Threats to attach language to curb the anti-weaponization fund derailed those efforts in late May. Republicans now believe they can keep everyone in line and pass that bill without lawmakers abandoning ship. Republicans may struggle to pass an additional measure focused on reducing the cost of living, cutting taxes, reducing gas prices, paying for the war in Iran or even funding the government this fall. Lawmakers have to approve a renewal of a controversial spy program known as FISA Section 702 before mid-month. But that’s grown more complicated after the president installed Bill Pulte — who has no background in national security — as interim director of national intelligence.

This is why some Republicans believe that the legislative process could be stymied.

These disgruntled Republicans could make things pretty hard for the GOP brass and President Trump for the rest of the year. And like Lady Elaine Fairchilde on Mr. Rogers’ show, any one of them could proclaim “boomerang-toomerang-soomerang” and turn the entire congressional neighborhood upside down.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., spoke with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday. The South Dakota Republican says Blanche was “very definitive” about the end of the compensation fund. Thune said he thought that it would help clear the way to pass the ICE/Border Patrol bill.

REPUBLICANS RECOIL AS TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR DOJ ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR ALLIES THREATENS ICE, BORDER PATROL PLAN

“I’m not guaranteeing that happens yet. We’re still continuing to have conversations with our members,” said Thune. “Everything comes down to a function of math. It’s ‘Do we have the votes? Do we have 50 votes to execute on getting a bill like that across the floor?’”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., met with President Trump on Monday and discussed the weaponization fund which threw Capitol Hill into a tizzy two weeks ago.

“I believe that it is off the table for consideration,” said Johnson about the fund.

The speaker communicated to the president how the fund made passage of an ICE/Border Patrol bill exponentially more challenging.

“I told them that it was a difficult prospect right now given our vote tallies,” said Johnson.

Blanche was declarative when testifying about the DOJ budget request before the House Appropriations Committee.

“We are not moving forward with the fund, period,” said Blanche.

TRICK OR TREAT: CONGRESS FACES ‘CHAMBER OF HORRORS’ AS GOVERNMENT FUNDING DEADLINE LOOMS

But Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., wasn’t convinced.

“Is there any way that you could put this in writing?” she asked Blanche. “I think they would love to be reassured that this fund will not progress.”

“I’m not trying to be flippant with you. I’m just saying. I’m telling you it’s not (moving forward),” replied Blanche.

Meng asked if she could have something on paper.

“There’ll be a transcript of what I say here so that will be in writing,” said Blanche.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wasn’t impressed by the announcement, either.

“Trump has not killed this slush fund. He has not revoked the special tax immunity he gave himself and his family. He has not ended the corruption. He hit a temporary roadblock. That’s it. Any toothless promise by Trump is worthless. His promises are worthless. The only way to end this scheme is abolish it by law,” said Schumer.

HOUSE GOP FEARS PRIMARY LOSERS COULD JEOPARDIZE RAZOR-THIN MAJORITY

At his hearing, Blanche reiterated that President Trump’s “settlement agreement” with the IRS over the leak of his tax returns remains intact.

This infuriated Democrats.

“You just gave the president’s family tax immunity to the tune of about $100 million,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the Appropriations panel.

And that’s where the GOP’s disgruntled caucus may come in.

Congressional Republican resistance to President Trump has grown in recent weeks. For instance, Cassidy cast the pivotal ballot allowing a procedural vote on an Iran war powers measure to forge ahead. This came after Cassidy lost his Senate primary to Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., and former Rep. John Fleming, R-La.

That said, lots of lawmakers rarely deviate from their customary political convictions – even if they’re on their way out the door. Over the years, I’ve had a number of people suggest to me that various members might be willing to vote for this or that in a lame-duck session after they either lost or are retiring. However, history shows they don’t change. Lawmakers usually remain loyal to their convictions and constituents – even as they exit. They don’t suddenly support something or oppose something – just because they are short-timers and their vote could help the party or their leadership.

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By the same token, lawmakers with one foot out the door don’t undergo a magical conversion if they’re angry at losing and vote one way or another for spite.

But rarely have we had a Congress where the votes in both bodies are so marginal. And even if it’s just a lawmaker or two who strays, it wouldn’t take much to pull a Lady Elaine Fairchilde, holler “boomerang-toomerang-soomerang” and turn Capitol Hill upside down.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent downplayed his past clash with Bill Pulte, President Donald Trump’s newly tapped acting intelligence chief, after senators pressed him Wednesday over reports that he once threatened to punch him at a dinner party.

“Did you actually tell Pulte you were going to punch them in the face,” asked North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis on Wednesday, referencing reports from 2025 that Bessent threatened Pulte during a dinner. 

“No sir, I actually said I was going to kick his ass,” the secretary quipped. 

The exchange during the Treasury’s budget hearing renewed scrutiny of earlier reports detailing a clash between the two men, coming just days after Trump announced that the Federal Housing Finance Agency director would take on one of the government’s most sensitive national security responsibilities.

DEM LASHES OUT AT BESSENT DURING HEATED COMMITTEE HEARING EXCHANGE: ‘EXCUSE ME’

Reports at the time found that Bessent allegedly accused Pulte of undermining him with the president and threatened to punch him in the face while at a dinner in September. But as senators pressed him about Pulte’s elevation to acting director, Bessent downplayed the flared tempers and revealed that he called Tuesday to congratulate him.

“Many teams squabble in the locker room and go out in the field,” responded Bessent when asked if he was comfortable with Pulte’s appointment.

When asked at the time about the alleged dinner quarrel, Bessent commented in September that it is not unprecedented to have Cabinet members to have physical altercations. 

“Treasury secretaries dating back to Alexander Hamilton have a history of dueling,” Bessent said in a CNBC interview.

DC DINNER TURNS CHAOTIC AS CODEPINK ACTIVISTS CORNER TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT: ‘BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS’

Trump tapped Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte after former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced she would step down last month to support her husband following his diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer.

TRUMP NAMES BILL PULTE ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Pulte will remain FHFA director and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while serving in the new post.

Bessent also made headlines in April 2025 for an alleged face-to-face with SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk.

The two men reportedly entered into a shouting match while in the West Wing over who would lead the IRS, Axios reported at the time.

Democratic lawmakers have expressed their disagreement with the Pulte pick, calling his qualifications into question.

“Trump’s appointments of Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence appears to have been a hastily considered backroom deal based on loyalty to Trump, not the security of our nation,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“What exactly are Bill Pulte qualifications? Does he have a national security background? The answer would be no. Does he have a military background? The answer would be no. Does he have a law enforcement background? The answer would be no,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

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He added, “What qualifies Bill Pulte to hold one of the most important national security positions for the United States of America? One thing, apparently, that Bill Pulte is willing to say anything or do anything that Donald Trump demands, no matter how reckless, vengeful or unlawful Donald Trump’s demand may be.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Treasury Department and DNI for comment.

President Donald Trump suffered a rare defeat in the House of Representatives on Wednesday after Democrats joined by a handful of Republicans voted to sharply curb his war powers in Iran. 

Lawmakers voted 215-208 to withdraw troops from using military force against Iran absent congressional authorization. 

All Democrats present voted for the measure to effectively halt the U.S. military campaign against Iran. Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Warren Davison, R-Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Tom Barrett, R-Mich., were the lone Republicans to buck the president and support the war powers resolution.

Massie, an ardent foe of the president who lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, and Davidson, a libertarian-aligned lawmaker have criticized the war in Iran. Fitzpatrick and Barrett are both facing potentially difficult re-election bids in swing districts.

SWING-DISTRICT REPUBLICAN BREAKS WITH TRUMP, PUSHES LIMITS ON IRAN WAR

A majority of Republicans, however, sided with the president as Democrats sought to put them on the record.

“It’s just a total BS vote. I think there’s no Democrat, no Republican that can tell you what forces they would want pulled from Iran,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., told Fox News. “They just want a stupid political vote, which is what this is.”

The successful war powers vote is largely a symbolic loss for Trump given an expected presidential veto and the lack of a veto-proof majority.

Even if Congress did cobble together a supermajority to force the president’s hand, it’s unclear whether Trump would ultimately withdraw U.S. forces.

Trump administration officials have repeatedly argued the 1973 War Powers Resolution requiring congressional oversight of military action is unconstitutional. 

The Senate advanced a similar resolution curbing the president’s war powers in May. But Democrats in both chambers have not yet gotten behind a bicameral measure that could be sent to Trump’s desk. 

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The GOP defections come as a growing number of Republicans have started to sour on the president’s handling of the war. For weeks, Trump has floated a potential deal with Iran to end hostilities, but both sides have continued to trade strikes amid stalled negotiations.

Roughly six in ten voters oppose military action against Iran, according to a Fox News poll published in May. However, 72% of respondents said the U.S. is winning the war.

Some Republicans argued the war powers resolution would undermine efforts to end the conflict, which they said has largely subsided since the first ceasefire was announced in early April.

“It doesn’t seem like it’s much of a war at this point,” Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., told Fox News. “I know there’s some skirmishes back and forth, but we’ve got to give President Trump the latitude to negotiate.”

“So people who are trying to get in his way, I think, are being a little foolish right now,” he added. “The war for all intents and purposes ended back in April.”

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Republican leadership initially delayed the vote on the Democratic-led resolution in late May following attendance issues among GOP lawmakers.

“We had a vote because of this president’s war of choice that was going to pass. We had the votes. Without question, and they knew it,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., who led the resolution, told reporters following the scrapped vote.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday evening that he plans to nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to permanently lead the Department of Justice.

In a video posted to social media by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, Trump can be seen announcing that he will nominate Blanche for the position after he assumed the role on an interim basis following former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s firing in early April.

“Tomorrow I’m instructing Dan [Scavino] and everybody else that’s involved in that very complicated process, which is gonna go, I think, very quickly, that we are going to make him permanent Attorney General,” Trump said in the video, which was recorded during a Rose Garden Club Dinner on Wednesday evening at the White House.

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This is a developing story; please check back for updates.