Rahul Gandhi launches fresh attack on PM Modi in US, says, ‘darr nahi lagta ab…’
Speaking at an Indian diaspora event in Herndon, Virginia, he claimed that the fear of PM Modi among the people has disappeared
Walz tells Texas Democrats a U.S. Senate race win is within reach
The vice presidential candidate was briefly in Dallas for a fundraiser on behalf of Kamala Harris’ campaign.
McCaul says he will hold Blinken in contempt after State Department shrugs off his demands for testimony
Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Mike McCaul said he still intends to haul in Antony Blinken on the Afghanistan withdrawal even after his sprawling report was completed, and will hold him in contempt of Congress if he does not comply. “This was a catastrophic failure of epic proportions,” the Texas Republican told reporters on Monday. “This is a disgrace. I will hold him in contempt if that’s what it takes to bring him before the American people.” “Secretary Blinken refuses to take one day out of this month to come before the [Gold Star] families.” McCaul’s comments came on the heels of a 350-page report he released Monday on the withdrawal that the committee worked on for much of the past nearly two years of the Republican majority. It laid much blame on the State Department and detailed how State officials had no plan for getting Americans and allies out while there were still troops there to protect them. McCaul subpoenaed Blinken last week, saying he must appear before the committee by Sept. 19. HOUSE GOP RELEASES SCATHING REPORT ON BIDEN’S WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel shrugged off the committee’s threats. “The majority isn’t truly interested in legislating on Afghanistan policy. If they were, they would have sought to speak to the secretary long ago,” he told reporters Monday. “They would have sought to speak to him to get his input as they make this report,” he said. “Instead they waited until the report was completely finished to come back to us.” In May, McCaul asked Blinken to appear at a hearing in September on the committee‘s report on its investigation of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. The State Department failed on several occasions to provide a date for Blinken to appear before lawmakers, McCaul said. But the State Department said Monday Blinken had testified before House and Senate committees 14 times on the withdrawal, including four times before the Foreign Affairs Committee. McCaul also hinted that he believes there should still be a small contingency of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBPOENAS BLINKEN OVER AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL “We cannot see now into Afghanistan except through over the horizon, which doesn’t work. We can’t see Russia, China and Iran, either, because of this tragic failure of foreign policy,” he told reporters. “We can’t see all of ISIS gathering in the Korazhan region of Tajikistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, making their way to the United States of America. That is what they did to us,” the chairman went on. “They embolden the unholy alliance of Putin, Xi, the Ayatollah and Kim Jong Un,” he said, referring to the leaders of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. The Biden administration has long claimed the president’s hands were tied by the Doha agreement negotiated under President Trump that laid out a deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Afghanistan. But the new report detailed how the Taliban had failed to hold up their end of the deal, absolving the U.S. of any obligation to adhere to it. “Biden, for his part, faced a stark choice when he came to office, abide by the flawed agreement and end America’s longest war, or blow up the deal, extend the war, and see a much smaller contingent of American troops back in combat with the Taliban,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday. “He chose the former and was able to buy additional time to prepare for that withdrawal all the way into the summer. And we, as a nation are safer for it. Any and every discussion about what happened in Afghanistan has to start right there. Sadly, the report does not dwell on it.” The damning report claims that while US military personnel were drawing down their footprint in the nation, the State Department was growing theirs. And according to the report, U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson was on vacation the last week of July and the first week of August 2021. He promptly hightailed it out of the country on a flight ahead of his staff in mid-August. He allegedly had COVID-19 at the time and forced a foreign service officer to take his COVID test so he could get on the plane. Patel defended Wilson, but did not deny the allegations. “I’m just not going to get into a tit-for-tat with the House Foreign Affairs Committee, but what I can say is that it is not my understanding that he was on vacation at the beginning of August. Beyond that, I will just echo what I said previously about Ambassador Wilson, that this is an esteemed individual, a decorated Foreign Service officer.” He claimed the GOP-led report chose “scandal over substance” and called it a “collection of cherry-picked comments… designed to paint an inaccurate picture of this administration’s efforts. He claimed the withdrawal was carried out in a way that was consistent with department policy. “The drawdown in Kabul was conducted in a manner which is consistent with our departments and our country’s standards and protocols when faced in those circumstances.” He said he did not have a headcount on how many Americans are still in Afghanistan, but touted the more than 18,000 Afghan special immigrant visas (SIVs) for the U.S.’s Afghan allies, such as interpreters, that were processed in 2023.
Mike Johnson faces conservative mutiny over Trump-backed plan to avert government shutdown
House GOP leaders’ plan to avert a partial government shutdown at the end of this month could be derailed by mounting opposition from fiscal hawks within their own party. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., rolled out legislation late last week to extend the current year’s government funding levels through March via a continuing resolution (CR) to give congressional negotiators more time to work out the next fiscal year’s spending priorities. It’s attached to a Republican-led bill for a proof of citizenship requirement in the voter registration process. CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION Despite former President Donald Trump blessing the plan, Johnson can afford little room for error with a razor-thin House majority of just four votes. As of early Monday evening, it appears that at least four House Republicans are opposed to their leaders’ bill – one more GOP “no” vote would ensure Johnson will need to seek out Democratic support for its passage. Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., told reporters on Monday that he and Reps. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., are all opposed. “I’ve made it clear…that I’ll be a no on the CR,” Mills said. “As far as I’m concerned, this is nothing more than messaging.” Fox News Digital reached out to Burchett to confirm his stance. JOHNSON UNVEILS TRUMP-BACKED HOUSE GOP PLAN TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, SETS UP BATTLE WITH SCHUMER Massie told Fox News Digital last week that he believed it was a mistake for Johnson not to push for a longer CR. Under a bipartisan deal passed last year, a CR extending past April 30 would automatically trigger a 1% government funding cut. “Speaker Johnson has this teed up in front of him. The 1% cut is in law. All we need is a one-year CR to queue it up. When the April 30 deadline arrives, he could even trade the cut for something. But he’s afraid to even create a spending cut deadline,” Massie said. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., who is retiring at the end of this year, also told Fox News Digital last week that he is against the bill. MCCARTHY’S ‘FINAL STRUGGLES’ THREATEN TO HAUNT JOHNSON’S GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FIGHT Lawmakers anticipate a Wednesday vote on the plan, but enough opposition could force House GOP leaders to scuttle the vote. It’s possible that some Democrats will vote for the bill. Five House Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act earlier this year. But Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have both come out in opposition to the plan. The White House also announced Monday that President Biden would veto the bill if it got to his desk. Johnson told reporters earlier in the day that he did not have a fallback plan in case of failure. “There is no fallback position. This is a righteous fight. This is what the American people demand and deserve,” Johnson said. It’s a position that is likely to worry moderates who worry the political fallout from a government shutdown weeks before Election Day could cost them their seats. “If we shut down, we lose,” one Republican told Fox News Digital last week. Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson for comment on the “no” votes. Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
White House pushes back against scathing report on Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan
The White House pushed back on a report released Sunday by Republican lawmakers criticizing President Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, calling the report partisan and offering “little or nothing new.” Texas Rep. Mike McCaul, the Republican chair of the committee, released a GOP-led report disputing Biden’s claims that his hands were tied to the agreement former President Trump had made with the Taliban establishing a deadline for U.S. withdrawal for the summer of 2021. It also said State Department officials had no plan for helping Americans and allies out while there were still troops in the region to protect them. McCaul’s report also noted the failure to adequately respond to terror threats ahead of the ISIS-K bombing at Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 150 Afghan civilians, and that the Taliban likely had access after the withdrawal to $7 billion in abandoned U.S. weapons, and up to $57 million in U.S. funds that were initially given to the Afghan government. On Monday, White House National Security Council communications adviser John Kirby defended Biden’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan during a White House briefing. HOUSE DEMS ISSUE RESPONSE TO GOP REPORT ON BIDEN’S WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN Kirby told reporters the GOP report comes two years after their first report, adding, “This one says little or nothing new.” He then provided a rundown of what he called “actual facts” that he considered important. “First, on the very day this administration took office, the Taliban was in the strongest position it had been in years. The Afghan government, the weakest,” Kirby said. “The Trump administration cut a deal called the Doha Agreement that mandated a complete U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and yes, that included Bagram Air Base, by the end of May 2021.” HOUSE GOP RELEASES SCATHING REPORT ON BIDEN’S WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN Part of the deal was that 5,000 Taliban fighters would be released from prison, and in return, the Taliban agreed not to attack U.S. troops, he explained. Kirby referred to testimony from former commander of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Frank McKenzie, who said the Doha deal had a really pernicious effect on the Afghan government, and it demoralized them. “They knew right then and there that America was on its way out,” Kirby said. “Indeed, in October of 2020, then-President Trump ordered his military to rush the exit from Afghanistan and have everybody leave by Christmas of that year. HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBPOENAS BLINKEN OVER AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL “President Biden, for his part, faced a stark choice when he came to office: Abide by the flawed agreement and end America’s longest war, or blow up the deal, extend the war, and see a much smaller contingent of American troops back in combat with the Taliban,” Kirby added. “He chose the former and was able to buy additional time to prepare for that withdrawal all the way into summer, and we, as a nation, are safer for it.” Kirby then brought up what he called “falsehoods” from the report. The first issue he found was that there was in fact planning for evacuations beginning in the spring of 2021. Kirby said the Department of Defense proposed additional military units in the region so when a decision was reached to evacuate, they would be poised to respond. AFGHAN GENERAL SAYS HIS COUNTRY HAS ONCE AGAIN BECOME ‘CRUCIBLE OF TERRORISM’ He also said there was no point in securing Bagram Air Base during the evacuation because it would have required thousands of additional U.S. troops. It would also have required a “dangerous trek by evacuees” across Taliban territory, making the evacuation even more difficult. Kirby also mentioned that there was no handover of U.S. equipment to the Taliban. “That equipment had been provided to Afghan security forces appropriately and with congressional approval over the course of two decades of war,” he said. “That equipment was left by those Afghan forces when they surrendered or stopped fighting.” Finally, Kirby told reporters the Biden administration did not deceive, lie or fail to be transparent during, or after the withdrawal. “We did the best we could every day to keep the American people informed of what was happening,” he said. “We conducted our own after-action reports and shared those, too, with the public.” Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Fox News Politics: Fight Night Eve
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. COUNTDOWN: 1 DAY: Don’t miss the Fox News simulcast of the ABC News Presidential Debate, tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET. Learn more. What’s happening… -Retired generals and admirals defend Biden-Harris’ Afghan withdrawal -Harris’ campaign website finally includes policy section -Biden’s deep ties to liberal think tank hamper Project 2025 criticism In a margin of error race with eight weeks to go until Election Day and early voting getting underway this month in some crucial battleground states, it is hard not to underscore the importance of Tuesday’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. “It’s going to frame the race in people’s minds and have a decisive impact,” veteran GOP strategist and Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks told Fox News Digital. Republican consultant and Fox News contributor Ari Fleischer emphasized that there is “a lot at stake in this debate.” While Trump is a very well known commodity in the minds of American voters, they are considerably less familiar with Harris. “For the first time people are really going to get to see her and whether she can stand on her own two feet,” argued Fleischer, a White House press secretary under then-President George W. Bush. Harris and Trump will share the same stage at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center in an ABC News debate in their first and perhaps only face-to-face encounter ahead of the presidential election. Harris has enjoyed a wave of momentum in both polling and fundraising since replacing President Biden at the top of the Democrats’ 2024 ticket in July, but Republicans argue Americans’ honeymoon with the vice president is subsiding…Read more ‘CHAOTIC APPROACH’: Retired generals, admirals criticize Trump’s actions in Afghanistan, defend Biden-Harris withdrawal …Read more OUT OF ORDER: Biden has signed just 2 executive orders since dropping out of race, trailing past presidents …Read more ‘TWO CAN PLAY THIS GAME’: Biden’s deep ties to liberal think tank could come back to haunt Harris campaign as it blasts Project 2025 …Read more ‘NOT TRUE’: State Department denies lack of planning for Afghanistan withdrawal after scathing report …Read more ‘THEY DID IT’: 9/11 families call on Trump and Harris to oppose US-Saudi deal …Read more AFGHAN WITHDRAWAL: House Dems issue response to GOP report on Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan …Read more ‘UNLAWFUL’: Top Trump ally in Congress grills Garland on who’s letting Jack Smith keep going …Read more TEMPORARY SENATOR: George Helmy being sworn in as Menendez replacement, will only serve for final months of term …Read more WORTH THE WAIT?: Harris campaign website now includes policy section, uses much of it to bash Trump …Read more TOUGH TIMING: Dems face narrow timeline to push Biden-Harris judges through and surpass Trump legacy …Read more GALVANIZED SUPPORT: Poll finds Black voters more likely to vote now that Harris has replaced Biden on Democratic ticket …Read more ‘SMART SOLUTIONS’: Harris doubles down on support for left-wing benefit for illegal immigrants …Read more ‘HIT HER ON POLICY’: Republican allies advice for Trump in debate showdown with Harris …Read more GAME-‘CHANGER’?: Conservative group registers 50K in swing states …Read more STEEL CITY SPEAKS OUT: Voters say where they believe Harris stands on issues …Read more RED PERIL: New report sounds alarm on China’s role in destroying US familes with deadly drug …Read more FEWER JOBS: Surge of migrant workers cutting off bottom of the career ladder for native-born Americans: expert …Read more TERROR TUNNELS: Hezbollah relies on aid from North Korea, Iran to mine tunnels in threat to Israel …Read more Subscribe now to get the Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Migrant controversy hits heartland as Alabama council meeting boils over, state officials slam feds’ ‘mess’
Residents of a small Alabama city were up in arms at the migrant influx during a recent city council hearing that lawmakers suddenly cut short amid the outcry. Meanwhile, state leaders demanded answers from the feds as the migrants appear to be in the country legally under Temporary Protective Status provisions extended to Haitian nationals by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. In Sylacauga, just south of NASCAR’s Talladega Superspeedway, City Council President Tiffany Nix abruptly curtailed public comment as residents demanded accountability for the at least 50 migrants that appeared in the city. “We’re done,” Nix responded to resident David Phillips, who had criticized council’s attitude as “entirely unacceptable” during the meeting last week. “[Haiti is] a failed state – their president (Jovenel Moise) was assassinated in 2021 – there is no way the State Department can vet these individuals,” Phillips said before Nix cut in as another resident called out, “Please let him talk.” MIGRANT CRISIS ROILS BOSTON AREA AS SCHOOL STANDS FIRM ON RESIDENCY POLICY Nix then made a motion to adjourn the meeting and ordered the gallery cleared. “This is our city,” a woman in the gallery said. “Good to know, they don’t want to hear the truth,” another said. Another resident wondered aloud how local schools will be able to handle the new migrants, noting that financial resources would be needed for children that only speak French-Creole and not English. Amid the murmuring, Nix could be heard asking, “What would you like us to do?” Earlier in the meeting, Nix said there is no reason to launch a municipal investigation and that people should not treat others “differently because of how they look.” State Rep. Benjamin Robbins, who represents the city, wrote a letter Thursday to Mayorkas, demanding a federal response. “As the secretary of Homeland Security, you are charged with overseeing immigration enforcement and refugee resettlement,” he wrote. “Recently, my district has seen an influx of Haitian immigrants. You and your agency have failed in your responsibility to notify our community of the relocation of refugees, provide any information to local leaders or answer questions.” Robbins said the situation has caused “panic and confusion” and left local leaders “helpless.” Robbins said he would demand Congress investigate if DHS does nothing. Sylacauga Mayor Jim Heigl separately told Alabama’s 1819 News that information the migrants were in his city legally “came out from [Gov. Kay Ivey’s] office and also came from Mike Rogers’ office, [Sen.] Katie Britt’s office and [Sen. Tommy] Tuberville’s office. BIDEN’S LATEST BORDER ORDER MAY EMBOLDEN MIGRANTS TO FLOUT IMMIGRATION LAWS, COMMIT MARRIAGE FRAUD CRITICS SAY Rogers, the chair of the House Armed Services Committee, called the situation in his district “yet another example of the Biden-Harris administration’s moronic immigration policy failures.” “Those two never cease to amaze me with their total incompetence and outright antagonism toward hardworking Americans. The way to fix this is to re-elect President Trump,” Rogers said. Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter added his biggest concern is the lack of information from the feds on the migrants already inside the state. “We have asked repeatedly,” said Ledbetter, R-Rainsville. “Once they are here, communities like Sylacauga and Albertville are left to deal with the disaster. Our schools don’t have the ESL resources to support the immigrant children, housing these people is an issue, crime is an issue, and the federal government has offered zero support whatsoever.” Tuberville told Fox News Digital the feds are abusing their parole authority, which he said is supposed to be used sparingly and only for humanitarian purposes. Instead, he said the administration is using it as a tool of “mass amnesty to millions of people.” “We have no idea who most of these people are,” Tuberville said. Fox News Digital reached out to the city and was directed to Nix’s email but did not receive a response. Meanwhile, in Montgomery, state Senate President Pro-Tempore Greg Reed, R-Jasper, said Monday the Biden administration has allowed millions of illegal immigrants to “pour in” and cause a crisis. “The immigration catastrophe they have … openly incentivized is hitting home right now for Americans across the country, including right here in Alabama,” he said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Alabama officials are prepared to use the tools at our disposal to clean up the mess and confusion their reckless policies have created,” Reed went on, adding that the crisis in Sylacauga emphasizes the importance of the presidential election. A spokesperson for Ivey responded to a question about the mayor’s comments by saying her office has not received any facts or communications from the feds or to local officials on the matter. “Separately though, Alabamians and Americans all over the country are rightfully concerned over the current Biden-Harris pro-illegal immigration policies. No doubt this is a contributing factor to the concerns of people in Sylacauga and other areas,” Gina Maiola said. “People are on high alert. Gov. Ivey will continue taking action to enforce the law, doing everything in Alabama’s authority to secure the U.S. southern border and protecting our citizens from the harmful effects of illegal immigration.” DHS did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Mike Pence, other former top Trump officials featured in Harris campaign ad slamming Trump as ‘dangerous’
A new ad from the Harris campaign slamming Trump as “dangerous” will feature comments from several former top Trump officials, including former Vice President Mike Pence. The ad, titled, “The Best People,” seeks to bring old criticisms targeted at Trump — from former top officials he once hired — back into the spotlight. It will be aired the same day as ABC’s presidential debate Tuesday, and is scheduled to play on multiple Fox affiliates across the country. “Anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be President of the United States,” Pence said in August 2023. It came after an indictment was handed down against former President Donald Trump for allegedly interfering with the 2020 election results. The Harris campaign utilized the remark in its new ad, as well as a second remark made by Pence on Fox News roughly six months ago, saying he would not be endorsing Trump for president. “Take it from the people who knew him best,” a narrator says in the advertisement. But despite the former vice president’s cameo appearance slamming Trump in the new ad, his decision not to endorse Trump does not equate to an endorsement for Kamala Harris, a spokesperson for Advancing American Freedom, a nonprofit recently founded by Pence, suggested. The spokesperson pointed Fox News Digital to a particular comment from Pence made last month in Atlanta, Georgia, during which Pence stated adamantly: “I could never vote for Kamala Harris as President of the United States, or Tim Walz her running mate.” CNN CALLS OUT HARRIS FOR USING TRUMP’S BORDER WALL IN CAMPAIGN AD AFTER CONDEMNING IT FOR YEARS The new Harris campaign advertisement also included year-old remarks from the former defense secretary under Trump, Mark Esper. Esper’s comments utilized in the ad came from a June 2023 CNN interview, during which he was asked whether Trump “can be trusted” with the nation’s secrets in light of scrutiny over how he handled classified documents after leaving the White House. “No,” Esper says. “It’s just irresponsible action that places our service members at risk, places our national security at risk.” Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Esper to see if he was aware of his appearance in the ad, but did not hear back. Meanwhile, Trump former national security adviser John Bolton and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff under Trump, Gen. Mark Milley, also appeared in the new ad from the Harris campaign. Bolton and Milley both have a track record of being outspoken critics of Trump. OVER 200 FORMER BUSH, MCCAIN, ROMNEY STAFFERS ENDORSE HARRIS: ‘THE ALTERNATIVE … IS SIMPLY UNTENABLE’ “Donald Trump will cause a lot of damage,” remarks from Bolton in the ad. “The only thing he cares about is Donald Trump.” Bolton’s remarks highlighted in the advertisement came from an interview on CNN in October 2023 and last week, respectively. The ad concluded with remarks from Milley made during his final address as the nation’s top military general in September 2023. “We don’t take an oath to a king, or a queen, or a tyrant, or a dictator,” Milley says in the ad. “And we don’t take an oath to a wannabee dictator.” Fox News Digital reached out for comment to representatives for Bolton and Milley, but did not receive a response by publication time. Trump campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, meanwhile, slammed the new ad as an attempt to “distract” from how “dangerously liberal [Harris] is.” “The Kamala campaign is using the words of a few disgruntled losers because they are losing in the polls and trying to distract from the fact that Kamala is losing support from moderate Democrats who realize how dangerously liberal she is,” Leavitt said on Monday.
Biden-Harris admin has ‘failed’ repeatedly on health care: analysis
The Biden-Harris administration’s handling of health care policies under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has resulted in the $266 billion diversion from Medicare to green energy – leading to a 21.5% increase in Part D premiums and a drastic reduction in available plans – according to an analysis by the Health Market and Policy Network, led by Joe Grogan, former domestic policy assistant under the Trump administration. The administration’s intervention, including a $10 billion subsidy to insurers, is a temporary measure to mask the deeper issues created by these changes, the analysis sent to health care groups on Monday said. The analysis, which comes just one day before the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump, also criticized the administration’s handling of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans for allegedly enabling widespread fraud and costing billions, while cuts and stricter regulations have made it harder for seniors to access benefits. HEALTH CARE IS ‘OVERWHELMINGLY COMPLEX’ FOR OLDER ADULTS, EXPERTS SAY: ‘EVER-INCREASING HURDLE’ “With a presidential debate looming and a quick sprint to Election Day, health care policy will be debated vigorously,” Grogan told Fox News Digital. “Because many in the legacy media have been all too eager to advance the Biden administration’s progressive narrative that only greater government control and more deficit spending will make America healthier, a more sober assessment of the Biden-Harris record is essential to help Americans understand the issues.” “Our brief analysis reveals a series of failures in health care policy – catastrophically flawed legislation, counterproductive regulations, and an executive branch more committed to control than positive health care outcomes,” he added. The analysis also states that the Biden-Harris administration “suppressed medical perspectives counter to their preferred narratives and censored dissident scientists.” By boosting subsidies and offering free plans to people above the poverty line, they encouraged some to falsely claim low incomes, the report claimed. As a result, up to 5 million people were fraudulently enrolled, costing taxpayers $15 billion to $20 billion in 2024. “Due to poor oversight of ACA brokers, reports broke this year of ACA plans being switched and of thousands of other Americans being enrolled in ACA-backed plans, all without their knowledge or consent,” the report states. The Biden-Harris administration’s changes to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have also reduced payments to insurers and made it harder for these plans to offer extra benefits for seniors. New restrictions and lower payments may lead to higher costs for beneficiaries and fewer benefits like dental and vision care, according to the report. The administration also “prioritized radical identity politics over medical expertise,” according to the analysis, and in 2021, they offered extra pay to doctors who made plans to focus on race in their care. They also required brain research groups to include diversity goals in their funding applications. BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION USING TAXPAYER MONEY TO MASK MEDICARE PREMIUM HIKES BEFORE ELECTION: CRITICS In a move critics say is designed to shield the Biden-Harris administration from election fallout, the administration also leveraged taxpayer funds to mask upcoming increases in Medicare premiums last month. Under the IRA, which was intended to cap out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries, insurers are poised to significantly hike monthly premiums, with average bids for Part D plans expected to triple by 2025. Americans are also dealing with a spike in the cost of prescription drugs, which has surged nearly 40% over the past decade, easily outstripping the pace of inflation. In response to potential voter backlash, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rolled out a three-year “demonstration project” to subsidize these premiums in August, aiming to keep them artificially low. However, despite the appearance of relief, some critics are saying that taxpayers will fund a dramatic increase in subsidies – from $30 per recipient per month in 2024 to $142.70 in 2025 – raising concerns about the long-term impact on government spending and debt. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment but did not hear back by publication deadline. FOX Business’ Megan Henney contributed to this report.
Obama’s half brother rips Biden-Harris agenda while hyping second Trump term: ‘We’re going to win’
Former President Obama’s half brother is backing former President Trump for president and spoke to Fox News Digital about why he left the Democratic Party and why he believes Trump is “going to win” in November. “I’m supporting President Trump. I’ve been a supporter, a supporter since 2016. I like him,” Malik Obama told Fox News Digital on Monday. “I like the way he comes across. I like his demeanor. I like his straightforwardness. And I think he’s good for the country. And, he put the country back on course. Yes. I’m a Republican, so he’s my nominee.” Malik and Barack are both sons of Barack Hussein Obama Sr. and Malik was the best man at Barack’s 1992 wedding, although the two have grown estranged since. “The main thing is making America strong, you know, in the eyes of the world. And Trump is a strong person. He’s known for his mettle, his strength and I like that,” Malik said. “He’s a no-nonsense guy. He’s a businessman, so he knows, you know, how to run a big organization. And the Democrats, I fell out with them because they’re hypocrites.” EX-OBAMA ADVISER WARNS ‘IT’S VERY POSSIBLE’ TRUMP WOULD WIN ELECTION IF HELD TODAY, SAYS REPORTERS TOO COCKY Obama explained that the hypocrisy that made him leave the Democratic Party involved the way Democrats have treated Trump and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. “They’ve been treating Mr. President Trump horribly,” Obama said. “I’m not seeing anything like that in my life. You know, they’re going after him for, you know, going through tooth and nail. But using the judiciary to try to lock him up and keep him off the ballot, and I’ve not seen anything like that in my life. So the way they’re treating a former president of the United States of America is despicable to me.” Obama said that in 2024 he believes “Democrats will be there doing the same thing they did in 2016.” 5 OVER-THE-TOP DNC MEDIA MOMENTS, FROM COINING THE TERM ‘KAMALA HARRIS DEMOCRATS’ TO COMPARING OBAMA AND JESUS “They did it with Hillary, Hillary Clinton, and they were lying. And, you know, they’re just hypocrites. And, you know, they’re not straightforward and OK, I was a Democrat at that time until, you know, they started lying and, about the emails and I saw through, you know, they’re, they’re trying to put Hillary Clinton through, by devious means,” he continued. “And then Trump came out and called them out. He called them out straight to their face. And I like that. And a light bulb just came on from my head. And I just said, ‘Yeah, this is it.’ So I’ve been a big Trump follower since then.” Obama also took issue with President Biden and the way his party handled transitioning to VP Harris. “Then you had Joe Biden, old man,” Obama said. “He can’t even find the door even if you showed him, and he holds on until the last minute and he is the nominee. And all of a sudden, they drop off and they put Kamala Harris. Come on Harris. She’s like a joke. I see the way she behaves and everything, and I don’t think that she’s the right person. Maybe they should have decided to put Michelle Obama instead.” Obama said his half brother Barack Obama and Harris are “cut from the same cloth” and “wishy-washy,” especially when it comes to abortion and immigration. “Going around, fooling around with biology and things like that,” Obama said. “I think that is evil. But they stand for that. And I think that is abominable, you know, that they would go ahead and support such things. She’s talking about freedom of, what is it? What she’s talking about reproductive freedom and reproductive freedom is abortion. “You know, giving somebody the right to go ahead and kill a baby,” he added. “I don’t agree with it. I find it really abominable that they would do such a thing.” “Even the border issue with the immigration and illegal immigrants coming into the United States. It took me forever to get my children [through] and I came in legally to the United States. I had a green card. The papers were put through, and I went through the process, and I was a legal resident for a long time until I decided to become a U.S. citizen. And that also was a process. You have to go and file and apply and do the things you’re supposed to do,” Obama continued. “And then, my children are now in the USA and had to go put in the papers for them and then legally. And then you got people coming in, illegals and being allowed to vote and things like that. And, and that to me is, you know, that’s a no no. I can’t stand for that. And I can’t support that kind of policy.” Obama’s half-brother went on to tell Fox News Digital that he believes former President Obama is “fake” and “did zilch” for his family and that’s part of the reason Trump is so appealing in comparison, because he “doesn’t beat around the bush.” “Yeah, we’re going to win,” Obama said about what his message to Trump would be. “I just say President Trump, you’re going to win in November 2024,” he concluded. “You’re going to win. And I think you’re going to win by a landslide because all the hype that’s going on with Kamala and she can’t even interview, and I’m waiting for tomorrow, and everybody’s going to see that she can’t interview. All she does is laugh and move.”