New study finds elevated cancer rates near toxic San Jacinto River waste pits
State researchers found above normal levels of four types of cancer in communities near a toxic waste site.
Top Harris surrogate makes major admission about Trump while mocking Dems: ‘Can’t sell worth s—‘
Mark Cuban admitted this weekend that “Democrats can’t sell” and that President Donald Trump is a master at marketing, saying he is better than Paris Hilton and Dennis Rodman. Cuban, who during the 2024 presidential campaign served as one of former Vice President Kamala Harris’ top allies and campaign surrogates, also revealed he told Harris advisors to “not even try” advising him on messaging. “Donald Trump is a great salesperson, he really is a great marketer,” he said. Motioning with his hands, Cuban continued: “I’d put him up there, Donald Trump, then Paris Hilton, then Dennis Rodman.” TOM HOMAN TELLS MIGRANT TERROR GROUPS TRUMP WILL ‘WIPE YOU OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH’ The comparison drew laughs from the crowd at the “Principles First” summit in Washington, D.C., to which Cuban responded, “Seriously!” “I mean those two below are some of the best marketers I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and Donald Trump surpassed them,” he said. Cuban, who is a businessman, TV personality and co-owner of the Dallas Mavericks, emerged as one of Harris’ most fierce supporters during the 2024 campaign. He received a lot of backlash when he appeared to insult pro-Trump women by suggesting that Trump never surrounds himself with “strong, intelligent women.“ RILEY GAINES MOCKS MARK CUBAN FOR SUGGESTING PRO-TRUMP WOMEN AREN’T ‘STRONG’ OR ‘INTELLIGENT’ Despite this, he had some brutal words to say about Democratic messaging and ineptitude on Saturday. “I learned that Democrats can’t sell worth s—,” he laughed, according to other clips that surfaced from the weekend summit. “They’re so persnickety about every little detail, and that’s why Republicans at the presidential level — I don’t want to say kicked their a– because it wasn’t a runaway — but yeah.” Cuban said that Democrats “had no idea” how to communicate their policies to moderates and small business owners. “If you gave the Democrats a dollar bill and said: ‘You can sell these for 50 cents,’ they would hire 50 people to try to do it and then would not know how to sell the dollar bill for 50 cents,” he continued. “If you gave it to Donald Trump and said, ‘Sell this dollar bill for $2,’ he’d figure out a way, right? He’d tell you that $2 bill is, you know, huge. … That’s the problem, and that’s what I learned.” DEMS SAY THEY’RE AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE, BUT THEY HATE DOGE MORE He revealed that during the campaign, he told Harris staffers to not even try sharing campaign advice with him. “It got to the point where after the first event I went to, I said to the Harris people: ‘You’re not allowed to say a word to me. I don’t care what you think. I’m just going to do what I think is right,’” said Cuban. VP JD VANCE SPEAKS ON ‘FUNDAMENTAL GOAL’ OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AT CPAC ADDRESS “That in essence is how Donald Trump has become so successful,” he continued. “Because he’s able to put out messages and people see in him what they want to see.” Cuban proceeded to caution that he believes Trump is “still in the salesmanship stage” and his ability to message effectively “doesn’t mean that he can execute on them.” “I think now people are starting to ask: ‘OK, its great to sell it. Now can you execute it on it?’” he said.
‘If you don’t answer … you’re fired’: Trump stands behind Musk’s DOGE productivity email
President Donald Trump warned that federal employees who don’t follow new guidance requiring them to report personal productivity could lose their jobs. The effort stems from an email that SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk spearheaded that asked federal workers to send an email Monday detailing a summary of what tasks they accomplished the previous week. Musk is heading up the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that aims to reduce government waste and fraud. “I thought it was great,” Trump told reporters of the initiative Monday at the White House, “because we have people who don’t show up to work and nobody even knows if they work for the government. So by asking the question, ‘Tell us what you did this week,’ what [Musk is] doing is saying, ‘Are you actually working?’ If you don’t answer, you’re sort of semi-fired, or you’re fired, because a lot of people are not answering because they don’t even exist.” TRUMP RATTLES OFF ‘FLAGRANT SCAMS’ UNCOVERED BY DOGE, TAKES AIM AT FORT KNOX IN CPAC SPEECH Musk unveiled the email in a post on X on Saturday and cautioned that a failure to reply was equivalent to handing in a resignation. “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote on X. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” Federal employees received an email from the Office of Personnel and Management on Saturday that instructed them to provide a list of five things they accomplished the previous week by a deadline of 11:59 p.m. Monday. The American Federation of Government Employees, a labor union for federal workers, criticized the policy and said Trump and his administration have once again demonstrated “utter disdain” for federal employees. “It is cruel and disrespectful for federal employees to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life,” American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley said in a Saturday statement. The federation “will challenge any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country,” Kelley said. DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY Meanwhile, multiple agencies have issued instructions telling their employees to disregard Musk’s guidance. For example, the Department of Defense issued a letter to its civilian personnel asserting the Pentagon’s autonomy on Sunday and directing employees to ignore Musk’s request to send details of their work week to the Office of Personnel Management. “DoD personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information,” wrote Darin Selnick, who is performing the duties of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. “The Department of Defense is responsible for reviewing the performance of its personnel and it will conduct any review in accordance with its own procedures. “When and if required, the Department will coordinate responses to the email you have received from OPM,” he wrote. “For now, please pause any response to the OPM email titled, ‘What did you do last week.’” FBI Director Kash Patel issued a similar directive to his staff and said the agency “will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures,” according to the Associated Press. DOGE, which is tasked with weeding out government overspending, is facing multiple lawsuits from government employees seeking to challenge Musk’s efforts to audit various federal agencies. Fox News’ Greg Wehner, Jennifer Griffin and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
‘If you don’t answer … you’re fired’: Trump stands behind Musk’s DOGE productivity email
President Donald Trump warned that federal employees who don’t follow new guidance requiring them to report personal productivity could lose their jobs. The effort stems from an email SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk spearheaded that asked federal workers to send an email Monday detailing a summary of what tasks they accomplished the previous week. Musk is heading up the newly created Department of Government Efficiency that is aiming to reduce government waste and fraud. “I thought it was great,” Trump told reporters of the initiative Monday at the White House. “Because we have people who don’t show up to work and nobody even knows if they work for the government so by asking the question ‘tell us what you did this week,’ what [Musk’s] doing is saying ‘are you actually working?’ If you don’t answer, you’re sort of semi-fired or you’re fired. Because a lot of people are not answering because they don’t even exist.” TRUMP RATTLES OFF ‘FLAGRANT SCAMS’ UNCOVERED BY DOGE, TAKES AIM AT FORT KNOX IN CPAC SPEECH Musk unveiled the email in a post on X on Saturday, and cautioned that a failure to reply was equivalent to handing in a resignation. “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote on X. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” Federal employees received an email from the Office of Personnel and Management on Saturday, where they were instructed to provide a list of five things they accomplished the previous week with a deadline of 11:59 p.m. Monday. The American Federation of Government Employees, a labor union for federal workers, criticized the policy and said that Trump and his administration have once again demonstrated “utter disdain” for federal employees. “It is cruel and disrespectful for federal employees to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life,” American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley in a Saturday statement. The federation “will challenge any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country,” Kelley said. DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY Meanwhile, multiple agencies have issued instructions telling their employees to disregard Musk’s guidance. For example, the Department of Defense issued a letter to its civilian personnel asserting the Pentagon’s autonomy on Sunday and directing employees to ignore Musk’s request to send details of their work week to the Office of Personnel Management. “DoD personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information,” wrote Darin Selnick, who is performing the duties of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. “The Department of Defense is responsible for reviewing the performance of its personnel and it will conduct any review in accordance with its own procedures. “When and if required, the Department will coordinate responses to the email you have received from OPM,” he wrote. “For now, please pause any response to the OPM email titled, ‘What did you do last week.’” FBI Director Kash Patel also issued a similar directive to his staff and said that the agency “will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures,” according to the Associated Press. DOGE, which is tasked with weeding out government overspending, is facing multiple lawsuits from government employees seeking to challenge Musk’s efforts to audit various federal agencies. Fox News’ Greg Wehner, Jennifer Griffin and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
‘Overwhelmingly popular’: Elon Musk touts Americans’ DOGE support
Elon Musk is taking his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for a victory lap, touting a new poll that suggests massive support for the Trump administration initiative. The Harvard CAPS-Harris poll revealed a majority of Americans support reducing wasteful government spending. Most voters agree there should be a government agency dedicated to efficiency and that DOGE is helping to make major spending cuts, the nonprobability-based poll found. “Polls show that @DOGE is overwhelmingly POPULAR and that government spending should be reduced by at least $1 trillion!!” Musk wrote on X. The White House and Musk have shared the results on social media, pointing to the new polling as evidence that “reducing government waste & fraud is strongly supported by the people,” as Musk wrote in an X post. MUSK’S DEMAND THAT FED EMPLOYEES LIST THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ROILS WORKFORCE: ‘MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE’ President Donald Trump shared the favorable poll on his Truth Social account, and Musk shared a screenshot of Trump’s post on his X account. DOGE TAKES A CHAINSAW TO FEDERAL SPENDING WITH 7 MAJOR VICTORIES THIS WEEK: ‘GOT TO BE DONE’ The Harvard CAPS-Harris found a majority of voters believe the government’s debt is unsustainable, and the government should work to cut expenses. A vast majority agreed “government expenditures are filled with waste and agree with cutting $1 trillion in expenses.” Most people polled said DOGE employees should not have access to Americans’ sensitive information and that court challenges to DOGE are based on the law and are not politically motivated. Recent national polling suggests Musk and DOGE have garnered the support of Republicans and the disapproval of Democrats. The Feb. 13-19 Washington Post-Ipsos poll was less favorable for Musk and his “DOGE boys,” as approval split along ideological lines, with 70% of Republicans and just 6% of Democrats approving of Musk’s job. Fewer Republicans, at 56%, approved of Musk halting federal government programs. 55% of voters said Musk had too much power in a Quinnipiac University poll released Feb. 19. Once again, the results fall upon party lines, with 78% of Republicans polled saying Musk has the right amount of power and 96% of Democrats saying he has too much power. The AP-NORC poll released Jan. 24, also found Republicans are more likely to favor DOGE than Democrats. However, the poll found the majority of the public “believe corruption, inefficiency and red tape are major problems in the federal government,” which is consistent with the new Harvard CAPS-Harris poll. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS found that 54% of voters said Musk’s prominent role in Trump’s administration is a “bad thing.” Musk’s posts celebrating his new favorable polling come on the heels of his latest DOGE initiative. Federal employees received an email on Saturday, instructing them to email “what they got done last week” or lose their job. “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” Musk said. “To be clear, the bar is very low here. An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable! Should take less than 5 mins to write,” Musk added. Darin Selnick of the Department of Defense and Kash Patel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation told their employees they did not need to comply with Musk’s request. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy followed the assignment, submitting his accomplishments in a post. “Mr. President, 5 things I did last week… Looking forward to another week of fighting for Americans,” Duffy wrote. Trump said Musk is “doing a great job” in a Truth Social post ahead of Musk’s new email directive, adding he would “like to see him get more aggressive.” DOGE’s jarring revelations about where American taxpayer dollars are going have dominated headlines during Trump’s first month back in the White House. Republicans have embraced Musk’s commitment to government efficiency as many new cabinet members and Republican governors establish their own DOGE departments. Meanwhile, Musk’s massive layoffs of government employees and department cuts have created outrage among Democrats in Washington. Democrats have led weekly protests against DOGE and Musk’s political power, calling Trump’s executive actions a “constitutional crisis.”
Ethics watchdog flags senator helping wife rake in millions for nonprofit
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., is being accused of violating ethics rules after backing laws that financially benefited his wife’s environmental organization. The Democratic senator and climate hawk voted for key laws that provided funding for grants to the environmental non-profit group that works with his wife, Sandra Whitehouse, and pays her through a consulting firm. The ethics watchdog, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), is asking the Senate Select Committee on Ethics Chairman James Lankford, R-Okla., and Vice Chairman Chris Coons, D-Del., to investigate Whitehouse “to determine whether he violated the Senate ethics rules on conflicts of interest.” The group works primarily to draw attention to potential Democratic lawmaker ethics violations. TRUMP TAX CUT PLAN HITS TURBULENCE AHEAD OF HOUSE VOTE AS REPUBLICANS SPLIT Whitehouse’s wife, Sandra, is employed as president of consulting firm Ocean Wonks LLC and has been since 2017, per her LinkedIn page. Before that, she was a direct employee of Ocean Conservancy, serving as Senior Policy Adviser beginning in 2008. Ocean Conservancy has received more than $14.2 million in federal grants since 2008, per USASpending.gov. During 2024 alone, it was given two sizable grants, one for $5.2 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for marine debris cleanup in September and another for $1.7 million from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), again to assist with marine debris cleanup. The former was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) championed by the Biden administration and voted for by Sen. Whitehouse. The latter was funded through the EPA’s annual appropriations bill, which Whitehouse also voted for. FOLLOWING KEY WINS, TRUMP POISED FOR CABINET COMPLETION IN RECORD TIME “While these two grants alone appear to be a conflict of interest, it is even more egregious in the context of Senator Whitehouse’s long history of working on legislation being lobbied for by organizations tied to his wife,” wrote FACT Executive Director Kendra Arnold. “Altogether, Ocean Conservancy has spent millions on federal lobbying expenses over the years on issues relating to oceans, climate change, and environmental cleanup—issues directly championed by Senator Whitehouse, a longtime member (and current Ranking Member) of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee and the co-founder of the Senate’s so-called ‘Oceans Caucus.” Since 2010, Ocean Conservancy has paid Whitehouse a total of $2,686,800 either directly or through her firm, per tax documents. SENATE BORDER BUDGET TRIUMPHS AFTER ALL-NIGHT SESSION WHILE TRUMP-BACKED HOUSE BILL LAGS “Dr. Sandra Whitehouse, a well-respected marine ecologist and ocean policy consultant, has not received compensation from these federal grants allocated to Ocean Conservancy,” Ocean Conservancy’s Vice President of External Affairs Jeff Watters told Fox News Digital in a statement. “For 40 years, Ocean Conservancy has been a global leader in marine debris cleanup through our signature initiative, the International Coastal Cleanup. The marine debris cleanup grants Ocean Conservancy received from NOAA came from laws passed with broad bipartisan support that then went through a competitive, independent selection process which designated Ocean Conservancy to be one among hundreds of NGOs to receive funding. Ocean Conservancy’s selection was based on our decades of expertise in addressing marine debris and protecting the ocean.” SCOOP: REPUBLICAN DANIEL CAMERON BLASTED BY LIKELY GOP OPPONENT AS MCCONNELL SUCCESSOR FIGHT BEGINS “With the support of these bipartisan federal funds, Ocean Conservancy plans to remove hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash from beaches and waterways around the U.S., which will not only protect these places for generations of Americans to enjoy but improve the health of our fishing and tourism industries,” he said. Watters further pointed to the notable Republican support both the BIL and the EPA appropriations bill received in the Senate. Whitehouse, Lankford and Coons did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.
Texas House unveils plan to cut property taxes, setting up fight with Senate
Lawmakers will debate how to spend $3.5 billion in proposed tax cuts, a legislative priority for Republican leaders.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: DOGE Demands Desk Duty
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Millions more food stamp recipients required to work under new House GOP proposal –US-Ukraine rift breaks out at United Nations on third anniversary of war -New DOGE bill would target more than $200B in annual improper payments from safety nets, lawmaker says Elon Musk, who is leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), warned federal workers on Monday morning that those who fail to return to the office will be placed on administrative leave. “Those who ignored President Trump’s executive order to return to work have now received over a month’s warning,” Musk wrote on X, the platform which he also owns. “Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave.” Musk’s warning comes after he announced Saturday that federal employees must report their accomplishments from the last week or face losing their jobs…Read more ‘CRIED ABOUT TRUMP AND ELON’: Trump deploys SpongeBob meme to troll DOGE critics ‘AMERICA FIRST AGENDA’: Trump’s new SBA chief unleashes ‘Day One’ priorities to transform agency into ‘golden era of prosperity’ ‘TIME FOR FRESH BLOOD’: Hegseth dismisses ‘purging’ narrative amid Trump’s Pentagon shakeup ‘SHADOWS GATHERING’: Kamala Harris takes veiled jabs at Trump, Elon Musk in first major speech since election defeat TARIFF TURMOIL: Canadian businesses already feeling impact of Trump’s tariff threats POPE UPDATE: Pope Francis resting on day 10 in hospital for lung infection that led to early stages of kidney insufficiency FRANCE ATTACK: Russian consulate in France targeted with explosive projectiles on third anniversary of Ukraine invasion NEW WORLD ORDER: Germany’s new conservative leader looks to ‘achieve independence’ from US THREE YEARS LATER: On third anniversary of Ukraine invasion, European leaders show support, express unease ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’: State, Treasury Departments reimpose strong sanctions on Iran’s oil trade DAILY EVENING PRAYERS: Rosary for Pope Francis to be held in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican says POLITICAL STEP DANCE: Irish leaders boycott Washington St. Patrick’s Day events over Trump’s Gaza comments ‘ABDICATION’ ON SPEECH: SCOTUS turns down abortion clinic buffer zone challenge, Thomas slams ‘abdication’ of duty ‘AMERICA LOVES A COMEBACK’: Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres endorses Cuomo for New York City mayor ‘NO MORE IMPORTANT’: Bureaucracies ‘cannibalizing our nation,’ GOP Rep says CHECKING OUT: Mayor Eric Adams says NYC’s Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter will soon close BAN ON ZYNS: NY lawmaker introduces bill to ban Zyn, other flavored nicotine pouches after FDA’s support of product HOMELAND REMEDY: Alaska can be ‘cure’ for nation’s ‘ills’ with help from Trump admin, governor says DEI IN MEDICINE: National Cancer Institute spends $218 million per year on grants for ‘underrepresented’ groups: source ‘DISTINCT HONOR’: Former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff bids farewell in heartfelt social media post TOWN TATTLE: Trump flag in Massachusetts police station gym divides town as chief, official feud over its removal: report ‘GOOD WORK’: DOGE, EPA team up to claw back $67 million in ‘environmental justice’ grants Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Trump rescinds Biden order protecting gender clinics from investigation, signals new whistleblower protections
The Trump administration is rescinding a Biden-era directive protecting hospitals from investigations and signaled that beefed-up protections for medical whistleblowers would be forthcoming. The Health and Human Services Department (HHS) announced Friday it would be rescinding an executive order issued by former President Joe Biden in March 2022, which, among other things, gave hospitals the right not to comply with state-level investigations related to their provision of transgender medical treatments to minors. Trump’s directive eliminates these protections, and the rescission notice indicates that further safeguards for medical whistleblowers are anticipated in the future. “Under the Biden regime, the door for whistleblowers was closed,” said Dr. Eithan Haim, who was prosecuted by the Biden administration after he leaked documents to the media that revealed Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston was performing transgender medical procedures on minors, even after it said it had stopped. “It was a complete inversion of the role of HHS, the role of our legal framework, because the criminal entities were being protected and the individuals exposing criminal entities were now the ones being targeted.” RILEY GAINES FEATURED IN TRUMP HHS WEBSITE THAT BUILDS ON ‘TWO SEXES’ EXECUTIVE ORDER Haim was indicted last year by Biden’s Department of Justice for blowing the whistle on Texas Children’s Hospital, after it continued to provide transgender medical treatments to minors even though the hospital had publicly indicated it had stopped such services in order to comply with new state guidance. Several days after President Donald Trump was sworn in, the charges against Haim were dropped. Under Biden’s March 2022 directive, titled, “HHS Notice and Guidance on Gender Affirming Care, Civil Rights and Patient Privacy,” hospitals were permitted, but not required, to comply with investigations seeking information on their provision of transgender treatments. But, according to HHS’s rescission notice, such guidance lacked “adequate legal basis under federal privacy laws.” The notice added that, “by its own terms,” Biden’s March 2022 directive “permits” the release of personal health information tied to transgender procedures when it is needed to comply with other laws. TRANS STAR OF HIT HBO SERIES SAYS RENEWED PASSPORT NOW SAYS MALE AFTER TRUMP ORDER “Covered entities should no longer rely on the rescinded 2022 OCR Notice and Guidance,” stated HHS’ rescission notice. It added that “in consultation with the Attorney General” the agency will also be “expeditiously” issuing new guidance to protect whistleblowers who take action in accordance with Trump’s efforts to protect children “from chemical and surgical mutilation.” Haim said that under Trump’s new leadership, the U.S. legal system is being restored “to a place of equal protection under law, particularly as it relates to people who are trying to follow [Trump’s] executive order, or any other federal laws.” “The key thing with this new directive is that, as a healthcare provider, if a hospital or other doctors are participating in misconduct, if they’re lying about something, if they are intervening on patients in a way that is harmful to those patients – especially kids – as a doctor, it’s not only something you should do, it’s something you have to do,” Haim pointed out. In addition to compelling hospitals and gender clinics to begin rigorous compliance with investigations, the Trump administration’s Friday directive also removed gender dysphoria from being considered a disability under the federal Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. It also rescinded orders from the Biden administration indicating it was discrimination for federally funded health programs to refuse to treat someone on the basis of their gender identity. Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
‘Nightmare’: Blue state resident rails against bullet train construction in her own backyard
As the Trump administration investigates California’s bullet train project, which has come under scrutiny for very little progress in 17 years, a small area where construction is underway has made life a “nightmare” for some people north of Fresno. Dalia Pena, who resides in Madera County, California, said that the construction of an overpass for cars has not only created a major eyesore in her backyard, but the construction has also been a loud disruption, including vibrations, for the once-quiet neighborhood. “They were out here doing construction at 6 o’clock on Saturday mornings,” Pena told Fox News Digital during a phone interview, detailing how the first drilling noises were extremely prevalent. While she said the noise has gotten a little better, it’s unclear if it will get worse before construction is complete. She also added that construction has made it difficult to use the pool in her backyard because of the proximity of the worksite. TRUMP ADMIN PUTS ‘DISASTROUS’ HIGH-SPEED RAIL PROJECT IN DEEP BLUE STATE ON NOTICE “I feel like it’s gonna get worse,” she said, adding that she’s concerned about safety. In addition, a survey Pena had done at her residence indicated encroachment on her property, according to a copy obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital. “The authority doesn’t hold them accountable,” she said of the contractors when it comes to construction noise and dust, as well as the behavior of workers themselves. The California High-Speed Rail Authority said that they gave proper public notice to residents with prior meetings, as the construction is expected to be done by the fall, according to Fox 26. Pena attended a February 2024 meeting about the Road 26 closure, according to a sign-in document obtained by Fox News Digital, but said she was not adequately informed of earlier meetings about the construction itself, given its closeness to the property. SEAN DUFFY: AMERICA’S AIR TRAFFIC SYSTEMS NEED AN URGENT UPGRADE The authority told Fox 26 that they have been in contact with Pena. “Yes, that is true. However, when I bring an issue to their attention, they don’t respond to me,” she said, saying she routinely needs to follow up to have them “follow through.” “They’re giving me the runaround, honestly,” Pena said. “At no point were we offered anything.” She is now asking California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Trump administration to step in on the “waste of taxpayer dollars,” but she noted there is a deeper issue with how this is impacting residents. “I agree that they need to be investigated,” Pena said. Last week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited Union Station in Los Angeles to rail against the project and initiated a compliance audit. CALIFORNIA SHERIFF PUTS ACCUSED HARDENED CRIMINALS TO WORK AT TAXPAYERS’ BENEFIT “It’s been 17 years and $16 billion and no rail has been built,” Duffy said at a news conference. Meanwhile, Congressman Kevin Kiley told Fox News Digital that the project has served as a money pit for federal and state taxpayers alike. “I’m not sure why anyone would be in favor of what’s going on in California. We’re wasting taxpayer money in a really, just on an epic scale and not getting anything in return for it,” Kiley said. Fox News Digital reached out to the authority for comment, but they did not respond in time for publication.