Elbridge Colby clears hurdle, moves to final vote to become Pentagon’s top policy strategist
The Senate voted Monday to invoke cloture on Elbridge Colby’s nomination, moving the national security strategist one step closer to confirmation as undersecretary of defense for policy, the Pentagon’s No. 3 post. The procedural vote, which limits debate and tees up a final confirmation vote, passed by a margin of 53 to 49. Colby’s nomination advanced out of the Armed Services Committee last month, overcoming skepticism from hawkish Republicans like Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., during a closed-door vote. Colby, a co-founder of the Marathon Initiative and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development under the Trump administration, is best known for his role in authoring the 2018 National Defense Strategy, which reoriented long-term military strategy toward a great power competition with China. He has long argued the U.S. military needs to limit its resources in the Middle East in a pivot to the Indo-Pacific region. Colby has scored staunch backing from a number of figures in Trump world, increasing the pressure on GOP skeptics to get on board with his nomination. VANCE VISITS CAPITOL HILL TO URGE SENATORS TO CONFIRM ELBRIDGE COLBY FOR PENTAGON NO. 3 POST Vice President J.D. Vance paid a visit to Capitol Hill last month to offer support for his “friend” Colby. “In so many ways, Bridge predicted what we would be talking about four years down the road, five years down the road, 10 years down the road. He saw around corners that very few other people were seeing around,” Vance said at the time. “If you look at his long career in defense policy, he has said things that, you know, frankly, alienated Democrats and Republicans. He’s also said things that I think both Democrats and Republicans would agree with.” During the hearing, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., questioned Colby on his previously stated position, “America has a strong interest in defending Taiwan, but Americans can survive without it.” “Your views on Taiwan’s importance to the United States seems to have softened considerably,” Wicker told Colby. Colby disputed that point, arguing he had been sounding the alarm that the U.S.’ “military balance has declined” in relation to China. DISPUTED DOD NOMINEE IS ‘BEST PERSON’ TO IMPLEMENT TRUMP AND HEGSETH AGENDA, KEY CONSERVATIVE GROUP SAYS “What I have been trying to shoot a signal flare over is that it is vital for us to focus and enable our own forces for an effective and reasonable defense of Taiwan and for the Taiwanese, as well as the Japanese, to do more,” said Colby. When pressed by Cotton during the hearing, Colby said he believes Iran to be an “existential” threat to the U.S. “Yes, a nuclear-armed Iran – especially, Senator, given that … we know they’ve worked on ICBM-range capabilities and other capabilities that would pose an existential danger to the United States,” Colby said. He promised to provide “credible good military options” to the president if diplomacy with Iran fails. It was a different tune than he’d sung in years past. “The only thing worse than the prospect of an Iran armed with nuclear weapons would be consequences of using force to try to stop them,” Colby had said in 2012. “I would say a lot of what I was arguing against at the time, these conversations 15 years ago, a lot of the opponents I felt had a casual or in some cases even flippant attitude towards the employment of military force,” Colby said. “That’s a lot of what I was arguing against. Was my wording always appropriate, was my precise framing always appropriate? No.”
House conservatives ready to oppose Senate GOP framework for Trump tax cut package
There is serious consternation among House conservatives about the updated budget framework the Senate approved early Saturday morning for the tax cut and spending cut package. Fox is told there are at least five to 10 House Republicans who cannot support this plan. The reason is that the measure doesn’t cut nearly enough spending to satisfy conservatives. President Trump has signaled that he wants the House to accept the Senate’s blueprint. But these House conservatives are adamantly against it. We’ll see if they fold. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: POWER PLAYER ON CAPITOL HILL Fox asked one archconservative if pressure by President Trump would get them to come around. Fox was told they wouldn’t do so this time. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has set Wednesday as the day for the House to vote on the new framework. Fox is told that the House wants to do it Wednesday in case GOP leaders need to take a mulligan and try again later in the week. It’s about the math. Here’s the current House breakdown: 433 members. 220 Republicans. 213 Democrats. That means Republicans can only lose three votes and still pass a bill if all House members cast ballots. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: THE GAME OF DEATH Here’s why the framework is so important: The House and Senate must be on the same page and adopt the same budget blueprint in order for the Senate to use a process called “budget reconciliation” to avoid a filibuster. A filibuster would kill the bill because Republicans lack 60 yeas to break a filibuster in the Senate. So they have to use budget reconciliation. The House and Senate cannot delve into the guts of the “big, beautiful bill” until they both adopt the same budget framework. Otherwise, they are dead in the water. The Senate prepped a measure that didn’t include cuts as deep as demanded by the House for a reason. First, such deep cuts would never command the necessary votes to pass the bill in the Senate. Secondly, Senate Republicans are bound by special budget rules. Thus, their cuts can’t be as deep. However, Senate GOP sources have repeatedly told Fox that they are trying to establish a “floor” for cuts. Not a “ceiling.” The budget framework already has a fraught legislative history. The Senate approved its initial blueprint in February. The House approved a different framework a week later. But they were different documents. So, the Senate approved yet another version over the weekend. The House now needs to align with the Senate — or approve something different. Either way, the House and Senate are not on the same page. And they cannot begin dealing with the actual bill until they are. After two “vote-a-ramas” in the Senate (where senators vote round-the-clock for hours on a budget measure), some Senate GOPers have indicated that the Senate would not do a third vote-a-rama. Moreover, Johnson has set a deadline of Memorial Day to pass the plan. One item expected to be included in the package: a debt ceiling increase. The Senate budget package hiked the debt ceiling by $5 trillion. Considering volatility in the markets and overall economic uncertainty, there is concern that Congress may need to address the debt ceiling sooner rather than later. The current estimation is that lawmakers have until summertime to address the debt ceiling. But there could be problems if Congress can’t greenlight any bill to address the debt ceiling — this one or something else.
Gov. Greg Abbott sets Nov. 4 special election to fill U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner’s seat
The decision to wait until November means a narrowly divided Congress will be down a Democratic representative for several more months.
Bipartisan support for Texas’ clarifying abortion bill shows early cracks
While Democrats and abortion access advocates pushed to ensure pregnant women aren’t criminalized, some conservatives questioned whether this bill is needed.
DOGE helps Coast Guard save nearly $33M by eliminating ‘ineffective IT program’
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has helped the U.S. Coast Guard save $32.7 million by eliminating an “ineffective IT program” known as the Logistics Information Management System (CG-LIMS), the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Fox News Digital. “Another win for government efficiency at DHS!” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday. “Continuing the crucial work of DOGE, the Coast Guard eliminated an ineffective IT program, saving over $32 million and focusing its resources where they’re most needed to protect the homeland. The USCG continues to deliver on the President’s priorities, maximizing its efficiency while securing our borders and maritime approaches.” Originally anticipated to begin operating in 2027 and reaching full capability in 2031, the CG-LIMS was expected to integrate existing and future capabilities with the Coast Guard while supporting operations. As designed, CG-LIMS would have modernized the Coast Guard’s IT systems, which, according to the military branch’s website, would have gained increases in capabilities and resources while resulting in “substantial cost savings and improved integration of logistics” between the services. TRUMP WANTS MUSK TO STAY WITH ADMINISTRATION, SAYS DOGE FOUND SOMETHING ‘HORRIBLE’ TODAY CG-LIMS would also have been utilized on 245 cutters, 200 aircraft, 1,800 boats, shore-based systems, aids to navigation equipment and command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment. But starting no later than May 1, 2025, all program activities regarding CG-LIMS will end. According to the Coast Guard, the termination is the result of the program’s inability to deliver on its full requirements in the near future. The $32.7 million saved will instead be used “to address emergent Coast Guard needs,” according to the military service. Personnel that worked on CG-LIMS will be “reassigned to fill critical personnel shortages” within the Coast Guard, it said. DOGE SLASHES NEARLY $1M FOR ALPACA FARMING IN PERU, OTHER QUESTIONABLE GRANTS IN LATEST WASTEFUL SPENDING CUT The Coast Guard said it will continue to search for alternatives to resolve gaps in IT logistics, and achieve the necessary functionality envisioned by the Service. “The Coast Guard upholds a longstanding tradition of meticulous stewardship, driven by our talented, innovative and resourceful workforce,” Rear Adm. Mike Campbell, the Coast Guard’s director of acquisition programs and program executive officer, said. “The termination of the Logistics Information Management System acquisition program continues that legacy under Force Design 2028 (FD 2028). Through Force Design 2028, we are renewing our efforts to maximize efficiencies, identify cost savings and maximize the return on America’s investment in the Coast Guard.” AMERICANS GRADE DOGE AND ELON MUSK’S EFFORTS WITHIN THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP FD 2028, the Coast Guard said, focuses on people, organization, contracting and acquisition, and technology. It is also described as a “once-in-a-generation” effort to investigate and transform the Coast Guard so it can adapt to the current and future environment.
DNC launches new ‘war room operation’ to keep up with GOP’s digital media dominance
The Democratic National Committee launched a new “war room operation” initiative Monday aimed at combating the right’s dominance in digital media. The new initiative intends to leverage influencers, opposition research, policy matter experts, appearances on podcasts and a revamped rapid response program aimed at challenging the narratives pushed by the Trump administration online. Newly installed DNC Chair Ken Martin told media outlets that the party’s rapid response efforts would be among his top three priorities going into the position. He won the election this year to be the DNC’s next chair. DEMOCRATS REEXAMINE THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA GAME AFTER LOSING TO TRUMP: NOT ‘DIRECT’ OR ‘AUTHENTIC’ “We are the opposition party. Our job is to put the Republicans on their heels, to put them on defense,” Martin told the Washington Post after news of the new war room initiative. “We have one role, and that is to litigate the case against Donald Trump, Elon Musk and JD Vance.” In the same interview, Martin lamented that Republicans were quicker to realize the strategic importance of digital media in the smartphone age, telling the Post that the GOP has taken a more aggressive stance in the realm of podcasts, social media and more since 2020. “I would argue that for 3½ years, they spent time beating the hell out of Joe Biden and the Democrats, really, in an unimpeded way,” Martin said. “They defined us before we ever got a chance to define ourselves.” CORY BOOKER REVEALS THE ‘BIGGEST MISTAKE’ DEMOCRATS MADE IN 2024 Per the DNC’s press announcement, the new “war room” initiative will incorporate “four main pillars.” These include “expanding Democrats’ reach into new information spaces,” “modernizing the rapid response operation to drive aggressive daily messaging to counter the Trump administration,” “leveraging creative opposition tactics and an expansive research operation” and “launching a modernized misinformation counter programming verticil to combat the lies from the right.” One element of the new initiative involves a “People’s Cabinet” of policy experts and local community voices who will stand ready to engage with the media to counter “the lies from the Trump administration.” The new program also plans to boost its “media-monitoring and research operation” to keep tabs on Trump officials as they appear on various networks and across the internet. The press announcement adds that the initiative will seek to “reach beyond traditional audiences” with their efforts, including by “prioritizing efforts to compete in conservative and mixed media spaces.” This strategy has already been picked up by some in the Democratic Party, such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who recently began a podcast that emphasizes speaking with guests he disagrees with, usually a conservative. ‘CHAOS AND CONFUSION’: HOW DEMOCRATS INFILTRATED ‘THUNDEROUS’ GOP TOWN HALLS Tim Hogan, a longtime Democrat operative who has worked in communications for the likes of Hillary Clinton and Amy Klobuchar, said to the Post that one of his top goals will be to recruit influencers with a broad reach to assist in building support in places Democrats typically have not in the past. When reached for comment, the White House pointed to a post on X by White House Communications Director Steven Cheung. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Democrats have no idea how to actually set up a functioning war room and response operation. That’s why they’re pitching stories with vague descriptions and pie-in-the-sky promises that show how far back they are in this race,” Cheung said. “Team Trump has been doing this since 2016.” The DNC declined to comment on this story, pointing Fox News Digital to its Monday press announcement with details about the new program.
SCOOP: Ramaswamy scores endorsement from a powerful House member in Ohio governor run
EXCLUSIVE: Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan has endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio governor, Fox News Digital can exclusively report. Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who represents Ohio’s fourth congressional district, shared on Monday his endorsement of Ramaswamy, the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate. “Vivek Ramaswamy is as smart and hard-working as they come. He is a successful entrepreneur with a clear vision for Ohio’s future that includes lower taxes, more choice in education, better jobs and stronger families. I’m confident he’ll make our state proud and I am happy to endorse him for governor,” Jordan told Fox News Digital. Ramaswamy, who announced his bid for governor of Ohio in February, celebrated Jordan’s endorsement in a statement to Fox News Digital. RAMASWAMY OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN IN OHIO: ‘BEST DAYS ARE STILL YET AHEAD’ “I’m fired up to have Congressman Jim Jordan in my corner,” Ramaswamy said. “Jim’s a strong defender of American values. He’s spent his career standing up for the people of Ohio, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do as governor. Thanks, Jim, for your endorsement, your trust, and your energy.” RAMASWAMY LANDS ANOTHER KEY ENDORSEMENT IN OHIO GOVERNOR RACE FOLLOWING TRUMP’S EARLY BACKING Jordan’s endorsement is the latest in a growing list of Republicans who have thrown their support behind the emerging conservative candidate. President Donald Trump endorsed Ramaswamy soon after his former political rival announced a bid for Ohio governor. Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Florida Sen. Rick Scott and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn have endorsed Ramaswamy, and Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, endorsed Ramaswamy last month. Trump and Jordan campaigned for Moreno last year as he unseated longtime Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. The former U.S. senator from Ohio, Vice President JD Vance, has yet to endorse Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy announced his run for Ohio’s highest office in February following a brief stint leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Elon Musk. The administration announced Ramaswamy would no longer steer DOGE soon after Trump was sworn in as president. Musk has since endorsed Ramaswamy for governor of Ohio. “It was my honor to help support the creation of DOGE. I’m confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining government. I’ll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio. Most importantly, we’re all-in to help President Trump make America great again!,” Ramaswamy said following the shake-up. Rumors swirled earlier this year that Ramaswamy could be tapped by moderate Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to replace Vance in the U.S. Senate. DeWine, who is term-limited as governor this year, ultimately chose Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill Vance’s U.S. Senate seat, paving the way for Ramaswamy’s eventual gubernatorial run. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and former Morgan County school board member Heather Hill have announced their own Republican gubernatorial bids. Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, the former Ohio State University football coach who succeeded Husted when he was called up to the Senate, seems to be mulling a gubernatorial run. There is also speculation that former Rep. Tim Ryan, the 2022 Democratic Senate nominee in Ohio, and Chris Redfern, a former state representative and state Democratic Party chair, are considering bids for governor as well. On the Democratic side, former Ohio Health Director Amy Acton has announced her campaign for governor. Traditionally a top general election battleground state, Ohio has shifted conservative in the past decade as Republicans have swept statewide elections. The Republican nominee will be considered the favorite to become Ohio’s next governor following the 2026 election. Ramaswamy emerged as a standout contender in a crowded Republican primary field in the 2024 presidential election before ultimately suspending his campaign following Trump’s big upset at the Iowa caucuses. While Republican candidates, including former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, exchanged jabs with Trump during the contentious primary, Vivek Ramaswamy’s loyalty to Trump never faltered. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The political outsider framed his campaign as “America First 2.0” — building on Trump’s legacy. Ramaswamy was quick to endorse Trump after he suspended his campaign and became a leading ally and surrogate on the campaign trail before eventually scoring his short-lived position steering DOGE.
Supreme Court freezes order to return man from El Salvador prison
Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary stay Monday blocking, for now, a lower court order that required the Trump administration to return by midnight a Maryland resident who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador last month. Justice Roberts temporarily froze the lower court order from U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who had ordered the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who, last month, was mistakenly sent to El Salvador, by 12 a.m. Tuesday. The government has acknowledged that Abrego Garcia’s removal from the U.S. was an “administrative error.” The filing from Roberts comes after the Trump administration appealed the lower court’s decision both to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and to the Supreme Court on Monday morning, in anticipation of the appellate court decision. Judges on the Fourth Circuit voted unanimously earlier in the day to reject the Justice Department’s request for an administrative stay, clearing the way for the nation’s top court to intervene. The eleventh-hour pause granted by Roberts gives the Trump administration additional time to comply with the court order requiring Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. JUDGE BOASBERG POISED TO HOLD TRUMP ADMIN IN CONTEMPT, TAKES DOWN NAMES OF DHS OFFICIALS: ‘PRETTY SKETCHY’ Roberts ordered the case stayed “pending further order of the undersigned or of the Court,” and asked for a response from plaintiffs by Tuesday night. Lawyers for Abrego Garcia responded immediately. In a reply brief filed to the Supreme Court, lawyers for Abrego Garcia noted the extraordinary circumstances surrounding his deportation. “This case is one of one,” they told the court. “It presents the ‘extraordinary circumstances’ of the Government conceding that it erred in removing Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia ‘to a foreign country for which he was not eligible for removal,’” they added. “Abrego Garcia has never been charged with a crime, in any country. He is not wanted by the Government of El Salvador,” they said. “He sits in a foreign prison solely at the behest of the United States, as the product of a Kafka-esque mistake.” APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT The eleventh-hour intervention from Roberts comes as the Trump administration has come under intense scrutiny for its deportation flights to El Salvador, which sent roughly 261 migrants, including more than 100 Venezuelan nationals targeted for immediate removal under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, last month. The legality of using a wartime immigration law to immediately deport Venezuelan nationals from the U.S. is also being considered by the Supreme Court separately. A ruling in that case is expected in the coming days. This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.
Thousands of USAID terminations to take effect by September in agency’s final leg of ‘drawdown’
Thousands of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) employees will be terminated by September as the Trump administration restructures the agency to fall in line with the president’s “America First” policy, Fox News Digital learned. “President Trump and Secretary Rubio are effectively stewarding taxpayer dollars while ensuring that foreign aid programs align with America’s national interests,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox Digital Monday. “That includes eliminating staff positions that do not advance the President’s foreign policy goals to put America First.” USAID is an independent U.S. agency that was established under the Kennedy administration to administer economic aid to foreign nations. It was one of the first agencies investigated by the Department of Government Efficiency back in early February for alleged mismanagement and government overspending, with DOGE’s leader Elon Musk slamming the agency as “a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America.” The administration had already gutted the agency of U.S.-based workers back in February as DOGE investigated the office. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has served as the agency’s acting administrator since February. ‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM USAID firings are back in the headlines after viral news reports claimed that the Trump administration fired three USAID workers operating in Myanmar while they were assisting with damage from a 7.7 earthquake that hit the nation in March. A senior State Department official told the Washington Reporter that the report was not accurate, as “no one was fired,” adding that “our team leads on the ground in Burma have reported back that the response is going well and they are able to execute their assignment.” “Per the notice sent out last week,” the official added in comment to the outlet. “All USAID personnel were either given a 1-July or 2-September termination date.” USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN “There have been no changes to that plan. Any assertion otherwise was likely based on a deliberate leak by someone trying to spread a fake narrative for their own political agenda.” An administration official told Fox Digital that the State Department official’s comments to the outlet were an accurate characterization of the earthquake situation in the Southeast Asian country. All in, Fox Digital learned, roughly 4,600 USAID personnel in both the foreign and civil service will be impacted by the latest reduction in force directive. There were more than 10,000 USAID employees across the world ahead of Trump’s inauguration. GOP HARDLINERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP, MUSK SCALING BACK USAID The staffers will have a final separation date of either July 1, 2025 or Sept. 2, 2025, consistent with regulatory and other requirements, an administration official told Fox Digital. USAID historically has fallen under the State Department’s operational umbrella. The State Department and USAID, however, notified Congress on March 28 that officials intend to reorganize “certain USAID functions to the Department by July 1, 2025.” USAID functions that are not absorbed by the State Department will be discontinued. INTERNAL STATE DEPT MEMO REVEALS TOP BRASS QUESTION IF FEDS SHOULD BE ‘IN THE BUSINESS OF PHILANTHROPY’ “USAID and State previously served duplicative functions, with no accountability for the billions of dollars doled out abroad by USAID,” an administration official told Fox Digital of the USAID shakeup. The admin official added that USAID’s top priority amid the restricting effort is “the continued safety of all personnel and the orderly repatriation of colleagues posted overseas,” and that the administration is working “with overseas personnel to ensure any specific circumstances are considered to ensure a safe and orderly drawdown.”
Eagle Pass park reopens more than a year after the state seized it for border security
The Texas Department of Public Safety and National Guard presence has largely disappeared from Shelby Park, which sits next to the Rio Grande.