Dr. Oz becomes next head of Medicare and Medicaid Services following approval from full Senate
Dr. Mehmet Oz will serve as the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services after the full Senate voted along party lines to confirm his nomination on Thursday. The former daytime TV doctor turned politician will be in charge of nearly $1.5 trillion in federal healthcare spending. His duties will entail overseeing Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), including directing decisions related to how the government covers procedures, hospital stays and medication, as well as the reimbursement rates at which healthcare providers get paid for their services. Medicare is a federal healthcare program for seniors aged 65 and up, and currently provides coverage to about 65 million Americans, according to the Center for Medicare Advocacy. Medicaid, a public health assistance program for people with low incomes, covers roughly 72 million Americans, according to Medicaid.gov. Meanwhile, CHIP, which provides free or low-cost health coverage for eligible low-income children and family members, assists around 7.2 million individuals. HHS DOWNSIZING BEGINS AMID RFK JR. ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ PUSH: ‘WIN-WIN FOR TAXPAYERS’ A graduate of Harvard University, Oz received medical and business degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a former heart surgeon who saw his fame rise through his appearances on daytime television, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and 13 seasons of “The Dr. Oz Show.” Oz later transitioned into politics, launching an unsuccessful bid for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat in 2022. He lost to John Fetterman, then the state’s lieutenant governor. NEW BIPARTISAN PROPOSAL TARGETS ‘ONE OF THE MOST EGREGIOUS’ KINDS OF FRAUD RAVAGING HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY “Dr. Oz has a strong desire to modernize CMS and encourage healthy lifestyles for all Americans, including by focusing on the underlying causes of chronic disease and implementing innovative technologies,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said Thursday. Crapo, who led Oz’s nomination process at the committee level, commended Oz for his “diligence and accessibility” throughout the process, including his willingness to answer “hundreds” of questions for the record. Those questions came from both Republicans and Democrats. They included asking about Oz’s stance on abortion, transgender medical treatments, Medicare privatization, prescription drug pricing and more. Potential financial conflicts of interest were also a concern among Democratic lawmakers throughout Oz’s confirmation process. Oz has committed to divesting any holdings that may pose an issue. Thursday’s confirmation comes as the Trump administration continues to work to finalize the rest of its political appointments, including notably the president’s pick to be the next United Nations ambassador and his pick for director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Per The Washington Post’s “political appointee tracker,” there are currently still 233 nominees being considered by the Senate.
The Senate’s next moves to pass Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
The House and Senate are a long way from approving President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” to cut spending, slash taxes and likely raise the debt ceiling. But the next step in the process begins unfolding this afternoon and over the next 48 hours. The Senate likely votes between 4 and 6 p.m. ET Thursday to actually “proceed” to a retooled budget framework. The framework is necessary under special budget rules the Senate is using to avoid a filibuster, which would kill the bill. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: APRIL FOOLS’ ON CAPITOL HILL If the Senate fails to proceed, Republicans have major problems. But if the Senate can forge ahead, then it can actually launch up to 50 hours of debate on the updated budget package and go to what’s called a “vote-a-rama” Friday evening. The Senate would presumably finish this step in the process and adopt the new framework in the wee hours of Saturday morning or perhaps during the day on Saturday. A “vote-a-rama” is really just a very Senate way of saying “long vote series which probably runs all night.” The Senate rifles through roll call vote after roll call vote for hours on end. Most vote-a-ramas run 10-15 hours. They are always related to the budget process. And, because of special budget rules, senators can offer an unlimited number of amendments – and that’s why there are so many votes. Republicans will try to get through this process as quickly as possible – although some conservatives may offer amendments for additional debt reduction or something related to the debt ceiling. DEMOCRAT REP VOWS TO WORK WITH TRUMP ON KEY PART OF TARIFF PLAN: ‘HOPING THAT I CAN HELP’ Democrats will likely offer a host of amendments to get vulnerable Republicans on the record about controversial issues like possible cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and even tariffs. The bottom line is this: There is high interest in Congress advancing the “big, beautiful bill.” It’s the touchstone of President Trump’s legislative agenda and probably the most significant piece of legislation to come before Congress over the next two years. But getting to a point where the House and Senate can actually try to approve the bill itself is an exhaustive process and months away. However, this incremental step is essential to getting there. And that’s why interested parties will focus on the vote-a-rama starting Friday night and when it ends. Also, why start this process so late on a Thursday and compel the Senate to meet on a Friday night and into the weekend? Especially when the Senate has had multiple weekend sessions already this year and several overnight sessions? That includes the all-night, record-breaking speech by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., earlier this week. There is some method to the madness. First, the Senate needs to get through this step. Time is of the essence. But secondly, Fox is told that holding off until later in the week could limit the length of the vote-a-rama if the Senate doesn’t start until Friday night. That isn’t to say the vote-a-rama won’t be long and tiring. But it could abbreviate the process. Let’s take a step backward so we can look forward on what the House and Senate must still do to pass the tax cut and spending cut plan. There are potentially eight steps here. The Senate motion over the next few days is step three. In February, the Senate adopted an initial budget outline so it could use the special “budget reconciliation process” and avoid a filibuster. The House approved its own version of a budget outline in late February – even though the consequences of the filibuster mean nothing to the House. But the issue was that the House and Senate approved different budget frameworks. They still need to sync up. So those were steps one and two of this protracted process. The Senate’s vote-a-rama – culminating with the adoption of a new, updated budget blueprint – is step three. Step four likely comes next week when the Senate’s updated package goes to the House. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., indicated Wednesday night he’d like the House to align with the Senate framework next week. So that entails another vote. However, some archconservatives might look askance at the Senate’s spending cut numbers. Those close to the Senate process have told Fox that those figures represent a “floor” for spending cuts. Not a “ceiling.” But the ultimate Senate number might not please as many House conservatives. Why does the Senate do it this way? To comply with specific, strict Senate budgetary rules. Johnson seemed buoyed last night after he swore in new Reps. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., and Randy Fine, R-Fla., Wednesday night. “The margin is a little more comfortable. It’s an embarrassment of riches. Now we can lose, what, three votes now or something.” Yours truly asked Patronis if he and Fine would vote for the still incomplete package when it comes over from the Senate. “I vote for my speaker,” replied Patronis. “Right!” piped up Johnson. It’s possible the speaker was glad to have some backup after one of the worst weeks of his tenure. Johnson lost an internecine fight over proxy voting for members who are pregnant or new moms. That blocked the House from considering other major bills and forced him to shut the House down for the rest of the week on Tuesday. Regardless, if the House adopts the plan now before the Senate, they go to steps five and six. That’s where the House and Senate actually assemble, debate and presumably pass the bill itself. Those steps will be the most challenging set yet. And it likely involves yet another vote-a-rama in the Senate. Then, we may have steps seven and eight. That’s where the House and Senate may need to take yet another set of votes to align again – if both bodies have approved different bills. That’s why passing the “big, beautiful bill” may take until summer. And there will undoubtedly be additional hiccups
Trump confirms National Security Council firings as Waltz’s Signal chat woes snowball
President Donald Trump confirmed that multiple employees within the National Security Council were fired Thursday, adding to National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s recent political woes that have snowballed since Democrats first slammed him over March’s Signal chat leak. Trump and his administration, however, have repeatedly defended the national security leader publicly. On Thursday, Trump confirmed that members of the National Security Council had been fired, but remarked it was not many individuals. The president added that he continues to have trust in his national security team amid the turmoil. Waltz, who previously served as a Florida congressman and as a decorated combat Green Beret, has come under fire from Democrats and critics since March, when the Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published a firsthand account of getting added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while they discussed strikes against Yemen terrorists. Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR MIKE WALTZ TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR ‘EMBARRASSING’ SIGNAL CHAT LEAK The Atlantic’s report characterized the Trump administration as texting “war plans” regarding a planned strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Trump administration has maintained, however, that no classified material was transmitted in the chat, with Trump repeatedly defending Waltz amid the fallout. NSC CONFIRMS MIKE WALTZ AND STAFF USED GMAIL FOR GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION “As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,” Trump administration press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media in brief remarks outside of the White House’s press room Monday afternoon. “And this case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned.” “There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again,” she continued. “And we’re moving forward. And the president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.” TRUMP REVEALS WHO WAS BEHIND SIGNAL TEXT CHAIN LEAK Fox News Digital has compiled a timeline of accusations and outrage directed at and involving Waltz since the Atlantic’s first report on the chat leak. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply.
Waltz’s Signal chat woes snowball as Trump admin defends national security advisor
President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, Mike Waltz, has repeatedly landed in hot water in recent days, beginning with an uproar from Democrats over a Signal chat leak with high-ranking national security officials that has since snowballed. Trump and his administration, however, repeatedly have defended the national security leader publicly. Waltz, who previously served as a Florida congressman and as a decorated combat Green Beret, has come under fire from Democrats and critics since March, when the Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published a firsthand account of getting added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while they discussed strikes against Yemen terrorists. Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR MIKE WALTZ TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR ‘EMBARRASSING’ SIGNAL CHAT LEAK The Atlantic’s report characterized the Trump administration as texting “war plans” regarding a planned strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Trump administration has maintained, however, that no classified material was transmitted in the chat, with Trump repeatedly defending Waltz amid the fallout. NSC CONFIRMS MIKE WALTZ AND STAFF USED GMAIL FOR GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION “As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,” Trump administration press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media in brief remarks outside of the White House’s press room Monday afternoon. “And this case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned.” “There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again,” she continued. “And we’re moving forward. And the president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.” TRUMP REVEALS WHO WAS BEHIND SIGNAL TEXT CHAIN LEAK Fox News Digital has compiled a timeline of accusations and outrage directed at and involving Waltz since the Atlantic’s first report on the chat leak. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply.
Musk’s political baggage: Polls show Americans sour on Trump’s most visible advisor
There’s no denying that billionaire Elon Musk has been the most visible member of President Donald Trump’s administration during Trump’s first ten weeks back in the White House. But with familiarity can come contempt, as recent polling shows the DOGE point man underwater with approval ratings. Musk, the world’s richest person and the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, has grabbed outsized attention as he’s steered DOGE, the acronym for Trump’s recently created Department of Government Efficiency, which has swept through federal agencies, rooting out what the White House argues was billions in wasteful federal spending. The unit has also taken a meat cleaver to the federal workforce, resulting in a massive exodus of employees. The controversial moves by Musk and DOGE have triggered a slew of lawsuits in response. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that a majority of Americans are far from happy with Musk’s moves. And two new national public opinion polls released this week offer further proof. MUSK NOT LEAVING YET, WRAPPING UP WORK ON SCHEDULE ONCE ‘INCREDIBLE WORK AT DOGE IS COMPLETE’: WHITE HOUSE According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted March 31-April 2, Musk’s favorable rating stands at 39% among Americans, with 57% viewing him in an unfavorable light. And only 36% of respondents said the Trump administration was doing a competent job in reducing the number of federal employees. Even fewer — 31% — offered that the Trump administration was competently downsizing the federal government without affecting vital services. According to a Marquette Law School national survey, 41% approve of the job Musk is doing at DOGE, with 58% giving him a thumbs down. And Musk’s favorable rating was in negative territory — at the 38% to 60% — in the poll, which was conducted March 17 through 24. AMERICANS WANT SMALLER GOVERNMENT BUT NEW POLLS SHOWS WHETHER THEY LIKE HOW MUSK IS GOING ABOUT IT The two surveys are the latest to indicate Musk’s poll numbers deeply underwater. A majority — 54% — questioned in a Quinnipiac University survey conducted early last month said that Musk and DOGE are hurting the country, with just four in ten saying their efforts are helping the country. And according to a Fox News national poll conducted in mid-March, approval of Musk’s work at DOGE was in negative territory, at 40% approval and 58% disapproval. While nearly six in 10 questioned in the Fox News poll felt that a great deal or almost all of government spending is wasteful and inefficient, 51% opposed substantially shrinking the number of government employees, 56% disapproved of the job the Trump administration is doing identifying and reducing wasteful spending, and another 65% worried that not enough thought and planning has gone into the cuts. While Trump continues to praise Musk’s efforts with DOGE, some Republicans are starting to voice concerns about Musk’s political liabilities. Democrats have increasingly spotlighted and targeted Musk in their political attacks. And that was before he inserted himself front-and-center in this week’s high-profile and historically expensive state supreme court election in Wisconsin. DEMOCRAT CONGRESSMAN LASHES MUSK IN OPENING SALVO OF SENATE BID With a massive infusion of money from Democrat- and Republican-aligned groups from outside Wisconsin, which turned the race into the most expensive judicial election in the nation’s history, the contest partially transformed into a referendum on Trump’s sweeping and controversial moves during the opening months of his second tour of duty in the White House, and on Musk’s efforts. Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, the liberal-leaning candidate, ended up defeating Brad Schimel, the conservative-leaning Trump-backed candidate, a former state attorney general who currently serves as a state circuit court judge in Waukesha County, by roughly ten points. The large margin was not expected, in a race that was expected to be close, in a state that last November had an extremely tight margin in the presidential race. Musk, who last year was Trump’s top donor, dished out roughly $20 million in the Wisconsin race through aligned groups in support of Schimel. ELON MUSK HANDS OUT MILLION-DOLLAR CHECKS AMID ‘SUPER IMPORTANT’ WISCONSIN JUDICIAL RACE In a controversial move, Musk handed out $1 million checks at a rally in Green Bay on Sunday evening to two Wisconsin voters who had already cast ballots in the contest and had signed a petition to stop “activist judges.” Musk’s lighting rod efforts in Wisconsin are being blamed for partially contributing to the 10-point shellacking Schimel suffered. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP The White House confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday that Musk will exit his role with DOGE on schedule later this spring, once his efforts are complete. The White House, pushing back against reporting by Politico that Trump had told his inner circle and cabinet members that Musk would be “stepping back in the coming weeks from his current role,” said that Musk had long been anticipated to step back from DOGE when his 130 days as a “special government employee” run out in May.
Bipartisan senators’ bill would require Congress to approve new tariffs
Two senior lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill that would reassert Congress’ powers over U.S. tariffs, a day after President Donald Trump announced a new wide-ranging tariff strategy during his “Liberation Day” speech on Wednesday. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., on Thursday introduced the Trade Review Act of 2025, which would require the president to notify Congress about any new tariffs within 48 hours of imposition. The bill also requires that Trump provide an explanation of the rationale along with an analysis of the tariffs’ potential impact on the U.S. economy. Congress would have to approve the new tariffs within 60 days or allow them to expire. If enacted, the bill would shift certain trade policymaking powers from the executive branch to the Congress. WHAT IS TRUMP’S NEW LIBERATION DAY AND WHAT TO EXPECT APRIL 2? “For too long, Congress has delegated its clear authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce to the executive branch,” Grassley, a Trump ally who’s skeptical of tariffs, said in a statement. “Building on my previous efforts as Finance Committee Chairman, I’m joining Senator Cantwell to introduce the bipartisan Trade Review Act of 2025 to reassert Congress’ constitutional role and ensure Congress has a voice in trade policy,” he continued. TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT TELLS COUNTRIES NOT TO RETALIATE AFTER SWEEPING ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS Cantwell said in a statement that Trump’s tariffs would hurt sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and technology and have reverberating effects on consumers. “Ultimately, consumers will pay the price,” Cantwell said in a statement. “It’s time for Congress to take action to counter the president’s trade war.” READ THE BILL – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: Grassley’s home state of Iowa heavily relies on farm crop exports, while Cantwell’s Washington state is home to many export-heavy companies such as Boeing. Trump on Thursday compared the tariffs to a medical operation, and said the “patient lived, and is healing.” “The prognosis is that the patient will be far stronger, bigger, better, and more resilient than ever before,” he wrote on Truth Social. Thursday’s bill was introduced after four Republican senators joined Democrats in approving a separate resolution Wednesday that would repeal Trump’s emergency declaration levying tariffs on Canadian imports. Grassley was not one of the Republican defectors. The resolution is likely dead on arrival in the House.
House Democrats to head to U.S.-Mexico border in California to scrutinize Trump security policies
A delegation of House Democratic lawmakers will visit a portion of the southern border on Friday to conduct oversight of the Trump administration’s border policies “firsthand” as authorities continue the president’s mass deportation program. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-MS., the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, will lead the delegation. Also going will be Reps. Lou Correa and Sara Jacobs, both of California; Delia Ramirez of Illinois; LaMonica McIver and Nellie Pou, both of New Jersey; and Tim Kennedy of New York. TRUMP ADMIN ENDS DEPORTATION PROTECTIONS FOR MASSIVE NUMBER OF VENEZUELANS AMID ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN Fox News Digital has reached out to Thompson’s office. The lawmakers will visit the U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector. San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, who has called for greater border security in the past, criticized the timing of the visit. “For years, I invited leaders from both parties to witness the crisis at our Southern Border,” he wrote on X. “Few listened. Now—just one month into the new administration—border crossings are down 95%. Now the Democrats want to come see it? The invasion is over. The border is secure.” TRUMP REPORTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT HISTORIC LOWS DURING FIRST FULL MONTH IN OFFICE The Trump administration has deported more than 100,000 illegal migrants in the weeks since Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20, according to a New York Post report citing a Department of Homeland Security official. “He’s doing what he was voted in to do. Point blank!” a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) source told the outlet. Trump’s second term, much like his first, has consisted of executive orders, enforcing current laws and hard-line messaging to clamp down on illegal crossings. On his first day back in office, he declared a national emergency at the southern border. Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Ban on taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners sparks Dem walkout in Georgia House vote
Georgia state House Democrats staged a walkout to protest a vote on a bill headed to the governor’s desk for his signature prohibiting taxpayer-funded sex change surgeries for inmates. The bill passed on a 100-2 vote, and both recorded no votes were from Democrats. The legislation, SB 185, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Randy Robertson, bars the Georgia Department of Corrections from providing taxpayer-funded transgender medical treatments, including surgeries and hormonal treatments, to prison inmates. Robertson contends there are about five inmates incarcerated in the DOC that receive treatments. The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for his signature. PRISONERS HAVE NO ‘CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT’ TO SEX CHANGES, RED STATE AG TELLS COURT IN BRIEF BACKING TRUMP “This disappointing stunt underscores a troubling disconnect between Democrats and the values of the people they serve,” Republican House Majority Whip James Burchett told Fox News Digital. “They knew they had no response to the substance of the bill. So, rather than debate its merits, they chose to abandon their duties by leaving the chamber.” However, Democratic House Whip Sam Park contended it was Republicans playing politics, not Democrats. “Republicans continue to waste time on their manufactured culture wars while Georgians struggle with increasing costs of housing, food, healthcare and an increasingly uncertain economy due to Republican leadership in D.C.,” Park said. “We walked out to make it clear: Georgia Democrats are here to fight for working families, not political distractions.” TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT ‘EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY’: JUDGE Georgia Republicans have taken an aggressive approach toward transgender issues this legislative session with the introduction of several bills that seek to align with President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Some of those bills, in addition to SB 185, include blocking taxpayer-funded medical treatments for state employees, prohibitions on prescribing puberty blockers to minors and a ban on biological males competing in girls high school sports. It’s unclear how much cosmetic or surgical transgender treatments cost each taxpayer in Georgia, but the Gender Confirmation Center estimates alterations can be anywhere from $8,000 to $50,000, depending on the type of procedure. Other states this year have moved to introduce similar bills banning taxpayer-funded transgender treatments for inmates, including Utah and Kentucky. California was among the first states to provide transgender procedures for prison inmates in 2017 after a legal battle launched by an inmate two years earlier. ACLU SUES INDIANA OVER DENIAL OF SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY FOR INMATE WHO STRANGLED 11-MONTH-OLD TO DEATH In January and February 2025, Trump signed executive orders rolling back federally-funded “gender ideology” initiatives. These orders define “sex” strictly as male or female, mandate federal agencies to conform to this definition and prohibit transgender individuals from using single-sex federally-funded facilities. They also prevent federally funded transgender treatments for both inmates and minors and ban biological males from competing in women’s sports. “Yesterday’s walkout by Georgia Democrats during a vote to ban taxpayer-funded sex reassignment surgeries for prisoners is a disgraceful display of misplaced priorities,” Rep. Houston Gaines, vice chairman of the Georgia House Majority Caucus, said. “By storming out of the legislative session, these lawmakers abandoned their duty to represent their constituents and engage in the democratic process, all to grandstand over an issue that most Georgians find absurd.”
‘Mind-boggling’: Space Force chief fires off dire warning about Chinese capability to knock out US satellites
“Mind-boggling” is the word Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman used to describe China’s explosive advances in space as he warned the U.S. is on a path to losing its dominance in orbit. Testifying before the bipartisan U.S.-China Commission on Thursday, Saltzman said China is “heavily investing” in both ground-based and space-based weapons designed to disable enemy satellites, including kinetic strikes, radio-frequency jamming and directed energy weapons. The U.S., meanwhile, is “resource limited” and still weighing “which ones we could get the most utility out of,” he said. The general’s testimony came as Congress weighs how to counter growing Chinese aggression in space and whether the Space Force has the tools to keep pace. China increased its military spending by 7% this year, stockpiling anti-satellite missiles and claiming to possess directed energy weapons that use concentrated energy beams to jam satellite signals. THE US IS NOT READY FOR A NUCLEAR SHOWDOWN WITH CHINA, KEY CONSERVATIVES WARN TRUMP There’s also a risk if China were to destroy a satellite in orbit, an action that could trigger a global catastrophe, Saltzman warned, pointing to lingering debris from Russia’s 2021 anti-satellite missile test and China’s 2007 test, which continue to threaten spacecraft safety. China’s space-based targeting capabilities have “grown most impressively” in recent years, Saltzman said, with hundreds of satellites now dedicated to tracking U.S. assets in orbit. That expansion has given the Space Force a “new mission set”: to deny China the ability to surveil American satellites in real time. Yet Saltzman warned the U.S. is falling behind. The Space Force budget has shrunk in absolute terms, even as space becomes an increasingly contested military domain. Lawmakers, he said, still operate with an “out of sight, out of mind” mindset. “It’s just still a low priority in terms of the policy regime,” Saltzman said. “The modern battlefield has to account for the space domain. If we can’t continue to protect our use of the domain – and we can’t deny an adversary – that’s going to be tied to the military objectives in any of the other domains. LASERS, SPACE RADARS, MISSILE INTERCEPTORS: DEFENSE LEADERS LAY OUT VISION FOR TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN DOME’ PROJECT “I believe we have more missions unfunded than funded,” Saltzman said, adding that Space Force still lacks the size and capabilities needed to carry out its expanding responsibilities. The U.S., for example, does not have an operational quantum satellite, but China does. Quantum satellites can enable ultra-secure communications and advanced navigational technologies. China’s investment in space-based tech for long-range precision strikes and reusable launch vehicles “represent an inflection point in space access that may result in China overtaking U.S. leadership,” Saltzman said. Just weeks ago, Space Force Vice Chief of Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein revealed that China has been practicing satellite “dogfighting,” a sign of its growing ability to conduct complex operations in orbit. Space Force has observed “five different objects in space maneuvering in and out and around each other in synchronicity and in control,” he said. “That’s what we call dogfighting in space,” Guetlein said. “They are practicing tactics, techniques and procedures to conduct on-orbit operations from one satellite to another.”
Ex-Biden official running in blue state gubernatorial race must tackle key issue amid skyrocketing costs
California gubernatorial candidate and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said the state may need to rein in its Medicaid program as it faces concerns about costs partly related to those in the country illegally using the system. Becerra, a Democrat who previously served as the Golden State’s attorney general, explained his stance in an interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles this week. “I believe we should eventually get there,” he said about allowing people to enroll in Medi-Cal even if they’re undocumented. HOUSE REPUBLICANS GRILL HHS SECRETARY BECERRA OVER MIGRANT CHILDREN: ‘WOULD NOT WANT TO BE YOU’ “Can we afford to do it? That’s where a governor has to decide… if we can’t afford it, we have to be realistic. If we can’t afford it, how do we do it?” he added. “But when you do the scrub… this is where it’s important, if you don’t have the dollars to do it, how do you do it? You need the money. California needs a balanced budget. You scrub it. If you find a way, you do it and don’t delay. But if you scrub it and you can’t figure out how to do it, then that’s the reality and that’s the choices we have,” the former Biden official continued. The overall Medi-Cal program was originally expected to cost $6 billion until a California budget official revealed that it’s projected to cost $9.5 billion this fiscal year. The governor’s office then asked for two separate loans, totaling $6.2 billion. ALLEGED MS-13 GANG LEADER LINKED TO NEARLY A DOZEN MURDERS, ON THE RUN FOR YEARS NABBED IN LONG ISLAND: DOJ When asked by KCRA, Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited and will leave office in January 2027, said that while illegal immigrants in the program are not the whole issue, it’s a contributing factor. “That’s partial,” Newsom said last month. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “With tough fiscal choices ahead, Governor Newsom, jointly with Pro Tem McGuire and Speaker Rivas, will evaluate proposals to rein in long-term spending – including in Medi-Cal – while working to protect the core health and social services Californians rely on,” Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement to Fox News Digital. The governor and his office have said rising costs have led to higher than expected Medicaid costs in other states that do not allow illegal immigrants to enroll. “Immigration status doesn’t matter,” according to the California Department of Health Care services website, but Republicans have staunchly criticized allowing illegal immigrants in the program. COLLEGES IN ICE’S DEPORTATION CROSSHAIRS SHELLED OUT DISCOUNTS, FINANCIAL AID TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: GOP REP “Even Jerry Brown refused to expand Medi-Cal to all illegal immigrants because he knew it was fiscally irresponsible and unsustainable,” California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones tweeted last month. “Now under Newsom, legal residents are paying the price both financially and in reduced access to healthcare. The public deserves answers: Why are the costs so much higher than what Newsom promised? What is Newsom’s plan to fix the financial disaster he created?” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The 2026 California governor’s race is expected to be contentious, as Becerra, former Rep. Katie Porter, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis are already in the race on the Democratic side. Reports swirl that former Vice President Kamala Harris could make her comeback into politics after losing the 2024 election by running for governor. On the Republican side, Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco is currently in the race, and many others are expected to join him.