DOGE slashes billions more in expenses for programs like Peruvian climate change and gender equity in Mexico
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced it had terminated 113 contracts valued at $4.7 billion Tuesday, including a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) consulting contract for Peru’s climate change activities. “[Tuesday] agencies terminated 113 wasteful contracts with a ceiling value of $4.7B and savings of $3.3B, including a $145K USDA consulting contract for ‘Peru climate change activities,’” the department posted on X. DOGE also announced the Department of Labor had canceled $577 million in “America Last” grants, totaling $237 million in savings. The funding that was canceled included $10 million for “gender equity in the Mexican workplace,” $12.2 million for “worker empowerment in South America” and $6.25 million for “improving respect for workers’ rights in agricultural supply chains” in the countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. DOGE SLASHES NEARLY $1M FOR ALPACA FARMING IN PERU, OTHER QUESTIONABLE GRANTS IN LATEST WASTEFUL SPENDING CUT Also eliminated was $5 million to elevate women’s participation in the workplace in West Africa, $4.3 million to assist foreign migrant workers in Malaysia, $3 million to enhance Social Security access and worker protection for internal migrant workers in Bangladesh and $3 million for safe and inclusive work environments in the southern African country of Lesotho. DOGE, led by Elon Musk, is a temporary organization within the White House created via executive order earlier this year. President Donald Trump tasked the organization with optimizing the federal government, streamlining operations and slashing spending and gave the agency 18 months to do it. OPM’S SECOND EMAIL TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ASKS WHAT THEY DID LAST WEEK — AND ADDS A NEW REQUIREMENT: REPORT The department has canceled numerous diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at federal agencies, consulting contracts, leases for underused federal buildings and duplicate agencies and programs. As of March 26, DOGE claims on its site it has saved Americans $130 billion, or $807.45 per taxpayer. DOGE critics contend the organization has too much access to federal systems and should not be permitted to cancel federal contracts or make cuts to various agencies. Fox News Digital’s Eric Revell and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Federal judge denies Trump admin’s effort to ban transgender people from military
A federal judge denied President Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to ban transgender people from joining the military, which was set to go into effect Friday. Washington, D.C.-based U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee, on Wednesday, denied the government’s motion to dissolve her order that prevents the military from denying transgender people the ability to enlist in the military. TRANSGENDER MILITARY BAN SET TO TAKE EFFECT DURING ONGOING COURT BATTLE Reyes presided over a hearing March 21, when she requested the Department of Defense delay its original March 26 deadline to enact the policy. Reyes said she wanted to allow more time for the appeals process. She also said she had previously allowed plenty of time to appeal her earlier opinion blocking the ban from going into effect. The legal challenge comes as the Supreme Court also considers a high-profile case dealing with transgender rights. The issue in the case, United States vs. Skrmetti, is whether the equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same, prohibits states from allowing medical providers to deliver puberty blockers and hormones to assist with a minor’s transition to another sex.
Congressional Democrats find their voice as Signal slip-up becomes talk of the town
It was sheer coincidence that two of the witnesses testifying before a rare, public hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday were part of the botched text chain about military action in Yemen. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were scheduled for the committee’s annual “worldwide threats” hearing. But something else commandeered the talk of the town. Had the text chain not dropped, there would have been lengthy discussions about domestic terrorism and the threat at the border. How the U.S. was grappling with China. Was there progress in the Middle East? How about the war in Ukraine? RUBIO BREAKS SILENCE ON LEAKED SIGNAL CHAT: ‘SOMEONE MADE A BIG MISTAKE’ FBI Director Kash Patel joined Gabbard and Ratcliffe at the witness table. Patel just assembled a task force to address domestic terrorism. Under other circumstances, senators may have questioned Patel about people setting Teslas afire and keying Cybertrucks. But that was not to be. Democrats have reeled since the early days of the second Trump Administration. They’ve failed to establish their footing. They’ve attacked one another after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sided with Republicans to help avoid a government shutdown. Other Democrats faced irate voters, infuriated that the people they elected aren’t doing more to stand up to President Trump and Congressional Republicans. And then Democrats scored a gift with the bolloxed text chain. Or, it was at least something Democrats could wield against the other side. They were apoplectic about the group chat. “It’s the dumbest thing I’ve seen,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. “I think this is one more example of the kind of sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior,” bemoaned Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. HEGSETH SAYS NO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WAS SHARED IN SIGNAL GROUP CHAT: ‘NOBODY’S TEXTING WAR PLANS’ Democrats charged that intelligence officials were cavalier with information. “This sloppiness, this incompetence, this disrespect for our intelligence agencies and the personnel who work for them is entirely unacceptable. It’s an embarrassment,” said Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. “You need to do better. You need to do better.” Gabbard initially sidestepped when Warner questioned her about the digital misfire. “Senator, I don’t want to get into the specifics,” Gabbard said. That response confounded Warner. “You’re not going to be willing to address…?” said Warner. “Are you denying that? Will you answer my question, ma’am?” But Gabbard deliberately addressed the group chat controversy when she testified Wednesday before the House Intelligence Committee. She did so in her opening remarks. But after she addressed cybersecurity threats from China and volatility in the Middle East. Gabbard said that it was a “mistake” to include Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg on the text chain. “The national security adviser has taken full responsibility for this. And the National Security Council is conducting an in-depth review, along with technical experts working to determine how this reporter was inadvertently added to this chat,” said Gabbard. “No classified information was shared. There were no sources, methods, locations, or war plans that were shared.” ELON MUSK TAPPED TO HELP LEAD INVESTIGATION INTO SIGNAL CHAT LEAK: WHITE HOUSE Gabbard then informed the committee that because of a lawsuit filed about the text chain she was “limited in my ability to comment further on that specific case.” The CIA and other intelligence services sometimes rely on the encrypted chat app Signal for coordination. “The use of Signal message and end encryption applications is permissible and was in this case, ‘use permissible,’” said Ratcliffe at the Senate hearing. Gabbard said the bungled texts divulged no top secrets. “There was no classified material that was shared in that,” said Gabbard. “So then if there (is) no classified material, share it with the committee. You can’t have it both ways,” countered Warner. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who sits on the Intelligence Committee and is the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, chimed in at a news conference. “If that’s true, the administration should immediately provide a copy of the group chat to Congress,” said Reed. The debate over operational security and faulty handling of sensitive information is the entrée for this story. But frank assessments about Europe and U.S. allies by Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth constituted a fascinating group chat biproduct. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: IMPEACHAPALOOZA IS HERE TO STAY Vance texted his concerns about the U.S. commencing airstrikes – which may be more beneficial for Europe than the United States. Vance and other Trump Administration officials have criticized Europe for their approaches to security – often leaning on the United States. “3 percent of US trade runs through the suez,” texted Vance, addressing how the Houthis pose a risk to shipping through the Suez Canal. “40 percent of European trade does.” Vance blessed the operation on the text chain. But added this jab. “I just hate bailing Europe out again,” texted the Vice President. Then Hegseth jumped in. “I fully share your loathing of European free-loading,” replied Hegseth. “It’s PATHETIC.” “Doesn’t that harm our relationship with them?” yours truly asked Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “I think you have to put that into context for what it is,” replied Thune. “This is a new administration. There’s a new sheriff in town. And, at some point, I think the Europeans and all the other countries around the world – whether they like it or not – realize that.” Some Republicans tried to give the national security officials a pass. “If you have never made a mistake, then you can throw the first stone,” said Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla. ATLANTIC REPORTER PUBLISHES MORE TEXTS ABOUT ATTACK ON HOUTHI TARGETS Other Republicans shot the messenger. “What The Atlantic did by making public something that they believed could have been national security sensitive is irresponsible activity (by) the press,” said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. But deserved or not, consider how much time lawmakers from both sides burned on the chat group snafu versus delving into actual
Former state lawmaker Justin Eichorn released after arrest for alleged enticement of a minor
Former Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn was granted pre-trial release on Wednesday after being charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor in connection to a prostitution sting. Eichorn, 40, is accused of arranging to meet up with a 17-year-old girl for sex on March 17. On Wednesday, the Republican was granted release from jail pending trial, with requirements that he go to a halfway house once a bed is available and be monitored by GPS. MINNESOTA REPUBLICANS TO INTRODUCE BILL DEFINING ‘TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME’ AS MENTAL ILLNESS Fox News Digital previously reported Eichorn was allegedly speaking with a girl who he was told was underage for about a week before arranging to meet on March 17 for sex. When he arrived at the meet-up, he realized the person he was talking to online was actually an undercover agent, affiliate FOX 9 Minneapolis reported. The former senator was arrested and initially granted release at his first court appearance, but prosecutors over the weekend requested a new detention hearing, claiming he asked his wife to move a laptop from his apartment before investigators arrived, according to FOX 9. Court documents showed FBI agents, who arrived at the apartment before his wife, told her she could not take the laptop, which Eichorn’s attorneys argued was for their shared real estate business. Also inside the apartment was a factory-reset cellphone and a gun Eichorn allegedly denied having when speaking with a probation officer, FOX 9 reported. Eichorn’s attorneys said the gun was kept in case anyone acted on threats he received about recent legislation he authored defining “Trump derangement syndrome,” or TDS, as a mental illness in Minnesota, according to the report. SANCTUARY CITY LAWYERS PLOT TO HELP ILLEGAL MIGRANTS EVADE ICE IN EXPOSED GROUP EMAIL Eichorn resigned on March 19 prior to a motion from Republican lawmakers to boot him from the state Senate. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Court records show his wife filed for divorce this week, according to the report. Eichorn could not be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
Vance celebrates ‘no more quotas’ in the military as he fires guns and visits with Marines
Vice President JD Vance boasted of “no more quotas” in the military as he visited young Marines at Quantico Wednesday, emphasizing that the previous administration’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies are no longer in effect. “No more quotas, no more ridiculous mumbo jumbo, no more diversity trainings,” he said. “We believe the real strength and the real diversity in the United States Marine Corps is that you all come from every walk of life, every corner of America, and you have got the strength and the purpose to win the nation’s wars.” The vice president claimed he saw a “renewed sense of patriotism” and a “renewed commitment to excellence in the nation’s military youth.” After addressing a crowd of Marines, Vance briefly served lunch in the chow hall and fired three different guns — an M27, M107 and an M240B — and an inert Howitzer and a drone at a gun range. VANCE OFFICE TOUTS US DEFENSE OF GREENLAND FROM NAZIS, SOVIETS, AHEAD OF VP AND WIFE’S VISIT TO SPACE BASE Arriving three hours late, Vance blamed the delay on an Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump. “I was in the Oval Office talking to the president. I said, ’Sir, I know we’re in the middle of something, but the Marines at Quantico are waiting for me.” He said Trump sent his “love” and appreciation. Lieutenants at Quantico told Fox News Digital they were excited to see a former Marine in the White House. Amid rapid-fire changes in Washington, they said their day-to-day lives hadn’t changed much in the military, other than new restrictions about what they were allowed to post on social media. Wednesday’s address included Vance’s first public remarks since a bombshell report emerged of the vice president airing his concerns about Houthi strikes in a group chat on Signal with other top U.S. officials. He did not answer questions from reporters about the leaked discussion. JD VANCE RECALLS HIS WIFE TEXTING HIM UNDER TABLE AT SILICON VALLEY DINNER: ‘THESE PEOPLE ARE F—ING CRAZY’ Vance pointed out in messages revealed after The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added to a high-level Signal chat that Europe’s shipping was far more affected than shipping in the U.S. by Houthi strikes in the Red Sea. “I think we are making a mistake,” Vance said in one message. “3 percent of US trade runs through the [Suez Canal]. 40 percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary. The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message.” Hegseth addressed Vance’s hesitance: “VP: I understand your concerns – and fully support you raising w/ POTUS. Important considerations, most of which are tough to know how they play out (economy, Ukraine peace, Gaza, etc). I think messaging is going to be tough no matter what – nobody knows who the Houthis are – which is why we would need to stay focused on: 1) Biden failed & 2) Iran funded.” Hegseth added, “Waiting a few weeks or a month does not fundamentally change the calculus. 2 immediate risks on waiting: 1) this leaks, and we look indecisive; 2) Israel takes an action first – or Gaza cease fire falls apart – and we don’t get to start this on our own terms.” Vance replied, “If you think we should do it let’s go. I just hate bailing Europe out again.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Hegseth added, “VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC. But Mike is correct, we are the only ones on the planet (on our side of the ledger) who can do this. Nobody else even close. Question is timing. I feel like now is as good a time as any, given POTUS directive to reopen shipping lanes. I think we should go; but POTUS still retains 24 hours of decision space.”
HUD ends FHA mortgages for illegal immigrants: ‘Should benefit Americans who play by the rules’
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) terminated some mortgages for illegal immigrants in an effort to ensure federal home loans don’t go to those living in the U.S. illegally. HUD Secretary Scott Turner announced the move Wednesday, a day after news of a joint effort with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to focus on homeownership for Americans. “Today, HUD terminated Biden’s taxpayer-backed FHA mortgages for illegal aliens,” Turner wrote on X. “American taxpayers will no longer subsidize open borders by offering home loans to those who enter our nation illegally.” HUD TERMINATES OBAMA-ERA HOUSING RULE THAT TRUMP WARNED WOULD ‘DESTROY’ HOME VALUES In another post, Turner said HUD-backed mortgages should benefit Americans “who play by the rules and work hard, not those who enter our country illegally.” “Today, HUD acted to protect the American Dream of homeownership,” he wrote. On Monday, Turner and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem signed a memo to end “wasteful misappropriation” of taxpayer-funded public housing resources going to illegal immigrants rather than U.S. citizens. ICE NEARING HISTORIC DEAL WITH IRS TO AID IN DEPORTATIONS: REPORT The initiative will help with data sharing between the two agencies via newly established lines of communication, officials said. A news release said U.S. veterans stood to benefit from the move. “American tax dollars should be used for the benefit of American citizens, especially when it comes to an issue as pressing as our nation’s housing crisis,” Turner said Monday. “This new agreement will leverage resources, including technology and personnel, to ensure American people are the only priority when it comes to public housing. “We will continue to work closely with DHS to maximize our resources and put American citizens first.” Roughly 9 million people live in subsidized housing across the country, according to HUD. About 59% of noncitizen households — those including green card holders or illegal immigrants — use one or more public assistance programs, costing taxpayers as much as $42 billion annually, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for lower immigration levels. Upon taking office, President Donald Trump called for greater oversight to stop illegal immigrants from accessing taxpayer-funded resources. During the Biden administration, tens of millions of dollars were spent on housing for migrants, including for all-expense-paid stays at hotels for some. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Some states, such as Pennsylvania and Arizona, passed measures during the Biden administration aimed at ensuring illegal immigrants do not take public housing resources from Americans who need them. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Tesla robots visit Capitol Hill amid anti-DOGE protests, attacks on Elon Musk’s dealerships
Tesla made an appearance on Capitol Hill Wednesday where the company was held up as one of several key American manufacturers during a bipartisan event on U.S.-made robotics. Two Tesla humanoid robots were at the event, with onlookers crowding the machines as they struck various poses. They waved their arms at times, and held up hands with two fingers aloft on each in a Richard Nixon-like pose. At one point, a robot’s arm swung out and hit the rope dividing it from the crowd, briefly sending a security guard scrambling to fix it. Outside of Washington, however, Tesla car dealerships have been targeted by progressive activists across the country. The automaker and tech company is getting singled out for acts of vandalism over its founder, Elon Musk, and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts in the Trump administration. DEMS WHO RAILED AGAINST DOMESTIC TERRORISM SILENT AS TRUMP FLOATS 20-YEAR JAIL SENTENCE FOR TESLA VANDALS House select committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., suggested Tesla’s appearance at the bipartisan event showed Congress rising above partisanship. “The competition is with China, and we are united in winning that competition,” Moolenaar told Fox News Digital at the event. He called Telsa “innovative,” adding, “All the companies here have shown tremendous ingenuity, and we were pleased to highlight all of their efforts.” The event featured bots from other events, including so-called “robot dogs,” officially known as “Spot the Agile Mobile Robot” by Boston Dynamics, and a similar machine by Ghost Robotics. Moolenaar said Spot stood out to him in particular, as well as Tesla’s two robot humanoids that were present at the event. “It’s amazing technology, and what struck me was a lot of the same technology that’s in a vehicle is used in these humanoid robots,” he said. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., another member of the committee, said the Tesla robots could have “unbelievable applications.” “Maybe in agriculture — a lot of our farmers are going out of business, can’t compete labor-wise, right? You get a couple of robots that can actually do very detailed farm work and drive the labor costs down, we’ll save the American farmer,” Gimenez said. EXCLUSIVE: HOUSE GOP FIREBRAND DRIVES DOGE COMMITTEE INVESTIGATION OF GOVERNMENT MEDIA AGENCY CORRUPTION CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He also accused Democrats outside the event of having their “hair on fire” over Musk and criticized Tesla critics who have been vandalizing its car dealerships. “Some people have taken things to an extreme,” Gimenez said. “There is no need for putting down something that is advancing American technology and is going to be beneficial for America.” The Trump administration has recently made moves to crack down on those vandals, with President Donald Trump himself threatening to jail protesters. The FBI, meanwhile, has commissioned a task force to look into the matter.
Screenshots of Yemen attack group chat contradict US officials’ denials
NewsFeed A journalist who was accidentally added to a group chat with top US security officials has shared more screen shots. They show that details on the timing and weapons to be used in a strike on Yemen were discussed, despite members of the group denying this. Published On 26 Mar 202526 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Trump administration arrests Turkish student at Tufts, revokes visa
United States immigration authorities have arrested and revoked the visa of a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University near Boston who had voiced support for Palestinians during Israel’s war in Gaza. Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, had left her home in Somerville on Tuesday night to meet friends and break her Ramadan fast when she was arrested by Department of Homeland Security agents, lawyer Mahsa Khanbabai said in a petition filed in Boston federal court. Ozturk’s supporters say her detention is the first known immigration arrest of a Boston-area student engaged in such activism to be carried out under President Donald Trump. His administration has detained or sought to detain several foreign-born students who are legally in the US and have been involved in pro-Palestinian protests. The actions have been condemned as an assault on free speech, though the Trump administration argues that certain protests are anti-Semitic and can undermine US foreign policy. US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin in a post on X said authorities determined Ozturk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organisation that relishes the killing of Americans”. Advertisement “A visa is a privilege, not a right,” McLaughlin said. Rumesya Ozturk is a Turkish national & Tufts University graduate student, granted the privilege to be in this country on a visa. DHS + ICE investigations found Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of… pic.twitter.com/3sBE6yO8db — Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) March 26, 2025 She did not specify what activities. But Ozturk’s arrest came a year after the student co-authored an opinion piece in the school’s student paper, the Tufts Daily, that criticised Tufts’ response to calls by students to divest from companies with ties to Israel and to “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide”. “Based on patterns we are seeing across the country, her exercising her free speech rights appears to have played a role in her detention,” Khanbabai said. ‘Looked like a kidnapping’ Following Ozturk’s arrest, Khanbabai filed a lawsuit late Tuesday arguing she was unlawfully detained, prompting US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston that night to order US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) not to move Ozturk out of Massachusetts without at least 48 hours notice. Despite the judge’s order, by Wednesday afternoon, Khanbabai in a motion said she had been unable to locate her client in New England and had just been informed by a US senator’s office that Ozturk was transferred to Louisiana. She sought a court order requiring ICE to permit access to Ozturk. The student’s detention was condemned by Democratic lawmakers, including US Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who said the “arrest is the latest in an alarming pattern to stifle civil liberties”. A rally in her support was expected later Wednesday in Somerville. Advertisement Neighbours said they were left rattled by the arrest, which played out at 5:30pm on a residential block. “It looked like a kidnapping,” said Michael Mathis, a 32-year-old software engineer whose surveillance camera picked up the footage of the arrest. “They approach her and start grabbing her with their faces covered. They’re covering their faces. They’re in unmarked vehicles.” The Trump administration has targeted international students as it seeks to crack down on immigration, including ramping up immigration arrests and sharply restricting border crossings. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in particular, have pledged to deport foreign pro-Palestinian protesters, accusing them of supporting Hamas militants, posing hurdles for US foreign policy, and being anti-Semitic. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the administration wrongly conflates their criticism of Israel and support for Palestinian rights with anti-Semitism and support for Hamas. Targeting university students Ozturk is a Fulbright Scholar and student in Tufts’ doctoral programme for child study and human development, according to her LinkedIn profile, and had previously studied at Columbia University in New York. She has been in the country on an F-1 visa, which allows students to live in the US while studying, according to the lawsuit. In a statement, Tufts president Sunil Kumar said the school had no advance knowledge of the arrest, which he recognised would be “distressing to some members of our community, particularly the members of our international community”. Advertisement Ozturk was taken into custody less than three weeks after Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and lawful permanent resident, was similarly arrested. He is challenging his detention after Trump, without evidence, accused him of supporting Hamas, which Khalil denies. Federal immigration officials are also seeking to detain a South Korean-born Columbia University student who is a legal permanent US resident and has participated in pro-Palestinian protests, a move blocked by the courts for now. A Lebanese doctor and assistant professor at Brown University in Rhode Island this month was denied re-entry to the US and deported to Lebanon after the Trump administration alleged that her phone contained photos “sympathetic” to Hezbollah. Rasha Alawieh said she does not support the group but holds regard for its slain leader because of her religion. The Trump administration has also targeted students at Cornell University in New York and Georgetown University in Washington. Adblock test (Why?)
Transgender military ban will take effect during ongoing court battle
The Trump administration’s ban on transgender people serving in the military is scheduled to take effect Friday after delays and ongoing court challenges to the controversial Department of Defense (DOD) policy. D.C.-based U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee, presided over a hearing March 21 where she requested the department delay its original March 26 deadline to enact the policy. Reyes said she wanted to allow more time for the appeals process. She also said she had previously allowed plenty of time to appeal her earlier opinion blocking the ban from going into effect. “I don’t want to jam up the D.C. Circuit. That’s my main concern here,” Reyes said during the March 21 hearing. “My chambers worked incredibly hard to get out an opinion on time.” A SECOND JUDGE RULES AGAINST TRUMP’S REMOVAL OF TRANSGENDER TROOPS Reyes gave the government a 3 p.m. deadline that same day to return about her request to push the deadline. The government responded, saying it agreed to delay the March 26 deadline to March 28. The legal challenge comes as the U.S. Supreme Court also considers a high-profile case dealing with transgender rights. The issue in the case, United States vs. Skrmetti, is whether the equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same, prohibits states from allowing medical providers to deliver puberty blockers and hormones to assist with a minor’s transition to another sex. HEGSETH SUGGESTS JUDGE REPORT TO MILITARY BASES AFTER RULING THAT PENTAGON MUST ALLOW TRANSGENDER TROOPS A decision from the high court, however, is not expected until May or June. “The Skrmetti decision will occupy a good bit of the field here and provide some guidance. And so I doubt the D.C. Circuit is going to feel the need to rush things,” Charles Stimson, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital. “If I was sitting on the D.C. Circuit and I had all these other cases coming my way, and I was on a three-judge panel, I don’t think it’d be the top of my pile.” Despite the looming deadline, Stimson said the ban will be “on pause” as the parties work through the appellate process. “I don’t think the secretary is going to do anything in violation of a court order,” Stimson said. “Even if they disagree with that, you’d be wise not to.” TRUMP ADMIN ASKS FEDERAL JUDGE TO DISSOLVE INJUNCTION BARRING TRANSGENDER MILITARY BAN Reyes had issued a preliminary injunction in favor of the plaintiffs March 18. Reyes wrote in her opinion that the plaintiffs in the suit, who include transgender individuals, “face a violation of their constitutional rights, which constitutes irreparable harm” that would warrant a preliminary injunction.” On March 21, the defendants in the suit, who include President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, filed a motion to dissolve the injunction blocking the Pentagon’s ban. The filing argued that the policy is not an overarching ban but instead “turns on gender dysphoria – a medical condition – and does not discriminate against trans-identifying persons as a class.” The Trump administration further requested that, if the motion to dissolve is denied, the court should stay the preliminary injunction pending appeal. The government cited new guidance issued March 21 that it expected to enact the policy it not for the ongoing litigation. The guidance clarified that “the phrase ‘exhibit symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria’” solely applies to “‘individuals who exhibit such symptoms as would be sufficient to constitute a diagnosis.’” In its motion requesting to dissolve the March 18 injunction, the government wrote that the March 21 guidance constitutes a “significant change” that would warrant the court dissolving the injunction. Under the requirements, a party requesting to dissolve a preliminary injunction must demonstrate “a significant change either in factual conditions or in law” that shows that continued enforcement of the order would be “detrimental to the public interest.” “The March 21, 2025, guidance constitutes a ‘significant change,’” the filing states. “Whereas the Court has broadly construed the scope of the DoD Policy to encompass all trans-identifying servicemembers or applicants, the new guidance underscores Defendants’ consistent position that the DoD Policy is concerned with the military readiness, deployability, and costs associated with a medical condition — one that every prior Administration has, to some degree, kept out of the military.” Fox News’ Jake Gibson contributed to this report.