Russell Vought confirmed to head government’s leading budget office after Dems hold 30-hour protest
Despite Democratic tactics to delay the confirmation vote, the Senate confirmed Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Republicans backed Vought’s nomination, arguing he proved a qualified candidate for the role since he previously held the position during President Donald Trump’s first term. Democrats, however, raised multiple concerns about his nomination and said his views on the Impoundment Control Act, which reinforces that Congress holds the power of the purse, disqualified him from the role. Democrats held a 30-hour-long protest against Vought’s nomination, delivering speeches in the middle of the night on Wednesday in an attempt to delay the confirmation vote. The Senate, in a chaotic final floor vote on Thursday evening, voted to confirm Vought to lead the OMB, 53 to 47. SENATE DEMOCRATS SPEAK ALL NIGHT AGAINST TRUMP OMB NOMINEE, DELAYING CONFIRMATION VOTE Democratic senators repeatedly injected themselves during the confirmation vote, protesting the nomination until the last second. “No debate is permitted during a vote,” Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., told the lawmakers. The OMB is responsible for developing and executing the president’s budget, as well as overseeing and coordinating legislative proposals and priorities aligned with the executive branch. Vought appeared before the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for confirmation hearings, where he defended statements asserting that the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional. TRUMP HEALTH SECRETARY NOMINEE RFK JR CLEARS SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE CONFIRMATION VOTE The law, adopted in 1974, stipulates that Congress may oversee the executive branch’s withholdings of budget authority. But Vought encountered criticism from Democrats for freezing $214 million in military aid for Ukraine in 2019 — a decision that ultimately led to Trump’s first impeachment. “You’re quite comfortable assuming that the law doesn’t matter and that you’ll just treat the money for a program as a ceiling … rather than a required amount,” Senate Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said Wednesday. “Well, the courts have found otherwise.” In the 1975 Supreme Court ruling Train v. New York, the court determined the Environmental Protection Agency must use full funding included in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, even though then-President Richard Nixon issued orders to not use all the funding. Even so, Vought told lawmakers that Trump campaigned on the position that the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional — and that he agrees with that. Vought’s statements on the issue left Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., “astonished and aghast” during one confirmation hearing. “I think our colleagues should be equally aghast, because this issue goes beyond Republican or Democrat,” Blumenthal said on Jan. 15. “It’s bigger than one administration or another. It’s whether the law of the land should prevail, or maybe it’s up for grabs, depending on what the president thinks.” Vought also faced questioning from Democrats on his views regarding abortion as an author of Project 2025, a political initiative conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation released in 2023 that called for policy changes that would implement a national ban on medication abortion. Other proposals included in Project 2025 include eliminating the Department of Education; cutting diversity, equity and inclusion programs; and reducing funding for Medicare and Medicaid. “You have said that you don’t believe in exceptions for rape, for incest, or the life of the mother,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said during a confirmation hearing on Wednesday. “Is that your position?” “Senator, my views are not important,” Vought said. “I’m here on behalf of the president.” Trump repeatedly has stated that he backs abortion in certain instances, and stated that “powerful exceptions” for abortion would remain in place under his administration. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Dem stall tactics slow cabinet confirmations
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… –Cruz reintroduces amendment to combat court expansion efforts -Trump DOJ slaps Illinois, Chicago with lawsuit over sanctuary laws -First shipment of illegal migrant criminals to Guantanamo Bay consists of 10 Tren de Aragua members A federal judge pushed back the deadline for President Donald Trump’s buyout offer for federal workers on Thursday. Trump’s administration initially told federal workers they needed to decide whether to accept the buyout offer by Thursday. The new ruling delays the deadline to at least Monday, with another hearing on the issue scheduled for that day. U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. did not express an opinion on the legality of Trump’s buyback program…Read more ‘YOU MAY BE UNFAMILIAR…’: Liz Cheney to Elon Musk regarding her past work at USAID…Read more ‘POWER GRAB’: Jeffries unveils data protection bill amid DOGE crackdown…Read more ‘DAMN RIGHT’: Liz Cheney’s past USAID employment faces backlash after lashing out at Elon Musk…Read more EYEWITNESS: Former USAID official Mark Moyar says ‘corruption’ at agency ‘subverted’ Trump White House…Read more DOGE HOUSE: After DOGE crackdown on USAID, Trump’s House allies want this Cabinet agency on chopping block…Read more LIMITED: Federal judge moves to limit DOGE access to sensitive Treasury Department payment system records…Read more ‘FUNDING INSANITY’: Feds spent millions studying trans menstruation, strengthening gay rights in the Balkans, database reveals…Read more NEW TASK FORCE: Trump announces executive order creating task force to ‘eradicate anti-Christian bias’…Read more ‘ADORABLE MOMENT’: Top Arizona lawmaker spotlights ‘adorable moment’ as Trump signed women’s sports executive order…Read more ‘WORKING TOGETHER’: Newsom praises ‘very productive’ Trump meeting as he seeks more federal wildfire money…Read more ‘AI POWERHOUSE’: White House encourages Americans to provide ideas for artificial intelligence strategy…Read more OFFER EXTENDED: Federal judge delays Trump deadline for federal worker buyout offer…Read more ‘NO ADJUSTMENT’: Panama denies State Dept claim that it is eliminating fees for US gov vessels using canal…Read more TITLE SWAP: Arab Americans for Trump group changes name after president’s Gaza takeover proposal…Read more BAD ‘INFLUENCE’: Education bill would require parental notification to ‘TRACE’ foreign funding of curriculum as China looks on…Read more ‘NO TROOPS NEEDED’: Trump’s Gaza ‘takeover’ rankles America First conservatives, allies suggest negotiator-in-chief is at work…Read more NOT SO FAST: Dems delay Patel committee vote, deride Trump FBI pick as danger to US security…Read more RE-BUDGETING: House Republicans push to reroute frozen USAID funding into deporting illegal immigrants…Read more ‘ENJOY YOUR SPEECHES’: Senate Democrats speak all night against Trump OMB nominee, delaying confirmation vote…Read more TARIFF CHIEF: Trump’s trade representative pick to appear before Senate Finance Committee…Read more TARGETING REPUBLICANS: Pro-Democrat outside group targets Republican lawmakers with ‘Hands off Medicaid’ blitz…Read more CAMPUS CROSSFIRE: Civil rights officials probe four U.S. medical schools over antisemitism at 2024 commencement ceremonies…Read more ‘FULFILL THE MANDATE’: New election integrity report calls for critical changes to guarantee secure…Read more FULL DISCLOSURE: Prince Harry sees court setback on immigration records case in first hearing since Trump took office…Read more TAKING CHARGE: Rubio named acting director of another US government agency…Read more ‘CAMPAIGN OF VIOLENCE’: SEAL congressman introduces legislation to pull back the veil on threat cartels pose…Read more CONSEQUENCES IN CALI: House subcommittee holding hearing on how regulatory policy impacts natural disasters following LA fires…Read more ‘NEXT OPPONENT’: UFC heavyweight champ enters the ring for healthcare reform with new price transparency partnership…Read more ‘DEVASTATING’: New York ‘polluters pay’ law backcharging oil, gas companies faces Republican AGs’ lawsuit…Read more AG ON THE MOVE: Attorney General Pam Bondi to travel to New Orleans to survey Super Bowl LIX security…Read more ‘SANCTUARY’ ABUSE: Massachusetts migrant shelter resident charged with impregnating teen daughter…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Houston man pardoned by Trump arrested on child sex charge
Andrew Taake received a six-year sentence for assaulting officers on Jan. 6. He was arrested Thursday on an outstanding charge of soliciting a minor.
Sanctuary city mayors to testify at House Oversight after AG Bondi cuts them off from federal funds
Democratic mayors of so-called sanctuary cities that protect undocumented immigrants have agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee in March after Attorney General Pam Bondi signed a directive cutting those jurisdictions off from federal funding on her first day at the Justice Department (DOJ). Bondi, who was sworn in as attorney general Wednesday, issued a number of Day 1 directives, including ordering the DOJ to pause all federal funding for sanctuary cities. Bondi also directed litigating components of the Justice Department to investigate instances of jurisdictions that are impeding law enforcement and directing that they be prosecuted when necessary. BONDI’S DOJ DAY 1 DIRECTIVES: FIGHT WEAPONIZATION OF JUSTICE, ELIMINATE CARTELS, LIFT DEATH PENALTY BAN In late January, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., invited mayors of sanctuary cities to testify before the panel after launching an investigation into sanctuary city policies and their affect on public safety and federal immigration enforcement. Comer invited the mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City to testify at a public hearing and requested they provide documents and communications related to their policies. The hearing initially was set for Feb. 11, but a committee aide told Fox News Digital the committee worked with mayors to accommodate their schedules. The committee received final confirmation from Boston, Denver and New York City earlier this week. It received confirmation from Chicago Wednesday. Now, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and New York City Mayor Eric Adams will testify at a public hearing March 5. ICE ARRESTS UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUE IN MIGRANT ‘SANCTUARY’ CITIES “Sanctuary mayors owe the American people an explanation for city policies that jeopardize public safety and violate federal immigration law by releasing dangerous criminal illegal aliens back onto the streets,” Comer told Fox News Digital. “These reckless policies in Democrat-run cities and states across our nation have led to too many preventable tragedies.” Comer told Fox News Digital the policies also “endanger ICE agents who are forced to take more difficult enforcement actions in jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities.” “The policies in Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City prioritize criminal illegal aliens over the American people,” Comer added. “This is unacceptable, and their leaders must be held accountable.” Comer vowed to “press these mayors for answers and examine measures to enforce compliance with federal immigration law.” Since Trump took office in January, ICE has arrested illegal criminal migrants in sanctuary cities across the country.
Over a dozen Venezuelan criminal illegal migrants sent to Guantanamo Bay: ‘Highly dangerous’ people
More than a dozen Venezuelan criminal illegal migrants are on their way to the U.S.’ most secure prison — the Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp (GITMO) in Cuba — some of whom are members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), according to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources. TdA is an international criminal group that has been terrorizing U.S. communities from New York to Colorado. As one of his first actions, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 20 instructing the State Department and other government agencies to move to designate TdA as a “foreign terrorist organization.” Fox News learned that along with TdA gang members, the 13 Venezuelans being flown to GITMO include a murder suspect and a man who claims to have escaped from a Venezuelan prison. The men are expected to be held at the detention center that is being expanded to house tens of thousands of criminal immigrants. FIRST 10 ‘HIGH THREAT’ ILLEGALS TO ARRIVE TO GUANTANAMO BAY AREA ALL TREN DE ARAGUA MEMBERS The DHS said the immigrants on the plane on Thursday are “highly dangerous” people who were in the U.S. illegally. Along with a murder suspect and a prison escapee, the others in the group being taken to GITMO include those accused of robbery, intent to commit homicide, weapons trafficking, robbery and assault. MEXICAN TROOPS BEGIN ARRIVING AT US-MEXICO BORDER FOLLOWING DEAL MADE TO PAUSE TRUMP-APPROVED TARIFFS Earlier on Thursday, 10 high-threat migrants arrived at Guantánamo Bay, the Department of Defense (DOD) confirmed. The DOD said migrant criminals are being housed in vacant detention facilities. The DOD said that is only a temporary arrangement being made to “ensure the safe and secure detention of these individuals until they can be transported to their country of origin or other appropriate destination.” TRUMP HAS BECOME ‘GAME-CHANGER’ IN CONFRONTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRISIS: TOM HOMAN The DHS has clarified that the Guantánamo Bay prison will only be used to house “the worst of the worst” criminals.” Late last month, Trump announced that he instructed the DOD to prepare Guantánamo Bay to house 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens.” He said there are 30,000 beds at Guantánamo Bay to house the detainees who pose a threat to the American public, adding that putting them there will ensure they do not come back to the U.S.
Top political handicapper reveals prediction for ‘volatile’ 2026 battle for House majority
The fight for control of the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections will be fought on a limited battlefield, a leading nonpartisan political handicapper predicts. The Cook Political Report, as it unveiled its first rankings for the next midterm elections on Thursday, listed 10 Democrat-held seats and eight Republican-controlled seats as toss-ups. The GOP, when at full strength, will hold a razor-thin 220-215 majority in the House, which means the Democrats only need a three-seat gain in 2026 to win back the chamber for the first time in four years. “Another Knife Fight for the Majority” is the headline the Cook Report used to describe the House showdown ahead. HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR TOUTS HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE And Cook Report publisher and editor-in-chief Amy Walter spotlighted in a social media post that a “Small playing field + volatile political climate = epic battle for House control.” WHAT THE DEMOCRATS’ HOUSE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR TOLD FOX NEWS The 10 House Democrats whose re-elections are listed as toss-ups are: Reps. Adam Gray of California (CA-13); Derek Tran of California (CA-45); Jared Golden of Maine (ME-02); Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico (NM-02); Laura Gillen of New York (NY-04); Don Davis of North Carolina (NC-01); Marcy Kaptur of Ohio (OH-09); Emilia Sykes of Ohio (OH-13); Vicente Gonzalez of Texas (TX-34); and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington State (WA-03). The eight Republicans spotlighted by the Cook Report as vulnerable are: Reps. David Schweikert of Arizona (AZ-01); Juan Ciscomani of Arizona (AZ-06); Gabe Evans of Colorado (CO-08); Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa (IA-01); Tom Barrett of Michigan (MI-07); Don Bacon of Nebraska (NE-02); Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania (PA-07); and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania (PA-10). CHECK OUT THE FIRST BILL FILED BY THIS NEW REPUBLICAN HOUSE MEMBER President Donald Trump recaptured the White House, the Republicans flipped control of the Senate, and the GOP held on to its fragile House majority in November’s elections. That means Republicans will not only defend a razor-thin majority – when all 435 House seats are once again up for grabs in 2026 – but are also facing plenty of history, as the party in power traditionally faces electoral headwinds in the midterms. FIRST ON FOX: NEW MOVE IN BATTLE FOR HOUSE MAJORITY But the Cook Report’s Erin Covedy and Matthew Klein noted that “though their majority is dangerously thin, in some ways, Republicans are starting out in a stronger position than they were in 2018. Trump’s latest victory was broad; he clawed back ground in suburbs that had lurched to the left since 2016 and made massive inroads in urban areas.” They added that “almost all of the most competitive House districts moved to the right between 2020 and 2024 (Washington’s 3rd District was the lone exception).” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella touted in a statement that “the math is in our favor, and it’s clear House Republicans are on offense for 2026.” He also asserted that “House Democrats are in shambles — they don’t have a clear message and they’re incapable of selling voters on their failed agenda. We will work tirelessly to hold the Democrat Party accountable and grow our Republican majority.” Courtney Rice, communications director for the rival Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, emphasized that “voters will hold House Republicans accountable for failing to lower costs while fostering a culture of corruption that benefits their billionaire backers.” “The political environment is in Democrats’ favor heading into 2026 — and with stellar candidates who are focused on delivering for their districts, House Democrats are poised to take back the majority in 2026,” Rice predicted.
$10M in taxpayer funds spent creating transgender animals last year: Rep. Nancy Mace
$10 million in taxpayer funds were spent last year creating transgender animals, a study by White Coat Waste Project revealed. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-SC, laid out the misuse of taxpayer dollars funding “gender-affirming care” for animals during opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing on Thursday. The hearing, titled “Transgender Lab Rats and Poisoned Puppies: Oversight of Taxpayer Funded Animal Cruelty,” featured a witness from the White Coat Waste Project. “Last year, the White Coat Waste Project exposed more than $10 million in taxpayer funds that were spent creating transgender mice, rats, and monkeys,” Mace said. “These DEI grants funded painful and deadly transgender experiments that forced lab animals to undergo invasive surgeries and hormone therapies at universities across the country.” Mace took aim at the Biden-Harris administration‘s radical policy agenda for allowing taxpayer dollars to fund “surgically mutating animal genitals.” GOP LAWMAKER SCRAPS WITH DEMOCRAT IN HEARING OVER TRANSGENDER ‘SLUR,’ BATHROOM RIGHTS: ‘NOT GOING TO HAVE IT’ WEST POINT DISBANDS GENDER-BASED, RACE CLUBS IN TRUMP’S DEI SWEEP “The Biden-Harris administration spent 2.5 million taxpayer dollars to study the fertility of transgender mice,” Mace said. “The Biden-Harris administration was so eager to propagate their radical gender ideology across all facets of American society that they were surgically mutating animal genitals. Taxpayer money went to that.” Before yielding to ranking member Rep. Shontel Brown, D-OH, Mace said wasteful government spending on animal cruelty is a “nonpartisan issue.” “The US government spends in excess of $20 billion a year conducting experiments on animals,” Mace said. “We spent over a million dollars to find out if female rats receiving testosterone therapy were more likely to overdose on a date rape drug. That’s what your taxpayer dollars were being spent on.” Mace thanked the White Coast Waste Project for their research. Justin Goodman, SVP of White Coat Waste Project; Dr. Paul A. Locke, a Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Elizabeth Baker, Director of Research Policy at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine were invited to testify at Thursday’s hearing. Beagles who were rescued from a National Institutes of Health (NIH) supplier were in the audience as a “reminder of the real cost of animal experimentation,” Mace said. In 2022, Mace stopped a $1.8 million dollar drug test experiment on beagle puppies. “Today, most of the twenty-seven NIH institutes and centers conduct or support animal testing—as does the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the Department of Defense, and countless agencies,” Mace said. “I hope today’s conversation can similarly prevent taxpayer dollars from needlessly funding animal experimentation.”
Trump unveils sanctions against International Criminal Court for Netanyahu arrest warrant
President Donald Trump signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday, in response to its May 2024 arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The order unveils financial sanctions and visa restrictions against ICC officials and their family members who support ICC investigations against U.S. citizens and allies. The ICC is an independent, international organization, based in The Hague, Netherlands, and established under the Rome Statute, an international treaty that took effect in 2002. The court oversees global issues including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Trump White House claims that the U.S. and Israel are not subjected to the jurisdiction of the ICC because the court poses threats to U.S. sovereignty and constitutional protections. Additionally, the White House has accused the ICC of politicization and said ICC has targeted Israel without holding regimes like Iran to the same standards. In September 2018, Trump said that “as far as America is concerned, the ICC has no jurisdiction, no legitimacy, and no authority.” In May 2024, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, from the United Kingdom, had asked for an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, whom Netanyahu fired in November 2024. The warrant paved the way for their arrest, should they visit any of the 124 countries that are party to the Rome Statute, including the United Kingdom, France and Austria. Khan also issued arrest warrants for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif, who have all since been killed by Israeli forces. Khan said he issued these warrants against Hamas leaders for war crimes including murder, taking hostages as a war crime, torture and other inhumane acts, following the Palestinian militant group’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Khan also said he issued the warrants against the Israeli leaders due to war crimes including starvation of civilians, directing attacks against a civilian population, persecution and other inhumane acts. HOUSE PASSES BILL THAT WOULD SANCTION INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT FOR TRYING TO ARREST NETANYAHU In January, after Trump’s inauguration, the House also passed legislation that would sanction the ICC, but the measure failed to advance in the Senate Jan. 28. Trump welcomed Netanyahu for a visit at the White House on Tuesday, where Trump signed an executive order reinstating his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. Trump also unveiled plans to rebuild Gaza, and described Netanyahu as the “right leader” for Israel. “He’s done a great job and we’ve been friends for a long time,” Trump told reporters. “We do a great job also, and I think I think we have a combination that’s very unbeatable, actually. Netanyahu also voiced appreciation for this friendship with Trump, and his support for Israel and the Jewish people. “I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again,” Netanyahu said Tuesday. “You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. And that’s why the people of Israel have such enormous respect for you.” Trump previously issued sanctions against ICC officials in 2020, signing off on an asset freeze and family entry ban against them stemming from an ICC investigation into alleged U.S. actions in Afghanistan. Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Dems who lashed out at Trump for being ‘threat to democracy’ flip script with last-minute delay tactics
American voters overwhelmingly elected President Donald Trump to carry out his “Make America Great Again” agenda despite Democrats calling him a “threat to democracy.” Now that Trump is back in the White House, Dems are delaying key cabinet appointments and vowing to “blow this place up” in the name of democracy. Several Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., are calling for a halt to all of Trump’s cabinet nominations. Protests hosted by lawmakers have erupted in Washington, D.C., this week as Democrats rally against Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). “God d—it shut down the Senate!” Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., said during an anti-DOGE protest in Washington, D.C., Tuesday. “We are at war!” While Democrats spent 2024 promising Americans they were the party who would protect democracy and uphold the rule of law in a post-Jan. 6 world, they are dancing to the beat of a new drum in 2025 by practicing civil disobedience. ‘LOSING THEIR MINDS’: DEM LAWMAKERS FACE BACKLASH FOR INVOKING ‘UNHINGED’ VIOLENT RHETORIC AGAINST MUSK Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told the crowd Tuesday, “We are here to fight back.” “We are gonna be in your face, we are gonna be on your a–es and we are going to make sure you understand what democracy looks like, and this ain’t it,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, added. Democrats have doubled down on their call to action this week after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told Americans to “fight” Trump’s agenda “in the streets” last week. “We have to stand up and protest,” Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass, said at another rally in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. “When we come back here the next time, there should be hundreds of thousands and millions of people descending on Washington, D.C.” SOCIAL MEDIA, TEAM TRUMP REACT TO CORY BOOKER’S ‘MELTDOWN’ OVER ELON MUSK’S USAID CRACKDOWN “We will fight their violation of civil service laws. We will fight their violation of civil rights laws. We will fight their violations of separation of powers. We will fight their violations of our Constitution of the United States of America. We will not shut up. We will stick up. We will rise up,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., added. Democrats held an all-night session Wednesday protesting Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Russell Vought, who served as OMB director during Trump’s first term, was a key architect of Project 2025. Democratic candidates and surrogates during the 2024 campaign cycle pointed to Project 2025 as proof of Trump’s “threat to democracy.” Trump maintained he had nothing to do with it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Vought is a “horrible, dangerous man” at the rally Tuesday. Democratic leaders and their constituents have spent all week protesting in major cities across the country. From Texas to California, protesters are speaking out against Trump’s ICE raids and federal government layoffs and the administration’s stance that there are two genders. Despite the Democrats’ protests, the Trump administration said it is following through on the agenda the American people voted for, and those who “incite violence” should be held accountable. “President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American people to make this government more efficient,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “For Democratic officials to incite violence and encourage Americans to take to the streets is incredibly alarming, and they should be held accountable for that rhetoric. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “If you heard that type of violent, enticing rhetoric from our side of the aisle, from Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, I think there would be a lot more outrage in this room today. It’s unacceptable.”
Trump’s ICE limits illegal immigrant releases amid moves to shake off Biden ‘hangover’
EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is taking dramatic steps to limit the number of illegal immigrants released from custody, as it moves at speed to shake off what one official described as the “hangover” from the Biden administration. Fox News Digital is told that, as of this week, officials are being instructed that any release of an illegal immigrant in ICE custody must be personally signed off on by acting ICE director Caleb Vitello. The administration has racked up thousands of arrests in the first week as it launched a mass deportation operation in cities and states across the U.S., with agents quickly hitting over 1,000 arrests a day as the agency drops Biden-era restrictions and takes a more aggressive stance towards illegal immigration. TRUMP DOJ SLAPS ILLINOIS, CHICAGO WITH LAWSUIT OVER SANCTUARY LAWS “We are fending off the hangover and some of the bad habits,” a senior ICE official told Fox News Digital, comparing the task to turning around the Titanic. “We are fixing four years of really bad habits.” ICE currently has just under 42,000 beds available to it, and has been exceeding capacity under the current administration. The administration has been pushing hard to get more beds and detention space, but sources tell Fox it typically takes around 30 days for contractors to deliver given the time taken to identify buildings, hire people, conduct background checks and related requirements. That help is expected soon, but it is still in the process of coming online. The White House confirmed on Wednesday that around 460 illegal immigrants have been released from custody of the more than 8,000 arrested. While that’s a small percentage, it’s expected to get even smaller with the additional restrictions. “I expect the number of releases to fall off a cliff,” the ICE official told Fox News Digital, stressing that the new sign-off requirement sends a message to agents about a new posture by the agents. The official stressed that any releases do not include public safety or national security threats. Anyone released is only done so with monitoring like ankle bracelets. Cases where illegal immigrants could be released could include someone who is pregnant or who is ill with cancer. “That’s someone we are likely going to release…not only for the human side of it, but ICE and the government incur all of those medical costs the minute we take somebody into custody and so now we’re passing that on to the taxpayer as well,” they said. While there are now additional limits on releases, ICE is also moving quickly to ramp up detention space. ICE has requested an apportionment of around $575 million from Congress as an advance of its funding for the year in order to be able to work quicker and get another step closer to a reported target of 100,000 beds and one million removals a year. It’s also working with the Bureau of Prisons to identify space to house illegal immigrants as well as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — where there may be plenty of open space in soft-sided facilities due to a dramatic plunge in encounters at the border. This week, the administration began flying illegal immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, where there are expected to be around 30,000 spaces. “We are looking well outside the box,” the official said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Family detention is one of the biggest challenges facing the agency. The Biden administration ended family detention in 2021, choosing instead to release families on Alternatives to Detention. The Trump administration is turning that back on. “The Biden administration cut down so many of our beds and they canceled so many contracts. And the problem with that is you can’t just immediately turn those back on. It’s not a switch, it’s a dial,” they said. ICE has been talking with other agencies, including the State Department to expedite travel documents for deportable illegal immigrants. That’s in addition to a slew of new agreements by the Trump administration with other countries. Venezuela and Colombia have both announced they will accept back illegal immigrants. That cooperation was on display on Wednesday when Guatemala has said it will accept migrants from other countries in what is known as a safe third country agreement. That announcement came shortly after both Mexico and Canada had announced new restrictions at their borders with the U.S. in response to the threat of U.S. tariffs.