HHS probes Minnesota’s use of billions in federal social service funds amid fraud concerns: report
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched a review into how Minnesota used billions of dollars in federal social service funding, requesting detailed records from Gov. Tim Walz’s administration and other state entities after reports raised questions about whether portions of the money were misused, according to letters first obtained by the New York Post. The letters were sent Monday by Alex Adams, assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, to Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and a nonprofit involved in administering Head Start programs, the Post reported. According to the Post, Adams said HHS is attempting to determine whether federal safety-net funds were diverted or mismanaged and whether such misuse might have “been used to fuel illegal and mass migration” into Minnesota. Adams told the outlet the review is focused on “accountability for American taxpayers” and on ensuring federal benefit programs were not compromised. LABOR SECRETARY ANNOUNCES ‘STRIKE TEAM’ GOING TO MINNESOTA TO INVESTIGATE RAMPANT FRAUD The Post reported that Minnesota received more than $8.6 billion in ACF funding between fiscal years 2019 and 2025 through more than 1,000 federal grants. In fiscal year 2025 alone, the state received over $690 million for safety-net programs under President Biden, according to federal spending records reviewed by the Post. In the letters, Adams requested what the Post described as a “comprehensive list” of all state entities that received ACF funding during that period, along with detailed administrative data. The information sought includes recipient names, addresses, dates of birth and, where applicable, Social Security numbers and immigration A-numbers, the Post reported. Adams told the Post that HHS has “legitimate reason to think that they’ve been using taxpayer dollars incorrectly,” citing recent fraud investigations and allegations involving Minnesota’s Department of Human Services. According to the Post, the letters referenced public statements from hundreds of DHS employees alleging warnings of fraud were disregarded and whistleblowers faced retaliation. TRUMP CABINET OFFICIAL CALLS ON WALZ TO RESIGN OVER MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL IN SCATHING LETTER: ‘SHAME ON YOU’ The review comes amid heightened scrutiny of Minnesota’s handling of federal funds following multiple high-profile fraud cases. Federal prosecutors have charged dozens of individuals in connection with the Feeding Our Future scheme, in which more than $250 million intended for child nutrition programs was diverted for luxury purchases and real estate. Many of those charged had ties to nonprofits serving Minnesota’s Somali community. The Post also cited Pew Research Center data showing Minnesota’s unauthorized migrant population increased by roughly 40,000 people between 2019 and 2023, reaching an estimated 130,000 residents, or about 2% of the state’s population. According to the Post, the ACF review includes several major federal programs, including the Community Services Block Grant, Social Services Block Grant, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Title IV-E Foster Care, Refugee Cash and Medical Assistance, the Child Care and Development Fund, and Parents in Community Action, a Head Start grantee. “The Trump Administration has made clear its commitment to rooting out fraud, protecting taxpayer dollars, and ensuring program integrity across all federal benefit programs,” Adams wrote in the letters, according to the Post. “This information is necessary for ACF to conduct a thorough review of program operations and to assess the extent of any irregularities that may have occurred.” Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey and HHS for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Trump declares ‘Venezuelan regime’ a foreign terrorist organization, orders oil tanker blockade
President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered a total blockade of oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, declaring the Nicolás Maduro regime a foreign terrorist organization and accusing it of using stolen U.S. assets to finance terrorism, trafficking and other criminal activity. “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” Trump said on Truth Social. “It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before – Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us. “The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping,” he continued. “For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. US–VENEZUELA SHOWDOWN THREATENS TO JOLT GAS PRICES — WHAT COULD SPARK A SURGE “Therefore, today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela,” Trump added. “The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States, IMMEDIATELY.” Trump announced Wednesday that the U.S. had seized an oil tanker called the “Skipper” off the coast of Venezuela, sharply escalating U.S. tensions with the nation. The tanker was seized for allegedly being used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi. US SET TO SEIZE TENS OF MILLIONS IN VENEZUELAN OIL AFTER TANKER INTERCEPTION, WHITE HOUSE SAYS The “Skipper” is a vessel that secretly ferries oil in defiance of sanctions, while also being part of an armada of roughly 1,000 tankers that quietly navigate global sea routes to move oil from sanctioned countries like Russia, Iran and Venezuela, according to the administration. The so-called “ghost ships” sail under foreign flags to obscure their origins, repeatedly change names, shift ownership through shell companies, disable transponders to evade tracking and conduct mid-sea transfers to mask their cargo. The “Skipper” was loaded with an estimated 1.8 million barrels of oil earlier in December before transferring an estimated 200,000 barrels just before its seizure, Reuters reported. ‘GHOST SHIPS’ FERRYING ILLICIT OIL HAVE SAILED INTO TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS The oil on the tanker is likely worth $60 million to more than $100 million, based on current average oil prices. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for any additional comment on the estimated price tag of the oil but did not immediately receive a reply. The U.S. military has carried out strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats near Venezuela since September as part of Trump’s mission to end the flow of drugs into the nation. There have been at least 22 strikes on suspected narcotraffickers near Venezuela, killing 87, since September. The boat strikes are viewed as part of a U.S. pressure campaign on Venezuela likely aimed to not only curb the flow of drugs, but also to oust Maduro as leader of the oil-rich nation. Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
GOP poised to overtake Democrats on voter rolls in key swing state after years of Dem dominance
Democrats have been dealing with declining voter rolls in a number of states, but one key battleground state in particular appears to be on the verge of flipping from a state that, for decades, has had more registered Democrat voters to one with more registered Republicans. There were almost three-quarters of a million more registered Democrats in North Carolina than Republicans 10 years ago. As of today, that difference is just over 1,000, according to the latest count by the North Carolina State Board of Elections. “Voters across North Carolina are rejecting the Democrats’ failed agenda and choosing Republican leadership,” Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said. “This shift didn’t happen overnight, it’s the result of years of good common sense Republican governance and our focus on offering serious solutions on the issues that matter to the people.” CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS WIDEN 2026 BATTLEFIELD, ZERO IN ON NEW HOUSE REPUBLICAN TARGETS Earlier this year, ahead of the slate of elections that took place in November that saw Democratic Party wins virtually across the board, including multiple candidates who ran under the ‘socialist’ banner, a New York Times analysis found that between 2020 and 2024 Democrats lost about 2.1 million registered voters across 30 different states that keep track of voter registration data. Meanwhile, the analysis found that Republicans gained about 2.4 million. In total, this amounted to a deficit for the Democratic Party of 4.5 million registered voters just over the last four years. In North Carolina, specifically, between 2005 and 2015, the difference in the number of registered Republicans and Democrats in North Carolina remained mostly steady, with a difference of about 670,000 give or take in 2005 and 2015, respectively. But, beginning in 2015, that deficit started to shrink. Five years later, in 2020, the difference was a little under 380,000 in favor of Democrats, before their lead shrunk to just 1,216, according to the North Carolina Board of Elections’ latest voter roll records. “The reality is that bad Democrat policies coming out of Washington are driving voters away from the party here at home,” former Republican National Committee chairman and North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley said. DESANTIS WARNS GOP FACES ‘ISSUE’ KEEPING TRUMP VOTERS ENGAGED IN FUTURE ELECTIONS “Insane policies supported by Roy Cooper and pushed by DC Democrats like Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris are completely out of step with North Carolinians,” he said. “Democrats couldn’t win Senate races here even when they had a cash advantage and a huge voter-registration edge. Now they’ve lost that registration advantage too, and voters are making it clear they’re done with failed Democrat leadership.” In response to North Carolina’s trend of growing Republican voters, versus its decline in Democrat voters, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) pointed to the GOP’s overall share of registered voters, which has statistically declined, while the number of unaffiliated voters has increased. However, the increase in unaffiliated voters has impacted both Republicans and Democrats’ overall vote share, with Democrats witnessing a much sharper drop in overall registered voters across the last decade, compared to Republicans, the data shows. “Despite their repeated attempts at gerrymandering the state to subvert the will of the voters, Republicans have not managed to increase their share of registered voters in nearly four decades,” Madison Andrus, the DCCC’s regional spokesperson covering North Carolina, told Fox News Digital when reached for comment on North Carolina’s changing voter rolls. “Now, with this latest scheme top of mind, voters across the state are souring on Republicans’ failing agenda that has led to higher grocery prices, more expensive health care, and greater difficulty making ends meet. Republicans have abandoned North Carolina’s working families and people are taking notice.” But according to Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters, North Carolina “is undergoing a historic shift” and Democrats’ advantage has “crumbled.” “Voters rejected Kamala Harris last year, and they’re continuing that trend as they turn away from the failed policies of Roy Cooper and Josh Stein,” Gruters said.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Dems push DOJ to reveal hidden Jack Smith report as GOP readies deposition
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -ICE rejects Omar claim son was pulled over by feds, pressed for citizenship proof: ‘Absolutely zero record’ -EXCLUSIVE: Trump White House torpedoes Biden attempt to shield ‘autopen presidency’ files -FBI doubted probable cause for Mar-a-Lago raid but pushed forward amid pressure from Biden DOJ, emails reveal As Capitol Hill braces for a tense, off-camera deposition with special counsel Jack Smith, Democrats in the House of Representatives are pushing the DOJ to publish the unreleased half of his report detailing President Donald Trump’s handling of classified material. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the committee, said Smith should have the chance to have his complete work speak for itself ahead of what’s likely to be a contentious closed-door meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday. “They are afraid of the embarrassment of what is contained within the report,” Raskin told Fox News Digital on Monday evening…READ MORE. HIRE AMERICAN: Vance tells blue state they ‘might try hiring Americans’ before suing over Trump’s visa fee explosion NO HARD FEELINGS: JD Vance brushes off Susie Wiles calling him conspiracy theorist in new Vanity Fair report ECONOMIC SAFEGUARDS: CBP announces record-breaking $200 billion in tariff revenue amid Trump administration enforcement push HOUSE DIVIDED: Trump admin in court over WH ballroom construction ‘THE BEST IS YET TO COME’: Trump announces primetime address to the nation STILL CLASSIFIED: Pentagon won’t release ‘top secret, full, unedited’ video of September drug boat strike, Hegseth says BREAKING RANKS: Two key Senate Republicans join push to overturn Trump’s federal union order SCAM PROBE: House GOP probes alleged Obamacare broker fraud as Jordan presses major insurers for answers PARTY TENSIONS: Kennedy urges GOP to restart spending battle amid soaring cost of living, warns against wasting majority POOR HEALTH: Moderate Republican erupts on House GOP leaders, says not holding Obamacare vote is ‘absolute bulls—‘ ‘SHAME ON YOU’: Trump Cabinet official calls on Walz to resign over massive fraud scandal in scathing letter: ‘Shame on you’ SPORTS TO POLITICS: Former NFL sideline star poised to shake up crowded GOP field in high-stakes Minnesota race ‘NOT DERANGED’: Obamas planned to meet Reiners on night they were killed, former first lady reveals SHE SAID YES: Donald Trump Jr announces engagement to Bettina Anderson Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Trump expands travel ban to hit 5 countries with sweeping new restrictions, citing security concerns
President Donald Trump on Tuesday expanded a travel ban by adding five more countries and imposing limits on others. The move came as the Trump administration continues to tighten U.S. entry requirements and immigration standards. “The restrictions and limitations imposed by the Proclamation are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose, garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives,” the proclamation states. Through his actions on Tuesday, citizens from five countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria, as well as individuals holding Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents – will face a ban on travel to the United States, the White House said. In addition, existing partial bans on Laos and Sierra Leone were expanded into full suspensions of entry. TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES IMMIGRATION FROM 19 COUNTRIES Another 15 countries – Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe – will face partial restrictions. The proclamation also “narrows broad family-based immigrant visa carve-outs that carry demonstrated fraud risks, while preserving case-by-case waivers,” the White House said. DHS LAUNCHES ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ WEBPAGE TARGETING ALLEGED CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS NATIONWIDE In its announcement, the Trump administration said many of the countries on the travel ban suffer from “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records, and nonexistent birth-registration systems,” which makes it difficult to perform accurate vetting. Others refuse to share law-enforcement data, while others permit “Citizenship-by-Investment schemes that conceal identity and bypass vetting requirements and travel restrictions.” In June, Trump announced a U.S. entry ban on citizens of 12 countries – Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – while also tightening restrictions on others: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Tuesday’s decision follows the arrest of an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard soldiers in Washington D.C. over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. At the time of the killing, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Rahmanullah Lakanwal was one of the many unvetted Afghans who were mass paroled into the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome under the Biden administration. Lakanwal is accused of shooting U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who later died, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who is recovering.
Judge warns Trump administration against ‘irreversible’ White House ballroom construction work
A federal judge on Tuesday said he was “inclined to deny” a bid to force the Trump administration to halt construction of the White House ballroom but warned officials not to undertake any irreversible work before a January hearing that could still stop the project. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said he will hold another hearing during the second week in January and hinted he may still order a pause. “Any below ground construction” in the coming weeks that dictates above-ground work should be avoided, Leon said, adding, “be prepared to take that down.” Lawyers for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the U.S. argued the case is not about the need for a ballroom but about the need to follow the law. WALZ REPEATS DEBUNKED CLAIM THAT TRUMP CONSIDERS WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM ‘TOP PRIORITY’ They said any construction on federal land requires congressional approval. Lawyers representing the National Park Service countered that President Trump has authority to direct construction at the White House, saying “work must continue for national security issues.” “See you in January,” Leon said as he warned the government not to pursue anything irreversible. WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO REPORTS TRUMP NAMED NEW BALLROOM AFTER HIMSELF Attorney General Pam Bondi weighed in Tuesday evening. “Today @TheJusticeDept attorneys defeated an attempt to stop President Trump’s totally lawful East Wing Modernization and State Ballroom Project,” she wrote on X. “President Trump has faced countless bad-faith left-wing legal attacks – this was no different. We will continue defending the President’s project in court in the coming weeks.” On Monday, the Trump administration argued in a court filing that pausing construction would undermine national security, citing a Secret Service declaration warning that halting work would leave the site unable to meet “safety and security requirements” necessary to protect President Donald Trump. TRUMP TAPS NEW ARCHITECT TO RESHAPE WHITE HOUSE AS $300M BALLROOM BUILD ACCELERATES The declaration said the East Wing, demolished in October and now undergoing below-grade work, could not be left unfinished without compromising essential security measures. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued last week to stop the project, arguing the government had to follow federal review procedures before any irreversible work began. The group said the proposed 90,000-square-foot addition, now estimated at more than $300 million, would overwhelm the Executive Residence and permanently alter the White House’s historic design. The administration countered that the lawsuit was premature, noting regulatory reviews were still coming and above-grade construction was not scheduled to begin until April 2026. The National Trust said early intervention was necessary, citing warnings from architectural historians who said the ballroom would mark the most significant exterior change to the White House in more than 80 years. Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
Senate Republican ‘targeted by Communist China’ in $50 billion lawsuit
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., is being sued by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for tens of billions of dollars in damages for a lawsuit he filed against the country during his time as Missouri’s attorney general. Schmitt is being sued by the People’s Government of Wuhan Municipality, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Wuhan Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for roughly $50 billion, several years after the lawmaker sued the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit, first obtained by Fox News Digital, accused Schmitt, FBI co-deputy director Andrew Bailey, and the state of Missouri of damaging the reputations of China, Wuhan and the associated research facilities through “malicious vexatious litigation, fabricating enormous disinformation, and spreading stigmatizing and discriminating slanders.” CRUZ SAYS REP ILHAN OMAR COULD FACE JAIL TIME, DEPORTATION IF MARRIAGE ALLEGATION PROVES TRUE Schmitt said in a statement to Fox News Digital that he’d been “banned from Communist China, and now I am being sued and targeted by Communist China in a $50 billion lawfare campaign, and I’ll wear it like a badge of honor.” “China’s sinister malfeasance during the COVID-19 pandemic led to over a million Americans losing their lives, economic turmoil that rocked our country for years, and an enormous amount of human suffering, and as Missouri Attorney General I filed suit to hold them accountable,” Schmitt said. “Instead of trying to defend its indefensible behavior, Communist China responded with frivolous lawfare, attempting to absolve themselves of all wrongdoing in the early days of the pandemic.” “This novel lawsuit is factually baseless, legally meritless, and any fake judgment a Chinese court issues in this lawsuit we will easily beat back and keep from being enforced against the people of Missouri or me,” he continued. “This is their way of distracting from what the world already knows, China has blood on its hands.” TRUMP’S SENATE CLOSER: REPUBLICAN FRESHMAN EMERGES AS KEY WHITE HOUSE ALLY Schmitt, who served as attorney general for the Show-Me state from 2019 to 2023, sued the PRC, several Chinese government ministries, the Communist Party of China, the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in early 2020, shortly after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, Schmitt accused the Chinese government of withholding information on the COVID-19 virus, failing to contain the outbreak of the virus, and actively hoarding high-quality personal protective equipment (PPE) while producing and selling lower-quality PPE for the rest of the world. SENATE ADVANCES $901B DEFENSE BILL AS CONGRESS RACES INTO YEAR-END LEGISLATIVE SPRINT That case resulted in an eventual $24 billion judgment earlier this year. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a statement that the state stood “undeterred in our mission to collect on our $24 billion judgment that was lawfully handed down in federal court.” “I find it extremely telling that the Chinese blame our great state for ‘belittling the social evaluation’ of The Wuhan Institute of Virology,” Hanaway said. “This lawsuit is a stalling tactic and tells me that we have been on the right side of this issue all along.” The lawsuit against Schmitt, Bailey, who resigned as Missouri’s attorney general after he was tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as co-deputy FBI director in September, and Missouri contended that the preceding lawsuit, and statements published across a variety of media outlets, led to severe reputational and economic harm. They’re demanding that apologies be published in several outlets, including The New York Times, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Chinese media outlets. The apologies come with a price tag, too. Wuhan and the Chinese government demanded compensation of over 356 billion Chinese Yuan, which converts to just over $50 billion dollars.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to where we stand with a healthcare package: Christmas or Groundhog Day?
There’s a year-end rush in all aspects of life. Businesses try to run up profits in December. Supervisors want to finish employee reviews. Professors must grade exams. Congress is no different. There’s always a race to the finish line in December on Capitol Hill. KENNEDY URGES GOP TO RESTART SPENDING BATTLE AMID SOARING COST OF LIVING, WARNS AGAINST WASTING MAJORITY This year’s adventure is health care. But it’s a practical impossibility that Congress can actually make law on health care before the calendar flips. Premium spikes for 24 million Americans loom on January 1st. Congress tried — kinda — to address this problem. But not really. So, if you’re that professor handing out the grades at the end of the semester, prepare to flunk some pupils, if not the entire Congressional student body. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., hermetically sealed any possibility of addressing health care in 2025 on Tuesday afternoon. “We’re not going to pass anything by the end of this week. But I do think there is a potential pathway in January if Democrats are willing to come to the table,” said Thune. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., rapidly assembled a bill to allow groups of people – like a bunch of small businesses or a coalition of carpenters – to purchase what they call “association” health plans. In other words, this alliance of people would suddenly have “buying power” if they operate as a team. So if they purchase a set of plans as an “association,” that would defray the cost. “This is going to be a great piece of legislation that everybody will unite around,” said Johnson. But many Republicans groused privately that it’s one thing to do “a health care bill.” It’s another thing to actually short-circuit the astronomical leap in premiums which hit on January 1. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., spoke frankly about simply re-upping the existing subsidies. “We need to do deeper fixes. This is throwing good money after bad. There is some truth to that. But we have constituents. They’re going to have their premiums go up. That doesn’t help them. That’s why I think we need a temporary extension,” said Bacon. Many conservatives adamantly oppose continuing the subsidies. Even if that would help their constituents. But Bacon addresses the realpolitik of the moment. MODERATE REPUBLICAN ERUPTS ON HOUSE GOP LEADERS, SAYS NOT HOLDING OBAMACARE VOTE IS ‘ABSOLUTE BULLS—‘ “It’s not our fault that these things are skyrocketing. But we are in charge. When you’re in charge, you’ve got to deal with it,” said Bacon. “They’re going to have to find some compromise.” A Christmas Congressional crunch often compels lawmakers to solve big legislative headaches before the holidays. “What intensifies the pressure is January 1st is coming,” said Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash. “It’s having a huge impact on people. I think that is definitely a forcing mechanism.” The push from Democrats — and some vulnerable Republicans — was to renew the subsidies. “I don’t understand why we can’t just do a clean extension of what we just had in place earlier this year,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. “I think that is the easiest and most accessible, no nonsense thing for us to do. Especially as the year is coming to an end.” But that wouldn’t fly with conservative Republicans. “I pity the Republican that has to explain why they would propagate or perpetuate a fraud-ridden subsidy from the COVID-era to prop up a failed health care program,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., also opposes extending Obamacare help. But he worries what voters will think of Republicans if the party doesn’t address health care costs. “I think that we fail the American people. We fail our base. We fail the Republican Party. Before I got up here, I was frustrated the Republicans didn’t repeal Obamacare,” said Burlison. “Repealing Obamacare” probably won’t happen. That’s because the GOP has tried to unwind the measure since Democrats passed the first versions of it in late 2009. That’s why even through everyone was talking about health care on Capitol Hill, most were skeptical that lawmakers could solve this in a matter of days. Despite possible Christmas magic. And even as Thune punted health care into 2026, the House still nibbled around the edges. Critics argued this was only so House Republicans could inoculate themselves from denunciations that they did nothing on health care. SENATE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL PLAN TO REPLACE OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES WITH HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS On Tuesday morning, Johnson nixed an idea from GOP moderates for a temporary extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies because it didn’t comply with Congressional budgetary rules. But by afternoon, Johnson reversed himself to entertain another plan backed by Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y. Rather than simply extending federal Obamacare subsidies on an interim basis — which means that insurance companies receive the money — LaLota’s idea provides a two-year tax deduction for those who previously received the Obamacare aid. President Trump said he would not sign a bill which continued to send money to the insurance companies. So the revamped approach cuts out insurance companies from the equation and policyholders score the tax relief. “There’s a real possibility they’ll get a vote on it,” said Johnson. “I’ve tried everything I can to get them that vote on the floor.” But a roll call vote is a far cry from an actual fix. And it’s uncertain that the House would adopt any amendment and copy it onto the underlying GOP health care bill. However, a vote on the amendment could give Republicans from swing districts a fig leaf to say they tried to defuse the health care premium crisis. And it’s still unclear if voters might blame Republicans for not addressing health care — now that Democrats copied that issue onto the fall government funding fight. Health care will be a major issue in the 2026 midterms. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. appeared skeptical that Congress could address the skyrocketing premiums in the
201 House Dems vote against bill named after 20-year-old American killed by illegal immigrant teen
Two hundred and one House Democrats voted against a bill that Republicans say would prevent dangerous migrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children from walking free on the streets. The legislation passed in a 225-201 vote. Just seven Democrats voted with Republicans in favor of the bill: Reps. Adam Gray, D-Calif.; Jared Golden, D-Maine; Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash.; Don Davis, D-N.C.; Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas; Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas. The Kayla Hamilton Act is named after a 20-year-old woman with autism who was killed by a 16-year-old from El Salvador, Walter Javier Martinez, in 2022. Martinez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in April. Martiez came to the U.S. illegally as an unaccompanied minor and was a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, according to a press release from the Maryland State Attorney’s Office in Hartford County. REP JASMINE CROCKETT REFERS TO YOUNG WOMAN MURDERED BY AN MS-13 ILLEGAL MIGRANT AS A ‘RANDOM DEAD PERSON’ The bill, led by Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., would heighten screening requirements for unaccompanied migrant children (UAC) who come to the U.S. undocumented in ways that Republicans argue could prevent future tragedies like Hamilton’s. “I think in this one instance, a simple phone call to El Salvador would have kept him in a secure facility. An eyeball check on gang tattoos on his body would have kept him in the secure facility, because he had both. He would have never been on our streets. He would have been in a security facility pending his immigration hearing, which happens pretty quickly,” Fry told Fox News Digital Tuesday afternoon. His bill would mandate that the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) screen unaccompanied minors for gang tattoos and place UACs who have such indicators in secure federal facilities rather than letting them go to a sponsor somewhere in the U.S. It would also prohibit unaccompanied minors from going to sponsors who are also undocumented in the U.S. HOUSE UNANIMOUSLY VOTES TO MEMORIALIZE TEXAS GIRL ALLEGEDLY SLAIN BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Regarding the sponsors they are placed with, the federal government would be required to do a background check on all adults in the household, which would include fingerprint scans and an immigration status check. Progressives who argued against the bill on the House floor said it would harm already vulnerable children. “Republicans are treating unaccompanied migrant children like criminals,” Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., said. “We must use every tool at our disposal to protect vulnerable children. … This bill criminalizes children and creates dangerous precedent that only makes them more vulnerable.” Rep. Luz Rivas, D-Calif., said it “undermines and strips critical rights from vulnerable children” and “subjects children as young as 12 to strip searches.” Fry said in response, however, “We already do medical evaluations of children when they come into this country. It already is in practice. All we’re saying is if there’s a tattoo on your shoulder, on your forehead, that’s a gang tattoo, we’re saying, ‘Hey, maybe we shouldn’t let them out onto the streets.” “I think some intellectual honesty is really important for them,” Fry told Fox News Digital after the debate. “They want to complain about medical evaluations for kids. That was a Democrat proposal. That was the Democrat law that they did. But if they want to misrepresent what this bill is about, just because they don’t like Trump, I think kids and their safety are more important than being mad at the president.”
BIG relief to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi in National Herald case, Delhi court refuses to take note of…
The court refused to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering case against Gandhis and five others in the case. The court, however, clarified that at this stage, the law does not mandate furnishing a copy of the FIR to the accused.