Cuomo dismisses nursing home scandal, blames Trump’s ‘MAGA line’ for COVID controversy
Nine Democratic candidates took the stage in New York City Wednesday for the first of two debates ahead of the June 24 mayoral primary, and the claws were out for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo’s COVID-19 scandal was front and center just minutes into the debate as moderators asked the candidates how they would stand up to President Donald Trump if elected mayor. The former governor dismissed the legitimacy of the Justice Department’s investigation into his alleged false congressional testimony about decisions made during COVID-19 when pressed by moderator Sally Goldenberg of Politico. “That’s the Trump line, the MAGA line, because this was during the Trump re-election,” Cuomo said when asked repeatedly whether he had a role in producing a contested COVID-19 report. ANDREW CUOMO THE BIGGEST TARGET AS NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL PRIMARY SHIFTS INTO HIGH GEAR Cuomo said the Justice Department’s investigation is another example of the pandemic’s game of “political football.” DOJ INVESTIGATING ANDREW CUOMO FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING ABOUT COVID DECISIONS, SOURCE CONFIRMS “This is what Mr. Trump does, right? He started an investigation against me, against Kathy Hochul, against Sen. Chuck Schumer, against Hillary Clinton. This is one of his tactics,” Cuomo said. Also joining Cuomo on the debate stage Wednesday night were City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, city Comptroller Brad Lander, former city Comptroller Scott Stringer, former state Assemblyman Michael Blake from the Bronx, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie from Brooklyn, state Sen. Jessica Ramos from Queens and former hedge fund executive Whitney Tilson. The winner of the Democratic Party mayoral primary will be seen as the overwhelming favorite to win November’s general election in the blue city. Early voting in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City begins June 14 and runs through June 22. Cuomo is the clear polling and fundraising frontrunner in the Democratic primary given his name recognition and experience. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who has found unlikely common ground with the Trump administration in efforts to combat illegal immigration, is running as an independent. The Justice Department made the unusual decision earlier this year to dismiss an indictment against Adams on federal corruption charges. “I know how to deal with Donald Trump because I’ve dealt with him before,” Cuomo said on the debate stage. Cuomo touted his experience as governor, particularly in challenging Trump’s agenda during his first term as president. “I am the last person on this stage that Mr. Trump wants to see as mayor, and that’s why I should be the first choice for the people of this city to have as mayor,” Cuomo said. When again pressed by the moderators and his competitors, Cuomo said he told Congress the truth about the number of nursing home deaths in New York during COVID-19, the basis of the Department of Justice’s investigation. “No, I told Congress the truth,” Cuomo said. “No, we did not undercount any deaths.” Still, Cuomo refused to answer whether he was involved in the production of the contested COVID-19 report. The former governor was grilled by Republican lawmakers last year about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. House Republicans subsequently recommended the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against him. They accused him of intentionally lying to Congress during the House Oversight Committee’s investigation into the excessive number of nursing home deaths. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
White House makes misleading claims about Democratic opposition to tax bill
In a news statement this week, the White House cherry-picked personal income tax-related elements in the “big, beautiful bill”, the wide-ranging tax and spending bill being pushed by United States President Donald Trump, and claimed that, in opposing the legislation as a whole, the Democratic Party was opposed to every individual item contained within it. Such a tactic is misleading, particularly since the White House cited measures in the bill that have been championed by Democrats to improve the lives of Americans and are not the reasons the Democrats have given for opposing the “big beautiful bill”. Here’s a fact-check of what the White House claims Democrats oppose: “They’re opposing the largest tax cut in history, which will put an extra $5,000 in their pockets with a double-digit percent decrease to their tax bills. In fact, Americans earning between $30,000 and $80,000 will pay around 15% less in taxes.” The specifics of the tax bill have not been finalised. In its current form, it would cut taxes by an average of 2.4 percent, for middle-income households, according to analysis by the Tax Policy Center. While it is a significant tax cut, it is not the biggest in history. That was under Ronald Reagan in 1981 at 2.9 percent. Advertisement It is accurate that there will be a double-digit percentage decrease in tax bills, at least in the immediate term, at a little more than 11 percent across all tax brackets. It is also true that people earning between $30,000 and $80,000 will pay 15 percent less, according to the Non-Partisan Joint Committee on Taxation. “They’re opposing NO TAX ON TIPS for the millions of Americans who work in the service industry and NO TAX ON OVERTIME for law enforcement, nurses, and more.” This is true only in their opposition to Trump’s tax and spending bill. Democrats and Republicans have supported the concept of no tax on tips. Both Donald Trump and the Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris pledged to do so on the campaign trail. Senate Democrats backed the No Tax on Tips Act, passed by the US Senate on May 20. The bill, authored by Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, was co-sponsored by notable Democrats, including Jacky Rosen of Nevada and passed unanimously. “They’re opposing historic tax cuts for senior citizens” Outside of the “big beautiful bill”, Democrats have generally not opposed tax cuts for seniors. Many Democrats have championed legislation that would expand tax cuts for seniors. California Democrat Jimmy Panetta co-sponsored a Republican led bill that would increase the standard deduction for adults over the age of 65 by $4,000. In 2024, House Democrats introduced the “You Earned It, You Keep It Act”, which would effectively eliminate taxes on social security benefits. The bill, however, has never made it past committee. “They’re opposing a boost to the child tax credit.” Again, they are opposing Trump’s “big beautiful bill”, not objecting to the child tax credit. In fact, Democrats have long pushed to expand the child tax credit. In April, Senate Democrats, including Georgia’s Raphael Warnock and Colorado’s Michael Bennett, introduced legislation that would expand the child tax credit. The bill would increase the tax credit, from $2,000 where it currently stands, to $6,360 for newborns, $4,320 for children ages one to six and $3,600 for children six to 17, permanently. Advertisement While the “big beautiful bill” would also increase the child tax credit, it would do so only by $500. That temporary increase is meant to last through 2028 and will revert to $2,000 in 2029. “They’re opposing new savings accounts for newborns and the chance for children across America to experience the miracle of compounded growth.” In the “big beautiful bill”, House Republicans introduced new savings accounts for children. The accounts would include a $1,000 handout for every child born between January 1, 2025 and January 1, 2029. Democrats have not only been supporters of the idea for savings accounts for newborns, but prominent Democrats actually championed it. In 2018, Cory Booker of New Jersey introduced the American Opportunity Accounts Act, which would also give $1,000 to newborns and up to $2000 in annual contributions. He reintroduced the bill again in 2023. “They’re opposing expanded access to childcare for hardworking American families.” This appears to be false. The White House link refers to the Paid Family and Medical Leave Credit, not child care access. Trump’s bill offers up to 12 weeks of paid leave for employees who have worked a year and earn $57,600 or less. While that gives parents more time at home, Democrats have focused on expanding access to child care, including universal pre-K. In 2023, Republicans opposed a Democratic plan to keep child care centres open that struggled in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “They’re opposing historic border security to keep their communities safe.” Last year, Trump pressured Republicans to vote against a bipartisan border security bill, a move that reportedly helped Trump’s chances of winning in November 2024. Democrats have opposed Republican plans to use US military bases for migrant detention, arguing that it misuses Department of Defense resources. Democrats have long opposed border wall funding, including during Trump’s first term. Advertisement A 2018 Stanford University analysis estimated that a border wall would reduce migration by just 0.6 percent. Despite this, the “big beautiful bill” allocates more than $50bn to complete the wall and maritime crossings, $45bn for building and maintaining detention centres, and $14bn for transportation. “They’re opposing expanded health savings accounts that give Americans greater choice and flexibility in how they spend their money.” This is sort of true. Democrats have not been huge proponents of health savings accounts. The belief is that healthcare savings accounts do not help the socioeconomically disadvantaged, who may not have the financial resources to contribute to the accounts. Democrats have also objected to other cuts to healthcare in the bill, including the potential $880bn that could be cut from essential government programmes like Medicaid. “They’re opposing scholarships that empower Americans
US judge halts deportation of family of suspect in pro-Israel rally attack
A federal court says removing the wife and children of Mohamed Soliman without due process could cause ‘irreparable harm’. A United States judge has temporarily blocked the deportation of family members related to a suspect accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado. The ruling on Wednesday came after the administration of President Donald Trump arrested the wife of Mohamed Soliman and their five children in an effort to deport them. Judge Gordon Gallagher wrote that Soliman’s wife, Hayam El Gamal, and her children cannot be removed from the country as long as his order stands. “Moreover, the Court finds that deportation without process could work irreparable harm,” the judge said. El Gamal, who has not been charged with a crime, had filed a legal petition for her release. Soliman, meanwhile, has been charged with a federal hate crime over the attack on Sunday, which injured 12 people. It is unclear if the Trump administration has any evidence that Soliman’s relatives committed wrongdoing, or if they were simply targeted for their association with him. Authorities have indicated that Soliman appears to have acted alone in the attack. Advertisement Still, Trump officials signalled they would take an aggressive approach to investigating and deporting individuals they perceived to be linked to “terrorism”. “In light of yesterday’s horrific attack, all terrorists, their family members, and terrorist sympathizers here on a visa should know that under the Trump Administration we will find you, revoke your visa, and deport you,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a social media post on Monday. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed on Tuesday the detention of Elgamal, her three daughters and her two sons, four of whom are minors. “We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a video posted online. “Justice will be served.” According to DHS, Soliman and his family arrived in the US on temporary visas in 2022 before applying for asylum. Soliman’s visa expired in 2023. Media reports indicate that El Gamal, meanwhile, applied for an employment visa: She has a background as a network engineer. Critics say the tactic of penalising the relatives of a criminal suspect is a form of unlawful collective punishment. In the West Bank, for instance, human rights groups have denounced Israeli operations that demolished the homes of Palestinians related to suspects in armed attacks. The attack in Colorado has been linked to Israel’s war on Gaza, which United Nations experts have described as a genocide. The suspect allegedly yelled “Free Palestine” during the fire-bombing. Advertisement The Washington-backed war has also sparked other violent incidents on US soil. The incident in Colorado followed the killing of two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington, DC, last month. In October 2023, a six-year-old Palestinian boy was stabbed to death in the Chicago area in another crime linked to the war. The 73-year-old suspect reportedly told the boy’s mother that Muslims “must die” as he attacked them. He was sentenced to 53 years after being convicted of murder and hate crimes. Weeks later, three Palestinian American students were shot and severely wounded in Vermont. The war on Gaza has killed at least 54,607 Palestinians, according to health officials. Adblock test (Why?)
Donald Trump announces US travel ban on people from 12 countries
United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing a full travel ban on people from 12 countries and restricting the citizens of seven other countries, the White House said. The banned countries include Afghanistan, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. In addition to the ban, which was announced on Wednesday and takes effect on Monday, there will be heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. “I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,” Trump said in his order. In a video message released by the White House, Trump said the recent attack on a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado had “underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted”. The president said there were “millions and millions of these illegals who should not be in our country”. Advertisement “We will not let what happened in Europe happen to America,” he said, adding, “very simply, we cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States”. “We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm.” “We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen… That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others.” –President Trump pic.twitter.com/ER7nGM4TO2 — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 4, 2025 During his first term in 2017, Trump issued an executive order banning travel to the US by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. People from the named countries were either barred from getting on their flights to the US or detained at US airports after they landed. Those affected included tourists, people visiting friends and family, students and faculty members at US institutions, and businesspeople. The order, often referred to as the “Muslim ban” or the “travel ban”, was reworked amid legal challenges until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018, which banned categories of travellers and immigrants from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya, plus North Korean and some Venezuelan government officials and their families. Trump defended his initial travel ban on national security grounds, arguing that it was aimed at protecting the US and claiming that it was not anti-Muslim. However, Trump had called for a travel ban on Muslims during his first campaign for the White House. Advertisement Trump moves to block foreign students studying at Harvard Trump also signed an executive order on Wednesday to suspend the entry of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in programmes at Harvard, accusing one of the US’s most prestigious universities of having “a history of concerning foreign ties and radicalism”. The order directs the US State Department to “consider revoking” existing academic or exchange visas of any current Harvard students “who meet the Proclamation’s criteria”. Last month, the US State Department ordered all its consular missions overseas to begin additional vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose, according to an internal cable seen by Reuters. Harvard has accused the US administration of retaliating against it for refusing to accede to Trump’s demands to control the school’s governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students. The visa restrictions follow earlier moves to freeze billions of dollars in grants and other funding to Harvard, end the university’s tax-exempt status and to open an investigation into whether it discriminated against white, Asian, male or straight employees or job applicants. Last month, the administration revoked Harvard’s ability to enrol foreign students. While that move was blocked by a federal court in Boston, Trump’s latest order invokes a different legal authority, the Associated Press news agency reports. Adblock test (Why?)
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Ex-IRS Contractor Pleads Fifth in Trump Tax-Leak Probe
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… A man serving in prison for leaking President Donald Trump’s and thousands of others’ confidential tax records recently asserted his Fifth Amendment right to the House Judiciary Committee and declined to testify before the panel, Fox News Digital has learned. A public defender wrote to the Republican-led committee on behalf of Charles Littlejohn, a former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) contractor serving out a five-year sentence in Illinois, that because Littlejohn was appealing his sentence, he did not have to testify before Congress. “The testimony that you seek from Mr. Littlejohn directly implicates his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination,” the public defender wrote on Saturday. “Mr. Littlejohn validly exercises that Constitutional right in declining to testify.”…READ MORE ‘QUASI-TOTALITARIAN’: Vance compares Harvard to North Korea as he takes aim at school’s ‘ideological diversity’ ‘GOOD CONVERSATION’: Putin tells Trump Russia will respond to Ukrainian attack on warplanes ‘DECISIVE ACTION’: ICE arrests Russian national accused of being member of Al Qaeda ‘IGNORES’ HAMAS: Israeli officials object to expected UN Security Council ceasefire resolution TOUGH ON CHINA: Trump says Xi is ‘very tough’ and ‘extremely hard to make a deal with’ PUTIN’S PRICE TAG: Senate sanctions on Russia: bargaining chip for Trump’s negotiations with Putin or joker card BEHIND THE CURTAIN: Comer widens Biden ‘cover-up’ probe, seeks interviews with Anita Dunn and Ron Klain MASSIE’S MOVE: Massie calls on Elon Musk to fund primary challenges against Republicans who backed Trump tax bill REVOLVING DOOR: Fetterman dismisses questions as another top staffer reportedly jumps ship DEMS DENIED: US judge dismisses DNC election commission lawsuit, in a victory for Trump BUDGET WATCHDOGS: Radical new DOGE transparency powers could hit Congress after Elon Musk exit Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Federal appeals court throws roadblock at Trump’s education reform agenda
A federal appeals court refused to grant the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) request to put a temporary halt on a district judge’s preliminary injunction last week, preventing the Trump administration from moving ahead with plans to dismantle the department. Washington, D.C., and two states previously requested the court to halt the announced DOE and Trump administration’s planned Reduction in Force (RIF) of half of the remaining employees at the DOE, as well as the closure of the department. The dismantling was announced on March 11, 2025, and two days later, the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump and others were sued in the District of Massachusetts. Following suit, five labor organizations and two school districts did the same. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SCOTUS TO APPROVE DEI-RELATED EDUCATION CUTS The plaintiffs requested the court for an injunction against the transfer of certain functions out of the Department, which Trump announced on March 21. The District Court merged the two cases, and after reviewing the factual findings, issued an order to place a stop on the president’s actions. The Trump administration appealed the decision and requested a temporary stop to the district court’s order, but on Wednesday that request was denied. WASHINGTON AG JOINS COALITION SUING TO BLOCK TRUMP’S ORDER TO DISMANTLE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION “What is at stake in this case, the District Court found, was whether a nearly half-century-old cabinet department would be permitted to carry out its statutorily assigned functions or prevented from doing so by a mass termination of employees aimed at implementing the effective closure of that department,” the court of appeals wrote. “Given the extensive findings made by the District Court and the absence of any contrary evidence having been submitted by the appellants, we conclude that the appellants’ stay motion does not warrant our interfering with the ordinary course of appellate adjudication in the face of what the record indicates would be the apparent consequences of our doing so. The appellants’ motion for a stay is denied.” Republican senators, in April, introduced the “Returning Education to Our States Act” after Trump signed an Executive Order to close the DOE in March. If passed, the bill would redirect portions of the department to other federal agencies, such as the Departments of Interior, Treasury, Health and Human Services, Labor, Defense, Justice and State. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SIGNIFICANTLY DISMANTLED IN NEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER “The Department of Education was created to collect education data and advise state and local organizations on best practices,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, told Fox News Digital at the time. “Since then, it has grown into an oversized bureaucracy that dictates one-size-fits-all policies, standards and practices for students across the nation.” The bill came amid widespread support among Republicans to eliminate the agency, including the current sitting Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, who detailed her “vision for eliminating the Department of Education” in a Fox News op-ed. McMahon and Rounds recently held a meeting where the “Returning Education to Our States Act” was discussed. DEM AGS SUE OVER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LAYOFFS In addition to eliminating the agency, the legislation would also make key changes to education compliance requirements, making it so that schools would no longer be required to administer standardized tests to identify struggling schools (CSI and TSI). The bill would also allow schools more autonomy to set teacher certification standards and professional development plans. The executive order issued by President Donald Trump directs the department to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities,” but it takes an act of Congress to formally abolish the department. The Republican-led bill could potentially accompany President Donald Trump’s executive order and campaign promise to reshape the American education system as it heads to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for debate. Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell contributed to this report.
Trump bans travel to US from several countries to block ‘dangerous foreign actors’
President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping order blocking travel to the U.S. from nearly 20 countries identified as high-risk for terrorism, visa abuse and failure to share security information. The new travel restrictions — announced under Executive Order 14161 — apply to nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen, all deemed “very high risk” due to terrorist activity, weak or hostile governments, and high visa overstay rates. TRUMP ADMIN MULLS NEW TRAVEL BAN, BUT NO DECISIONS MADE YET Seven more countries, including Venezuela, Cuba, and Laos, face partial restrictions. “President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm,” said White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson to Fox News Digital. She called the restrictions “commonsense” and targeted at countries that “lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information.” TRUMP VISA POLICY ‘FAR MORE RESTRAINED’ THAN BIDEN POLICY TARGETING ISRAELIS THAT FLEW UNDER THE RADAR: EXPERT Afghanistan, for example, has a student visa overstay rate of 29.3% and is controlled by the Taliban, a designated global terrorist group. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Iran remains a state sponsor of terrorism and has refused cooperation with U.S. authorities. Libya, Somalia, and Yemen all lack functioning governments capable of issuing secure documents.
Trump nominates seasoned military leaders to head vital global commands
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that President Donald Trump had nominated two high-ranking military officials to lead the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and U.S. African Command (AFRICOM). Trump nominated Navy Vice Adm. Charles B. Cooper II to be promoted to admiral and be assigned as commander of CENTCOM at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. The president also nominated Air Force Lt. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson to be promoted to general and assigned as commander of AFRICOM in Stuttgart, Germany. TRUMP’S PICK FOR JOINT CHIEFS CHAIR DANIEL ‘RAZIN’ CAINE SET FOR SENATE GRILLING According to the CENTCOM website, Vice Adm. Cooper built a career as a surface warfare officer, in which he served on guided-missile cruisers, guided-missile destroyers, aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. From land, he served in several executive, military assistant and special assistant roles for the White House, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, AFRICOM and the U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters. WHO IS DANIEL ‘RAZIN’ CAINE? AIR FORCE GENERAL TAPPED FOR TOP ADVISOR ROLE IN PENTAGON UPHEAVAL Cooper has also served as the principal U.S. Advisor to the Interior Minister of Afghanistan and Director of Surface Warfare Officer assignments. Lt. Gen. Anderson currently serves as the director for Joint Force Development, Joint Staff at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. He has flown the KC-135R, MC-130E, and U-28A operationally across the globe. Anderson’s career also includes commanding a special operations squadron, expeditionary squadron, operations group, special operations wing, and Special Operations Command, Africa.
DOJ sues Texas for offering in-state college tuition to illegal immigrants in alleged violation of federal law
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint against Texas to block the state’s two-decade-old law that provides in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. The complaint was filed Wednesday in the Northern District of Texas against the State of Texas and several Texas officials to get Texas to comply with federal requirements. Under federal law, higher education institutions are prohibited from providing benefits to illegal aliens not offered to U.S. citizens. The DOJ’s complaint aims to enjoin the enforcement of a Texas law requiring colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for immigrants who maintain residency in Texas, regardless of whether they are in the U.S. legally. TRUMP ADMIN SUES COLORADO, DENVER OVER ‘SANCTUARY LAWS,’ ALLEGED INTERFERENCE IN IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT According to the DOJ, the laws in Texas “blatantly” conflict with federal law, putting them in conflict with the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution. “Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “The Justice Department will relentlessly fight to vindicate federal law and ensure that U.S. citizens are not treated like second-class citizens anywhere in the country.” The lawsuit was filed in response to two executive orders signed by President Donald Trump since returning to the Oval Office in January. ATTORNEY GENERAL BONDI ISSUES STARK WARNING FOR ILLINOIS AND NY GOVERNORS TO ‘COMPLY’ WITH FEDERAL LAW The executive orders were signed to ensure illegal immigrants cannot receive taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment. One of the orders, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” ordered all agencies to “ensure, to the maximum extent permitted by law, that no taxpayer-funded benefits go to unqualified aliens.” The other order, “Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens,” directs officials to “take appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable, including State laws that provide in-State higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-State American citizens.” TURLEY PREDICTS ‘FEROCIOUS’ COURT BATTLE, BUT SAYS TRUMP ADMIN HAS ‘STRONG CASE’ ON ICE DEPORTATIONS IN NY Fox News Digital has reached out to Gov. Greg Abbott’s office for comment. Widely known as the Texas Dream Act, the legislation being targeted by the Trump administration was introduced in February 2001, when federal courts ruled that a child’s immigration status should not prevent the child’s access to primary and secondary schools. But when it came to higher education, federal immigration status could have prevented some children born outside the U.S. from getting a college education from a public institution because of higher rates charged to nonresidents. When children born outside the U.S. graduated from Texas high schools, those students were required by previous state law to pay a higher rate to Texas public colleges or universities, as if they were from out of state or were international students. The legislation, signed by Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, June 16, 2001, removed federal immigration status as a factor in determining eligibility to pay in-state tuition at Texas public colleges and universities for students who graduate from a Texas high school and who meet the minimum residency, academic and registration criteria.
Senate weighs Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ as policy group backs CBO, projects $3 trillion debt increase
President Donald Trump‘s “big, beautiful bill” is projected to increase the debt by $3 trillion, with interest, or $5 trillion if made permanent, according to estimates. An estimate of the House-passed bill by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects it would add more than $2.4 trillion to primary deficits before interest over 10 years, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), a nonprofit public policy organization. As of Wednesday, the national debt, which measures what the U.S. owes its creditors, was $36.2 trillion, and the national deficit, which occurs when the federal government’s spending exceeds its revenues, was $1 trillion, according to the Treasury Department. The massive spending package being considered by a Republican-controlled Congress aims to address a number of issues, including tax policy, border security and immigration, defense, energy production, the debt limit, and adjustments to SNAP and Medicaid. TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FACES RESISTANCE FROM REPUBLICAN SENATORS OVER DEBT FEARS “Based on CBO’s estimate, the House-passed bill includes roughly $5.3 trillion of tax cuts and spending partially offset by $2.9 trillion of revenue increases and spending cuts,” a CRFB statement said. “Most significantly, the policies put forward by the Ways & Means Committee would increase deficits by $3.8 trillion, on net, while the policies in the Energy & Commerce title would reduce deficits by $1.1 trillion. With interest, the bill would add nearly $3.0 trillion to the debt through 2034 – or $5.0 trillion if various temporary provisions are made permanent.” “OBBBA (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) would add far too much to the debt as written and could lead to far more fiscal damage than reported if temporary provisions are extended as intended,” the group said. It noted that the bill would boost near-term inflation, increase interest rates, add unnecessary complexity to the tax code as well as weaken market confidence and slow long-term economic growth. It urged the Senate to make the bill “more responsible.” PRICE TAG ESTIMATE FOR HOUSE GOP TAX PACKAGE RISES TO $3.94T Despite the bill passing in the House, some lawmakers have voiced opposition to the legislation, most notably Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. “We have never raised the debt ceiling without actually meeting that target,” Paul told reporters this week. “So you can say it doesn’t directly add to the debt, but if you increase the ceiling $5 trillion, you’ll meet that. And what it does is it puts it off the back burner. And then we won’t discuss it for a year or two.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Top Democrats recently said the bill would cause the deaths of an estimated 51,000 Americans due to changes to the federal healthcare system and the broader reconciliation legislation. Also against the bill is Elon Musk, Trump’s former head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.