Elon Musk warpath against Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ rattles House GOP
Elon Musk’s tirade against President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” has forced House Republicans to scramble to respond on Wednesday. GOP lawmakers who had spent months praising Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts are now working to avoid a war of words with the tech billionaire as he calls on them to scrap months of work in favor of a new budget reconciliation bill. “He didn’t make it any easier for the bill,” Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital. He noted that the bill also had its opponents in the Senate, where at least three fiscal hawks are calling for deeper cuts than the recent version passed by the House, which rolls back roughly $1.5 trillion in federal spending over 10 years. Fitzgerald questioned, however, what Musk’s endgame was. SCOOP: HOUSE GOP MEMO HIGHLIGHTS REPUBLICAN WINS IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ “If it was to truly kill the bill, then – I get it, he’s not an elected official – but you never really make such a bold statement without having a Plan B, and clearly, there’s no Plan B,” he said. House GOP lawmakers have for the most part, however, appeared in agreement on Musk ultimately having little impact on their actions. “I don’t think he carries the same kind of gravitas that he did,” Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said. Another House Republican told Fox News Digital, “When he’s not standing by the president’s side, he doesn’t have the same weight.” Congressional Republicans are working to pass a mammoth bill advancing Trump’s priorities on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt via the budget reconciliation process. Reconciliation allows the party in power to totally sideline opposition – in this case, Democrats – to pass a sweeping piece of fiscal legislation by lowering the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51. But there are rules and limitations for what can be included in the budget reconciliation process. House GOP leaders say they will seek to codify spending cuts identified by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) via the annual congressional appropriations process. That has not stopped Musk from unleashing his fury against the bill over the money it could add to the already $36 trillion-and-counting federal debt. “Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL,” Musk wrote on X, among other posts. The Tesla founder made a veiled threat against lawmakers’ seats as well, “In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.” House GOP leaders and the White House, meanwhile, have closed ranks around the bill. “I want Elon and all my friends to recognize the complexity of what we’ve accomplished here. This extraordinary piece of legislation – record number of savings, record tax cuts for the American people and all the other benefits in it,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters in response to Musk. “We worked on the bill for almost 14 months. You can’t go back to the drawing board, and we shouldn’t. We have a great product to deliver here.” But Musk’s comments appear to have created a difficult political situation for some fiscal hawks who aired concerns about the bill before ultimately voting for it after GOP leaders made some last-minute changes tightening Medicaid work requirements and green energy subsidy cutbacks. MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE “I wish [Musk] had been cheering from the stands before we had the vote, that would have helped us, but we are where we are,” House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., who fought for more conservative changes, told reporters. He side-stepped a question on whether he was worried about election threats from Musk. “I’m going to be – I hope that Elon continues to stay in this fight because I’m philosophically aligned with him, with his effort to try to balance this budget,” Burlison said. House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, meanwhile, said he believes Musk is wrong but conceded his opinion mattered to at least part of the GOP base. “The challenge is, he’s a he’s a credible guy, and he’s done, a patriotic service,” Arrington said, referring to DOGE. I just think he’s just wrong about his comments that mischaracterize the one big, beautiful bill.” “So to say that it’s a problem or that it has created a bigger challenge for us, is true. Because he’s got a big voice, he’s got a big audience. And more importantly, it’s a credible voice. But he’s wrong on this issue.” Conservative Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., said, “I would have preferred that he not go the direction that he went…maybe it was to encourage Congress to get on the ball with these rescissions packages that are coming.” The White House, meanwhile, has stood by the bill. “The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn’t change the president’s opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill, and he’s sticking to it,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.
Trump foe Judge Boasberg rules deported migrants can challenge removals, in blow to admin
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to provide all non-citizens deported from the U.S. to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador to be afforded the opportunity to seek habeas relief in court, and challenge their alleged gang status— the latest in a heated fight centered on President Donald Trump‘s use of the 1789 Alien Enemies Act to deport certain migrants.” “In short, the Government must facilitate the Class’s ability to seek habeas relief to contest their removal under the Act,” Judge Boasberg said in the order, filed late Wednesday afternoon. “Exactly what such facilitation must entail will be determined in future proceedings. Although the Court is mindful that such a remedy may implicate sensitive diplomatic or national-security concerns within the exclusive province of the Executive Branch, it also has a constitutional duty to provide a remedy that will “make good the wrong done.” Notably, the order also includes Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Salvadorian migrant and alleged MS-13 member who was deported from Maryland to El Salvador in March in what administration officials have acknowledged was an administrative error. That case alone had touched off a heated court fight, which prompted intervention from the Supreme Court in April. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg made headlines earlier this year for granting the first emergency restraining order blocking the Trump administration from invoking a 1798 law to immediately deport Venezuelan nationals, including alleged members of the violent gang Tren de Aragua, in March. He also ordered that plane carrying migrants removed by the law in question be “immediately” returned to the U.S., which did not happen.The Trump administration is currently facing multiple court challenges over those deportation flights it conducted in March under the Alien Enemies Act, which Judge Boasberg had ordered to be immediately returned. This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett joins race for top Democratic slot on powerful House oversight panel
“Our work cannot be solely reactive,” Crockett told her colleagues, pitching herself as the most effective messenger among the Democratic hopefuls.
Texas hospital that discharged woman with doomed pregnancy violated the law, a federal inquiry finds
Federal investigators found that the Round Rock hospital had violated a Biden-era law intended to provide abortions in emergency situations.
Chinese official claims no knowledge of fungus situation, says China requires citizens ‘abide by local laws’
A Chinese embassy official said Wednesday he was unaware of the case involving two Chinese nationals charged with smuggling a “dangerous biological pathogen” into the U.S. for university research. “I don’t know the specific situation, but I would like to emphasize that the Chinese government has always required overseas Chinese citizens to abide by local laws and regulations and will also resolutely safeguard their legitimate rights and interests,” said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Embassy in the U.S. The statement came after University of Michigan research fellows Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu – who are also boyfriend and girlfriend – were charged with smuggling Fusarium graminearum fungus into the U.S. within the jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Michigan. Fusarium graminearum is considered a “potential agroterrorism weapon” by the Justice Department and can cause noxious “head blight” on cereal grain crops. PATEL: CHINESE NATIONALS CHARGED WITH SMUGGLING ‘KNOWN AGROTERRORISM AGENT’ INTO US IS A ‘DIRECT THREAT’ The fungus causes $1 billion in global damage to crops each year, according to the feds. The FBI is conducting the investigation along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. While Liu appeared to deny knowledge of the case, Jian allegedly received funding from the CCP for her work on the fungus inside China. China was also determined by several entities to be the culprit for the release of the coronavirus pathogen that caused a global pandemic in 2020. CBP OFFICERS SEIZE OVER $14M OF ALLEGED METHAMPHETAMINE AT SOUTHERN BORDER FBI Director Kash Patel said the fungus involved poses a serious national security threat to the domestic food supply. CBP Director of Field Operations Marty Raybon said the criminal charges levied against Jian and Liu “are indicative of CBP’s critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate our agricultural economy and cause harm to humans…” The University of Michigan also responded to the incident, saying that “as one of the world’s leading public research institutions, [it] is dedicated to advancing knowledge, solving challenging problems and improving nearly every facet of the human experience. Our research enterprise across all three campuses is united in this commitment to serving the people of Michigan and the world.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission,” the university said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals. We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution.” Fox News’ Rich Edson and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Durbin obstruction threat chills Senate as Trump nominees hang in balance
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., used his opening remarks during the Senate’s first judicial nominee hearing of the year on Wednesday to remind his colleagues that he was holding up at least one of President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice nominees. “I’ve got a hold on one nominee from Florida,” Durbin said. “I’ve spoken to both Florida senators about it. It isn’t personal. We’ve got to find a way out of this that is fair and bipartisan that we’re going to stick with for both political parties.” Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is blocking the nomination of Jason Reding Quinones, Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of Florida. Durbin also recently threatened to obstruct more of Trump’s picks to lead the DOJ’s 93 U.S. attorney’s offices. Durbin’s threat loomed over the committee hearing, which featured five of Trump’s nominees to fill federal judge positions. The Illinois Democrat attributed his blockade to Vice President JD Vance announcing a hold on DOJ nominees in 2023. Vance, then a senator, said he would not lift his hold on nominees until then-Attorney General Merrick Garland stopped “going after his political opponents,” a reference to the two federal prosecutions of Trump. SEN. DICK DURBIN: CLOSING FEDERAL OFFICES PUNISHES EVERYDAY AMERICANS Any senator has the power to use holds to object to nominations. The practice significantly slows down the confirmation process because it prevents senators from voting for nominees through the typical, expedited unanimous consent process. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, argued Wednesday that, like Durbin, he too disagreed with Vance’s decision, but Grassley said it was notably different than Durbin’s. “This isn’t what you can legitimately call a precedent for blanket obstruction at the beginning of an administration before even a single one of these 93 U.S. attorneys have been filled,” Grassley said. Grassley, who himself has hindered nominees in past administrations, said holds should be used “selectively” and quoted Durbin saying last Congress that “public safety will suffer across the United States” if the obstruction of U.S. attorneys is carried out. GRASSLEY ALLEGES FBI USED BIASED SOURCES IN ANTI-TRADITIONAL CATHOLIC MEMOS UNDER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION Durbin said Vance changed the rules “overnight.” “And guess what? The tables turn,” Durbin said. “There comes a time when you want to move these by voice vote, and we’re going to have to say, as Democrats, we’re going to follow the Vance precedent.” Durbin, who has an amicable relationship with Grassley, signaled he was willing to come to negotiate with Republicans over the Florida nominee, who has already been favorably reported out of the committee along party lines. Asked by Fox News Digital what a resolution would look like, a Durbin spokeswoman pointed to the senator’s remarks during the hearing and declined to comment further. Durbin’s hold is not the only roadblock for Trump’s nominees. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday from the Senate floor that Republicans wanted to “quietly rubber-stamp” Patrick Davis’ nomination and that he would not allow it. DEMS’ ‘DELAY TACTIC’ TO ‘MALIGN’ PATEL AND STALL FBI CONFIRMATION DISMISSED AS ‘BASELESS’ BY TOP SENATE LEADER Trump nominated Davis, a former Grassley aide, to serve as assistant attorney general for the Office of Legislative Affairs, who is responsible for handling DOJ’s correspondence with Congress. Schumer said he opposed Davis’ nomination in part because the DOJ has been unresponsive to his inquiries about the controversial luxury plane that Qatar gifted to the Trump administration. “They won’t even answer serious questions about this. This plane should be withdrawn,” Schumer said. He added that when “this Justice Department is as horrible as it is, as political as it is, as destructive of American values as it has been, no way.” Grassley responded to Schumer on X: “Why would Democrats expect responsiveness to Congress from DOJ when they obstruct Pres Trump’s nominees who r responsible to ANSWER THEIR LTTRS????” The last two Senate-confirmed heads of the Office of Legislative Affairs, during the Biden administration and first Trump administration, were confirmed through the speedy voice vote process.
Rising antisemitic violence, terror attacks in US spur House Homeland Security Committee hearing
EXCLUSIVE: A GOP lawmaker on the House’s Homeland Security Committee is spearheading a hearing on growing antisemitic violence in the U.S. in response to recent attacks in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, D.C. These attacks are not outliers, according to the chairman of the committee’s counterterrorism and intelligence subcommittee, Rep. August Pfluger of Texas. He has scheduled a hearing for June 11 to examine the rise of anti-Israel terrorist attacks within the American homeland. “From harassment of Jewish students and calls to ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ to arson against the Jewish governor of Pennsylvania and the cold-blooded execution of two young Israeli Embassy staffers in our nation’s capital – the heinous attack in Boulder this Sunday is part of a disturbing pattern, not an isolated incident,” Pfluger said in a Wednesday statement to Fox News Digital. “Antisemitic violence and harassment will not, and cannot, remain unchecked in the United States of America – whether it’s on college campuses or in our communities.” BOULDER TERROR ATTACK RESULT OF ‘RECKLESS BIDEN POLICIES,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS “In the wake of the foreign policy failures and open-border policies of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with state and local law enforcement, must be prepared to meet the moment as we face an increasingly complex threat landscape at home and abroad,” he said. “Congress must ensure the United States remains a bastion of freedom for all, and that our Jewish neighbors can live free from hatred and persecution.” Among those who will appear at the hearing is Kerry Sleeper, the deputy director for intelligence and information sharing with the Secure Community Network. The group is the largest Jewish security organization in North America. Sleeper oversees its 24/7 operations of the National Jewish Security Operations Command Center, which coordinates intelligence with agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI. Pfluger has previously sounded the alarm about antisemitic violence and other terror threats that jeopardize the safety of U.S. citizens. For example, he reintroduced legislation in February, known as the Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act, which would require DHS to conduct assessments each year evaluating the threat terrorist groups like ISIS and Hamas pose to the U.S. through the use of foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications. The measure has received bipartisan support, and Democratic Rep. Jimmy Panetta of California is a co-sponsor. Pfluger’s hearing comes not long after a gunman opened fire and killed two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington in May. A pro-Palestinian man, identified as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was arrested in connection with the case, according to authorities. SHOOTING AT CAPITAL JEWISH MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS RISING WAVE OF ANTI-JEWISH HATE CRIMES Likewise, Sunday’s terrorist attack in Colorado left a dozen people injured – including a Holocaust survivor – during an event organized by Run for Their Lives, a grassroots group that holds events urging the release of Israeli hostages. The suspect in the attack, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, first entered the U.S. under the Biden administration and had overstayed his visa, multiple Department of Homeland Security sources first told Fox News. Soliman, 45, allegedly yelled “Free Palestine” and used a makeshift flamethrower to conduct that attack, according to law enforcement officials. Lawmakers and intelligence experts have long warned about foreign terrorists entering the U.S. and conducting attacks against American citizens. For example, Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, then-chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., warned of such terror threats in August 2024, following the release of a report from House Judiciary Committee Republicans that determined the Biden administration released nearly 100 illegal immigrants on the terrorist watch list. BIDEN DHS REVEALS 50 MIGRANTS STILL AT LARGE AS ISIS-AFFILIATED SMUGGLING NETWORK BRINGS HUNDREDS TO US “Since the Biden-Harris Administration’s failed open border policies have welcomed potential terrorists into our nation, we’re working to combat these threats and safeguard Americans in their own backyards,” Turner and Green said in a joint statement in August 2024 in response to the report. The FBI has voiced similar concerns. “I have warned for some time now about the threat that foreign terrorists may seek to exploit our southwest border or some other port of entry to advance a plot against Americans,” former FBI Director Christopher Wray told the House Judiciary Committee in April 2024. “Just last month, for instance, the Bureau and our joint terrorism task forces worked with ICE in multiple cities across the country as several individuals with suspected international terrorist ties were arrested using ICE’s immigration authorities.”
Feds sue Texas over long-standing law allowing undocumented students to receive in-state tuition
The lawsuit comes just days after the Legislature adjourned without repealing the first-in-the-nation law, which passed in 2001.
Elon Musk posts ‘Kill Bill’ meme in latest push to nix Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill
Less than a week after leaving his position as head of the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk is calling on Americans to urge their senators and representatives to “kill” the “big, beautiful” budget bill backed by President Donald Trump. Musk has grown increasingly critical of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,, claiming that if passed, it would increase the U.S. budget deficit by $5 billion. On Wednesday afternoon, Musk posted an image of the 2003 Uma Thurman movie “Kill Bill,” appearing to reference his call to nix the Trump-backed bill. “We need a new bill that doesn’t grow the deficit,” Musk said on X. In another post, Musk urged: “Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL.” TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FACES RESISTANCE FROM REPUBLICAN SENATORS OVER DEBT FEARS Musk said Tuesday afternoon that he “just can’t stand it anymore.” “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk said. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.” Musk previously criticized the bill during an interview with CBS, noting he was “disappointed” in the spending bill because “it undermines” all the work his DOGE team was doing. The bill passed the House in late May, ahead of Memorial Day, largely along party lines. However, two Republicans did vote against the measure, citing insufficient spending cuts and a rising national debt. GOP Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has also signaled he likely will not vote in favor of the bill in its current form, citing a debt ceiling increase that is a red line for him. TRUMP WARNS RAND PAUL HE’S PLAYING INTO ‘HANDS OF THE DEMOCRATS’ WITH ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ OPPOSITION Trump has lashed out at Paul and others for opposing the bill, but so far he has taken a more measured approach to Musk’s criticism. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Look, the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a Tuesday afternoon briefing when asked about Musk’s most recent criticism. “It doesn’t change the president’s opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill and he’s sticking to it,” she said.
Johnson says Republicans ‘don’t have time’ to craft new Trump plan despite Musk’s call to ‘KILL the BILL’
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is rebuffing Elon Musk’s call for a brand-new budget reconciliation bill, deepening the tech billionaire’s rift with Republicans in Washington. “A new spending bill should be drafted that doesn’t massively grow the deficit and increase the debt ceiling by 5 TRILLION DOLLARS,” Musk wrote on X Wednesday. He ratcheted up his rhetoric shortly after, posting, “KILL the BILL.” But Johnson said the timeline was working against Congress and that an overhaul of President Donald Trump’s massive agenda bill was unfeasible. HOUSE GOP TARGETS ANOTHER DEM OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF BLOCKING ICE AMID DELANEY HALL FALLOUT Johnson said when asked for a response by Fox News, “We don’t have time for a brand new bill.” “I want Elon and all my friends to recognize the complexity of what we’ve accomplished here. This extraordinary piece of legislation – record number of savings, record tax cuts for the American people and all the other benefits in it,” the speaker told reporters. “We worked on the bill for almost 14 months. You can’t go back to the drawing board, and we shouldn’t. We have a great product to deliver here.” Johnson cautioned critics of the bill not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE “We’re proud of this product. The House Republicans are proud of it, and we’re happy to go out and explain that to everybody,” Johnson said. The Louisiana Republican said during a press conference earlier that he was “surprised” by Musk’s criticism. The speaker previously also pointed out that Republicans are planning to codify spending cuts identified by Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a different vehicle than the reconciliation process. Musk has been bearing down hard on the legislation, putting Republican lawmakers in a difficult spot after months of lauding his work with DOGE. The massive bill passed by the House and currently being considered by the Senate advances Trump’s priorities on taxes, immigration, energy, defense, and the debt limit. It passed the House 215 – 214 with all but three House Republicans not voting “yes.” House GOP leaders, noting their slim margins, have urged the Senate to change as little as possible in the bill. But the Senate GOP has its own razor-thin majority, and lawmakers there have already signaled they want to see at least some changes. The White House, meanwhile, has stood by the bill. “The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn’t change the president’s opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill, and he’s sticking to it,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.