Trump overhauls US arms sales to favor key allies, protect American weapons production
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order requiring the government to assess foreign weapons sales based on their impact on U.S. production capacity for key systems and to favor allies whose defense investments and strategic importance align with U.S. national security priorities. Under the order, obtained first by Fox News Digital, the Departments of War, State and Commerce are instructed to ensure that U.S. arms transfers support weapons systems deemed most operationally relevant to the National Security Strategy, reinforce critical supply chains, and prioritize partners that have invested in their own defense and occupy strategically important regions. The administration argues that past arms transfer policy allowed foreign demand to shape U.S. production decisions, contributing to backlogs, cost overruns and delivery delays that left both the U.S. military and its allies waiting years for critical equipment. “The America First Arms Transfer Strategy will now leverage over $300 billion in annual defense sales to strategically reindustrialize the United States and rapidly deliver American-manufactured weapons to help our partners and allies establish deterrence and defend themselves,” according to a White House fact sheet. TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY BLUEPRINT DECLARES ‘ERA OF MASS MIGRATION IS OVER,’ TARGETS CHINA’S RISE A central goal of the order is to speed up a foreign military sales process that defense officials and industry leaders have long criticized as slow and overly bureaucratic. The order directs federal agencies to identify ways to streamline enhanced end-use monitoring requirements, third-party transfer approvals and the congressional notification process — steps the administration says have contributed to years-long delays in delivering U.S. weapons overseas. The order also creates a new Promoting American Military Sales Task Force charged with overseeing implementation of the strategy and tracking major defense sales across the government. In a move aimed at increasing accountability, the administration says agencies will be required to publish aggregate quarterly performance metrics showing how quickly defense sales cases are being executed. The strategy also signals a shift in how the United States prioritizes its partners. The order directs the government to favor countries that have invested in their own defense and occupy strategically important regions, effectively tying arms sales decisions more closely to U.S. military planning and geographic priorities. HEGSETH SAYS DEPARTMENT OF WAR ‘WILL BE PREPARED TO DELIVER’ WHATEVER TRUMP WANTS FOLLOWING IRAN WARNING Other partners could face longer timelines or lower priority if their requests do not align with U.S. strategic or industrial objectives. While the order does not name specific countries, it reflects an effort to focus limited U.S. production capacity on allies viewed as most critical to executing the National Security Strategy. The order also instructs the War, State and Commerce departments to “find efficiencies in the Enhanced End Use Monitoring criteria, the Third-Party Transfer process, and the Congressional Notification process.” Congress will likely be watching how the administration implements the order, especially provisions aimed at speeding both oversight of U.S. weapons once they are sold abroad and the process for notifying lawmakers about major arms deals. Lawmakers have argued those steps help prevent misuse of U.S. weapons, even as they have criticized delays that slow deliveries to allies. The order follows a series of recent defense-related executive actions taken by Trump. In January 2026, he signed an order directing defense contractors to prioritize production capacity, innovation and on-time delivery over stock buybacks and other corporate distributions. That built on an April 2025 order aimed at improving speed and accountability in the foreign military sales system, as well as a January 2025 order focused on modernizing defense acquisitions and reducing red tape across the defense industrial base.
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DOT crackdown pulls hundreds of English-illiterate, illegal immigrant truckers off roads as crashes mount
EXCLUSIVE: Federal transportation officials nabbed hundreds of truckers found not to be proficient in English, as otherwise routine stops at weigh stations led to thousands of violations amid a three-day national crackdown. The latest iteration of Operation SafeDRIVE (Distracted, Reckless, Impaired, Visibility Enforcement) ran from Jan. 13–15 on trucking corridors in 26 states and the District of Columbia and removed nearly 2,000 unqualified truckers and other drivers from the road, USDOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) told Fox News Digital. The news comes just days after a Kyrgyz national caused a deadly wreck after he failed to brake for stopped traffic on a state road in Jay County, Indiana, crossed the median and slammed into oncoming traffic. Bekzhan Beishekeev illegally used the Mayorkas-era CBP-1 app to enter the U.S. in 2023 and was later issued a CDL by PennDOT, leading DHS officials to lambast Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who in turn blamed Secretary Kristi Noem’s federal database management. DUFFY EXPOSES 54% OF NORTH CAROLINA TRUCK LICENSES ISSUED ILLEGALLY TO ‘DANGEROUS DRIVERS’ USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News Digital that Operation SafeDRIVE saw the FMCSA partner with state law enforcement in a high-visibility enforcement and education effort, addressing unsafe drivers of all types on the nation’s highways. Operation SafeDRIVE conducted more than 8,200 inspections that led to 704 drivers being taken off the road and out of service. About 500 of those truckers were penalized for failing English proficiency standards. CALIFORNIA FATHER SAYS NEWSOM IGNORED HIM AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER LEFT DAUGHTER UNABLE TO WALK There were 1,231 total vehicles stripped of their roadworthiness and 56 people were arrested, including several for DUI/DWI and illegal presence in the United States. “Operation SafeDRIVE shows what happens when we work together with our law enforcement partners to pull unqualified drivers and vehicles off American roads,” Duffy told Fox News Digital. “We need a whole-of-government approach to ensure the Trump administration’s strong standards of safety are in place to protect American families and reduce road accidents.” ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED IN DEATHS OF COLLEGE SOCCER PLAYER, GIRLFRIEND HAD PRIOR DWI DISMISSED: RECORDS FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs added that the operation’s main goal was public safety. “When drivers ignore the rules, operate without proper qualifications, or get behind the wheel impaired, they put all of our lives at risk,” Barrs said. “Operation SafeDRIVE demonstrates the value of focused enforcement and strong partnerships in removing these drivers and vehicles from our roads.” GRIEVING FATHER SAYS DAUGHTER’S DEATH BY ILLEGAL ALIEN SHOWS COST OF SANCTUARY POLICIES In other recent cases of illegally-present or English-nonproficient drivers causing deadly or dangerous situations, an Indian national was arrested after passing through a weigh station in Oklahoma and found to be illegally present in the country. His commercial driver’s license, issued by New York State, listed him as “NO NAME.” His identity was later confirmed to be Anmol Anmol, and he had illegally entered the U.S. in 2023 and was handed over to federal authorities under Oklahoma’s 287(g) cooperation agreement with I.C.E. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Anmol is indicative of the kind of people issued licenses under Albany’s widescale noncooperation with federal immigration enforcement. NOEM DIGS AT AGITATORS, SANCTUARY POLITICIANS IN TOUTING ICE MISSION CONTINUES 1 YEAR INTO TRUMP’S SECOND TERM “New York is not only failing to check if applicants applying to drive 18-wheelers are U.S. citizens but even failing to obtain the full legal names of individuals they are issuing commercial drivers’ licenses to,” she said. After an Uzbek national wanted in Tashkent on terrorism charges was nabbed in Oklahoma — also wielding a PennDOT driver’s license — a similar dynamic ensued between Harrisburg and Washington, with both Shapiro and Noem blaming each other for the problem. Fox News Digital obtained a letter from Shapiro cabinet officials to Pennsylvania legislative leaders — as Democrats hold the House and Republicans the Senate — rejecting some of the claims about the situation. The letter, written by PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, a Luzerne Democrat, and Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia Republican, called out “misstatements and ill-informed speculation” from critics. Schmidt and Carroll said the administration’s policy is not to allow illegal immigrants to receive licenses. “All non-citizens who apply for driver’s licenses … must provide PennDOT with proof of identity and must have their legal presence in this country verified through the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database,” they said, citing the DHS database flagged by Shapiro and PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell in prior communications with Fox News Digital. A Noem spokesperson said at the time that the Uzbek illegal immigrant — Akhror Bozorov — had been unwisely issued a work authorization by the Biden administration, but that did not mean Harrisburg should have let him drive a bobtail — with the spokesperson dubbing Shapiro a “sanctuary politician.” The situation first came to prominence after Indian national Harjinder Singh made an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike in St. Lucie County and a sedan slammed into the rig, killing all occupants. Singh had been given a CDL by California.
Sen Tim Scott calls Trump post ‘most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House’
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., called out President Donald Trump for a post on Truth Social on Friday, demanding that the president take it down. The post in question, which Trump put on his Truth Social Thursday night, depicted former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as monkeys or apes. Scott, the only Black member of the Senate GOP, called on Trump to remove the post. REPUBLICANS WARN DEMOCRATS’ ICE REFORM PUSH IS COVER TO DEFUND BORDER ENFORCEMENT “Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House,” Scott said. “The President should remove it.” Scott found an unlikely ally in his request in Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who similarly called on Trump to take the post down. “Racist. Vile. Abhorrent. This is dangerous and degrades our country — where are Senate Republicans? The President must immediately delete the post and apologize to Barack and Michelle Obama, two great Americans who make Donald Trump look like a small, envious man,” Schumer said on X. Scott and Trump have shared a warm relationship since he ran and ultimately dropped out of the Republican presidential race last year. He now chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP’s campaign arm tasked with keeping Republicans’ thin majority in the upper chamber and expanding it during the 2026 midterm cycle. SCHUMER, JEFFRIES MEND RIFT, PRESENT UNITED FRONT ON DHS REFORMS AS DEADLINE NEARS Scott has rarely bucked Trump, positioning himself as a top ally to the president — he was on the short list of possible vice presidential picks before Trump ultimately tapped then Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio. THUNE BLASTS JEFFRIES, SCHUMER AS ‘AFRAID OF THEIR SHADOWS’ AS DHS FUNDING FIGHT HEATS UP However, he has recently broken with the president on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Scott, who also chairs the Senate Banking Committee, said during an interview with Fox Business earlier this week that he didn’t believe Powell had committed a crime during his testimony to the committee last year. “I found him to be inept at doing his job, but ineptness or being incompetent is not a criminal act,” Scott said. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Top fiery moments as Democrats clash with Treasury Secretary Bessent in chaotic Hill hearings
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was grilled by Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill in back-to-back hearings this week that repeatedly erupted into shouting. Bessent was on the Hill to discuss the nation’s economic health but faced sharp questioning that at times derailed the proceedings. The confrontations reflected broader Democratic frustrations over President Donald Trump’s trade agenda and renewed pressure on the Federal Reserve, sharpening concerns about inflation, borrowing costs and the administration’s economic direction. Against that backdrop, cost-of-living pressures dominated the hearings, with Democratic lawmakers demanding clearer answers as Bessent defended the administration’s policies. Here are the top contentious moments from Bessent’s hearings. On Wednesday, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., was among the first to clash with Bessent over Trump’s economic agenda, with the irate congresswoman asking at one point if someone could “shut him up.” The exchange took place during Bessent’s testimony before the House Financial Services Committee. Waters, the panel’s ranking member, pressed Bessent on the potential inflationary effects of Trump’s tariffs on U.S. consumers, repeatedly calling for a yes-or-no answer. Waters: So I ask you, Secretary Bessent, will you be the voice of reason in this administration and urge President Trump to stop waging a war on American consumers, harming housing affordability, and putting the economy at risk? Yes or no. You don’t have to explain. Bessent: Representative — Waters: Will you be the voice of reason? Will you be the voice of reason? Bessent: A study from Wharton University has shown — Waters: Reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time. Mr. Chair, will you let him know when I ask to reclaim my time — Rep. French Hill, R-Ariz., House Financial Services Committee chairman: The time does belong to the gentlewoman from California. Bessent: Ten to 20 million immigrants — Waters: Can you shut him up? Bessent: What about the housing stock for working Americans? And can you maintain some level of dignity? Hill: The gentlewoman’s time has expired. Waters: No, my time has not expired. Hill: Your time has expired. The gentleman — Waters: The gentleman took up my time. I think you should recognize that, Mr. Chair. Hill: The gentlewoman’s time has expired. Following the contentious exchange with Waters, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) asked Bessent to commit to pausing and fully scrutinizing any Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) licensing tied to World Liberty Financial, a Trump-linked crypto firm. He cited concerns about conflicts of interest and foreign influence that he said should be reviewed and shared with Congress. Bessent cited the OCC’s independence and declined to give a direct yes-or-no answer. Meeks : All I need to know is will you halt it and do a complete investigation and scrutiny of this licensing application? Yes or no? Bessent: No, congressman. The OCC is an independent entity and I would note congressman — Meeks: All you have to say is yes or no. Bessent: In 2006, you traveled to Venezuela — Meeks: I take that as a no. Bessent: On behalf of your donors — Meeks: I take that as a no. You do not want to answer that question. Bessent: 110 years — Meeks: I take that as a no. CAN YOU SHUT HIM UP?: WATERS AND TREASURY’S BESSENT CLASH OVER TRUMP’S ECONOMIC AGENDA Bessent: For 7 billion — Meeks: I’m asking you to do your responsibility as Secretary of the Treasury. Hill: Mr. Meeks. Your time has expired. Meeks: He went past your time, Mr. Chairman. He did not answer my question, and he went past the time. Hill: He had six seconds left to try to answer your question. Meeks: And it was a yes or no. Hill: Gentleman, the chair recognizes the gentleman — Meeks: Stop covering for the president. Stop being his flunky. Hill: Gentlemen, gentlemen — Meeks: Stop covering for the president, work for the American people. Bessent: To make a trip to Venezuela — Meeks: Don’t be a cover-up for a mob. Hill: Mr. Meeks. Mr. Bessent please — Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., sparred with Bessent during a contentious Senate Banking Committee hearing on Thursday, pressing him on President Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the alleged leak of his tax records. When Bessent said any payout would come from the U.S. Treasury, Gallego pushed back, arguing the cost would ultimately be borne by U.S. taxpayers. Bessent tried to interject, but Gallego continued, “I’m controlling the time here. You’re not obeying the law. You’re plundering U.S. taxpayer dollars.” In the same hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., pressed Bessent to explain a joke Trump made about Federal Reserve nominee Kevin Warsh. Warren, the panel’s ranking member, asked Bessent about comments Trump made over the weekend, when he joked — or appeared to joke — about suing Warsh if he failed to lower the national interest rate. The question triggered a shouting match between the two. WARREN AND BESSENT ERUPT INTO SHOUTING MATCH OVER TRUMP’S WARSH JOKE Warren: This one should be an easy one. Mr. Secretary, can you commit right here and now that Trump’s Fed nominee, Kevin Warsh, will not be sued, will not be investigated by the Department of Justice, if he doesn’t cut interest rates exactly the way Donald Trump wants? Bessent: That’s up to the president. Can you commit that you will — Warren: I’m sorry? You can’t say that he won’t be sued if he doesn’t drop interest rates? Bessent: Can you commit that you will not hold up — Warren: And he won’t be criminally investigated? Bessent: The president also made a joke about you — one I won’t repeat. Warren: That was supposed to be a softball. That was the easy one. If this was a joke, why not just say so? Bessent: It was a joke, and he made a joke about you, too, Senator Warren. It got a lot of laughs, it got a lot of laughs. I don’t know if you want to respond to that. Warren: I do want to respond, I think the American