The Hitchhiker’s Guide to what happened to the interim spending bill
The 1,547-page interim spending bill to avoid a government shutdown is effectively dead. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has all but yanked the plan off the floor after President-elect Trump, Vice President-elect Vance and Elon Musk torched the package to avoid a government shutdown this weekend and fund the government through March 14. Had House Republicans had the votes to pass the bill – without leaning too heavily on Democrats – Republicans may have been able to pass the bill late Wednesday afternoon before the intervention of Mssrs. Trump and Vance. But there was just too much grassroots pressure, sparked by Musk on X and elsewhere. HOUSE GOP LEADERS SCRAMBLE FOR PLAN B AFTER TRUMP, MUSK LEAD CONSERVATIVE FURY AGAINST SPENDING BILL The stopgap spending package proved unpopular due to its size, and various legislative ornaments festooned on the bill like a Christmas tree. Conservatives were expecting Johnson to handle the spending plan differently this year at the holidays. But it backfired. Badly. It’s notable that Mr. Trump did not weigh in until the 11th hour. He also demanded a debt ceiling increase. That’s something which faced the President-elect in the first quarter of the year and threatened to derail any legislative agenda or potentially spook the markets. Johnson’s decision to veer off course – despite touting the bill heartily on Fox this morning – underscores several things. This is a sign of things to come once President-elect Trump is in office. And that could present problems for Johnson as he may be at the whim of decisions by the new President? Why did Johnson pull the bill? It was wildy unpopular with his rank and file. But it devolved further once Musk and the President-elect got infused themselves. MATT GAETZ REPORT BY HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE TO BE RELEASED In many respects, Johnson’s decision to pull the bill was all about January 3. That’s the day of the Speaker’s vote. With 434 members to start the new Congress, Johnson needs 218 votes. Otherwise, he lacks a majority and cannot become Speaker. The House must vote repeatedly – as it did in January 2023 – before electing former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) five days later in what was the longest Speaker’s race since the 1850s. Johnson tried to salvage himself in the Speaker’s vote by adding emergency agriculture spending to the bill. But Johnson is now trying to salvage himself by coming up with a new bill. The irony is that Johnson did not want to create drama before Christmas with a spending package. But drama is exactly what he got in what quickly became the worst Congressional holiday standoff since the fiscal cliff in 2012 or a government shutdown threat in 2014. So here’s the $64,000 Question: What play does Johnson call next? Does he do a clean CR to fund the government with nothing attached? Is it a bill that just re-ups current funding coupled with disaster aid? Do they attach a debt ceiling suspension as President-elect Trump has requested? RFK JR SET TO FACE ABORTION, VACCINE SCRUTINY IN SIT-DOWNS WITH SENATORS ON CAPITOL HILL And then the biggest question of all: can ANYTHING pass at all? Especially without votes from the Democrats? Johnson has a tranche of conservatives who won’t vote for any CR at all. Many of them would also not vote for a debt ceiling increase, either. And even if there is a new bill, do conservatives insist on waiting three days to ponder that bill? That triggers a government shutdown right there. The deadline is 11:59:59 pm ET on Friday. So this is going to require someone to pull a rabbit out of a hat. President-elect Trump’s maneuver today is reminiscent of a similar move he made in December 2019, which sparked the longest government shutdown in history. Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), then-Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and others thought they had a deal to fund the government and avoid a Christmas-time shutdown. The Senate voted for the bill. Senators even sat in the back of the chamber and sang Christmas carols during the vote. Mr. Trump then balked at the last minute. House Republicans followed suit. The government shut down for more than a month.
Trump, Musk fire back after Dem leader blames House GOP for breaking bipartisan agreement
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., while speaking at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., called out House Republicans for breaking a bipartisan agreement to fund the government and avoid a government shutdown, accusing them of hurting everyday Americans across the country. On Wednesday, House GOP leaders scrambled to search for a backup plan after reaching an initial bipartisan deal to avoid a partial government shutdown this Friday was buried by a barrage of opposition from conservative leaders. Jeffries spoke about the failed deal, accusing Republicans and their leaders for not reaching the agreement. “House Republicans, house democrats, Senate. Republicans and Senate Democrats reached a bipartisan agreement to fund the government, keep it open and meet the needs of the American people,” Jeffries said, pointing out the agreement would provide disaster assistance for those affected by extreme weather events. “House Republicans have now unilaterally decided to break a bipartisan agreement that they made. House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and hurt everyday Americans all across this country…An agreement is an agreement. It was bipartisan and there was nothing more to say.” TRUMP SAYS HE’S ‘TOTALLY AGAINST’ PROPOSED CONTINUING RESOLUTION BILL The minority leader also fired off a post on X, saying, “House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government. And hurt working class Americans they claim to support. You break the bipartisan agreement; you own the consequences that follow.” As of Wednesday, the U.S. national debt – which is a measure of what U.S. taxpayers were on the hook for to the nation’s creditors – had reached $36,189,345,826,140.62, and was climbing at a rapid pace, showing no signs of slowing down. The federal government’s budget deficit in the recently concluded fiscal year totaled $1.834 trillion, ranking the third largest in U.S. history. Billionaire Elon Musk, who was appointed by President-elect Trump to serve as a co-chair of the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, lambasted the bill on his social media platform, saying the 1,547-page continuing resolution (CR) bill is full of “pork.” Musk fired back at Jeffries’ on X. “You seem to think the public is dumb. They are not.” he wrote. DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER Musk also wrote in a separate post, “The voice of the people was heard. This was a good day for America.” Trump adamantly opposed the bill on Wednesday through a series of posts on Truth Social. “Sounds like the ridiculous and extraordinarily expensive Continuing Resolution, PLUS, is dying fast, but can anyone imagine passing it without either terminating, or extending, the Debt Ceiling guillotine coming up in June?” the incoming president asked. “Unless the Democrats terminate or substantially extend [the] Debt Ceiling now, I will fight ‘till the end. This is a nasty TRAP set in place by the Radical Left Democrats!” He continued, saying Democrats are looking to embarrass Republicans when it comes up for a vote in June, and the people who extended it from Sept. 28 to June 1, “should be ashamed of themselves.” GOP SENATORS ‘VERY IMPRESSED’ WITH MUSK, RAMASWAMY DOGE FRAMEWORK AMID MEETINGS ON CAPITOL HILL Trump called the extension “political malpractice,” and reiterated the bad timing of Congress asking for pay increases. “Hopefully, you’ll be entitled to such an increase in the near future when we, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he said. In another post, Trump explained that trying to pass a clean CR without all of the bells and whistles Democrats want will be destructive to the country and his administration instead of the Biden administration. “Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will be Primaried,” Trump warned. “Everything should be done, and fully negotiated, prior to my taking office on January 20th, 2025.” MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT Congressional leaders released the text of their 1,547-page CR on Tuesday evening after last-minute negotiations delayed its original planned release on Sunday. A source familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital more specifically that the deal was largely struck between the top two Democrats and Republicans in each chamber. Since its release, the CR has seen fierce pushback from conservatives and House GOP hardliners, many of whom are frustrated with unrelenting policy riders attached to the legislation, rather than a “clean” extension of government funding. While the bill would avert a partial government shutdown through March 14 if passed, it also includes provisions on health care and ethanol fuel, along with $100 billion in disaster aid funding and measures to fund the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The bill also includes the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
AOC laughs off sarcastic sympathy from Trump after failed House leadership bid: ‘You know it’s bad’
President-elect Trump commented Wednesday that it was “too bad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was recently turned down for a leadership position on a House committee, prompting an amused response by the progressive politician. “Really too bad that AOC lost the Battle for the Leadership Seat in the Democrat Party,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. “She should keep trying. Someday, she will be successful!” Later, the New York congresswoman screenshot Trump’s remarks and wrote a humorous response. “Damn you know it’s bad when even Trump is feeling bad for me,” Ocasio-Cortez said, adding a laughing emoji. TIDE TURNS FOR HEGSETH AS TRUMP’S DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE GOES ON OFFENSE The amusing exchange came just one day after the 36-year-old Democrat was defeated in her bid to serve as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. The leadership role went to Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, who received 131 votes to Ocasio-Cortez’s 84. “I thank my colleagues for their support and the confidence they’ve placed in me to lead House Democrats on the Oversight Committee,” Connolly said in a statement after being elected by the House Democratic Caucus. GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? “This will be trench warfare,” he added. “Now is not the time to be timid. I promise the American people that our Committee Democrats will be a beacon of truth and prepared from day one to counter Republican gaslighting.” Ocasio-Cortez, who has served on the oversight committee since 2023, wrote on the social media platform Bluesky that she “tried her best” with her bid. “Tried my best. Sorry I couldn’t pull it through everyone — we live to fight another day,” she wrote. Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
South Texas groups sue TCEQ for temporarily allowing SpaceX to discharge industrial water without a permit
In the lawsuit, the groups accuse TCEQ of exceeding its authority by allowing the discharges.
House GOP leaders scramble for Plan B after Trump, Musk lead conservative fury against spending bill
House GOP leaders appear to be searching for a backup plan after an initial bipartisan deal to avoid a partial government shutdown on Friday was buried in an avalanche of conservative opposition. The legislation angered conservatives in both the House and Senate – as well as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to co-chair his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk. As Musk called for lawmakers who supported the bill to lose their seats, Trump’s presidential transition team released an official joint statement by Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance opposing the initial iteration of the deal. The bill was expected to get a vote sometime on Wednesday afternoon, but a planned round of late afternoon votes was canceled. Instead, senior Republicans are huddling in the speaker’s office to chart a path forward – less than 24 hours after the legislation was unveiled. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told reporters while leaving Johnson’s office in the early evening, “There will be a new CR likely tomorrow. They are negotiating right now. But there will be no votes this evening.” DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., told reporters a short while later that he anticipated a “skinny” CR without disaster aid or agricultural subsidies. It came after GOP critics of the spending bill spent much of the day attacking Johnson’s handling of the issue. The 1,547-page bill is a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2024 government funding levels, aimed at giving lawmakers more time to agree on funding the rest of FY 2025 by the Friday deadline. It’s the second such extension, called a continuing resolution (CR), since FY 2024 ended on Sept. 30. In addition to funding the government through March 14, the bill also has more than $100 billion in disaster aid to help Americans affected by Hurricanes Milton and Helene. It also includes an added $10 billion in economic relief for farmers, as well as health care reform measures and a provision aimed at revitalizing Washington, D.C.’s RFK stadium and its surrounding campus. Members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus said they felt blindsided by what they saw as unrelated policy riders being added to the bill in last-minute negotiations. Several GOP lawmakers granted anonymity to speak freely said Johnson would see challenges to his speakership bid in early January over the matter. But Johnson defended the deal on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday morning. “When we start the new Congress in January, when Republicans are in control…we’re going to be able to scale back the size and scope of government. But before we get to that point, remember right now, we only control one half of one third of the federal government. Remember, Democrats are still in charge of the Senate and the White House. So what we’ve done is the conservative play call here,” he said. REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE DUO Opponents of the legislation include Elon Musk, who posted on X, “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” He later called on Republicans to leverage a partial government shutdown, “‘Shutting down’ the government (which doesn’t actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill.” Meanwhile Trump and Vance called for Republicans to reject the deal and instead opt for a CR paired with an increase in the U.S. debt limit – which was suspended until January 2025. “Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch. If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration? Let’s have this debate now. And we should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want,” the statement said. But simply bowing to his right flank may not get Johnson out of the woods, with Democrats warning him to not renege on their deal. “House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government.And hurt the working class Americans they claim to support.You break the bipartisan agreement, you own the consequences that follow,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, R-N.Y., wrote on X. Johnson was always likely to need Democratic help to pass a CR, given his slim margins in the House and widespread opposition to short-term funding extensions within the GOP. But it’s not clear if the number of Democrats willing to break ranks will offset that Republican opposition. House leaders will also have to decide whether to put the bill through regular order – which will include a House Rules Committee vote followed by a House-wide procedural vote before lawmakers can weigh on the measure itself – or bypass that and rush the bill onto the House floor in exchange for raising the threshold for passage to two-thirds rather than a simple majority. All the while, the clock is ticking until the partial government shutdown deadline at the end of Friday.
Trump says he’s ‘totally against’ proposed continuing resolution bill
President-elect Trump said Wednesday he is “totally against” the continuing resolution (CR) being debated by the House to keep the government from shutting down through March. Trump spoke with “Fox & Friends” co-host Lawrence Jones Wednesday, telling him the “fight starts now.” “I just spoke with President-elect [Trump], and he is ‘totally against’ the proposed CR,” Jones wrote in a post on X. In another post, the morning show co-host wrote, “The President-elect [Trump] believes that the ‘fight starts now,’ rather than waiting until he is sworn in. ‘WE’RE GOING TO GUT THE FISH’: REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY Jones later wrote, “The President-elect [Trump] acknowledged [House Speaker Mike Johnson’s] challenging situation but emphasized that this approach is not the appropriate course of action.” Congressional leaders in Washington, D.C., released the text of their 1,547-page CR Tuesday evening after last-minute negotiations delayed its original planned release Sunday. A source familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital more specifically that the deal was largely struck between the top two Democrats and Republicans in each chamber. Since its release, the CR has seen strong opposition from conservatives and House GOP hardliners, many of whom are frustrated with unrelenting policy riders attached to the legislation, rather than a “clean” extension of government funding. KEY TRUMP ALLY COMES OUT AGAINST MASSIVE EMERGENCY SPENDING PLAN: ‘THIS BILL SHOULD NOT PASS’ While the bill would avert a partial government shutdown through March 14 if passed, it also includes provisions on health care and ethanol fuel, along with $100 billion in disaster aid funding and measures to fund the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. The bill also includes the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009. Republican congressional leaders have defended their plan for a stopgap spending bill, arguing it would allow Trump to have a greater influence on spending when the question comes up again in the spring. Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance released a statement on the spending bill Wednesday. DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER “The most foolish and inept thing ever done by Congressional Republicans was allowing our country to hit the debt ceiling in 2025. It was a mistake and is now something that must be addressed,” they wrote. “Increasing the debt ceiling is not great but we’d rather do it on Biden’s watch. “If Democrats won’t cooperate on the debt ceiling now, what makes anyone think they would do it in June during our administration? Let’s have this debate now. And we should pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want. “Republicans want to support farmers and pay for disaster relief while setting the country up for success in 2025. “The only way to do that is with a temporary funding bill WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling. Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” they said. “Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH. “If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF. It is Schumer and Biden who are holding up aid to our farmers and disaster relief. THIS CHAOS WOULD NOT BE HAPPENING IF WE HAD A REAL PRESIDENT. WE WILL IN 32 DAYS!” GOP SENATORS ‘VERY IMPRESSED’ WITH MUSK, RAMASWAMY DOGE FRAMEWORK AMID MEETINGS ON CAPITOL HILL Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who was appointed co-chair of Trump’s newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), also came out in opposition to Johnson’s proposed bill to keep the government funded on Wednesday. Musk turned to his social media platform X to argue that the 1,547-page document is full of “pork.” “This bill should not pass,” he wrote. MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT The other co-chair of DOGE, Vivek Ramaswamy, expressed skepticism of the bill on Tuesday, though he did not outright oppose Johnson’s solution. “Currently reading the 1,547-page bill to fund the government through mid-March. Expecting every U.S. Congressman & Senator to do the same,” Ramaswamy wrote on X. The GOP holds a one-seat majority in the House, meaning Johnson will likely have to rely on Democratic votes to pass the bill. The legislation must also pass the Senate by the Friday deadline to avoid a shutdown. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Rep. Michael McCaul calls Tulsi Gabbard a “baffling” pick to lead intelligence community
The Austin Republican leads the House Foreign Affairs Committee and predicted Gabbard’s nomination would fail in the Senate.
‘No choice’: DOGE leaders rally House conservatives against 1,500+ page ‘pork-fest’
The co-leaders of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have circled the wagons against a stopgap spending bill that has drawn the ire of conservatives in Congress. “Unless @DOGE ends the careers of deceitful, pork-barrel politicians, the waste and corruption will never stop,” Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk posted on X on Wednesday afternoon as Republican lawmakers mulled the best way forward for the CR to fund the government. “Therefore, there is no choice but to do so. I wish there was another way, but there is not.” Former Republican presidential candidate and DOGE co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy has also been a vocal critic of the legislation and suggested in an X post on Wednesday that Republicans should put forward a simple 1-page resolution. SPENDING BILL TO FUND STATE DEPARTMENT AGENCY ACCUSED OF CENSORING, BLACKLISTING AMERICANS “Yes, it *is* possible to enact a simple 1-page Continuing Resolution, instead of 1,500+ page omnibus pork-fest,” Ramaswamy wrote. “Here it is.:” Ramaswamy continued, “This is what a clean CR looks like. I still don’t love it because it permits the historical spending excesses to continue, but at bare minimum, we shouldn’t be stacking even more waste on top.” Musk, who posted a video of Ramaswamy railing against the bill urging Americans to call their representatives to “stop the steal of your tax dollars,” spent part of the afternoon re-posting comments from elected Republicans who voiced their opposition to the bill. “Thank you!” Musk posted in response to GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna saying she will not vote for the “Cramnibus bill” due to “billions to Ukraine, mask and vaccine mandates, Deep State immunity.” DOGE CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER DEBUTS 2 BILLS TO KICK-START WASTE CUTS IN TRUMP TERM “I will still fight for a standalone disaster relief bill,” Luna wrote. In an earlier post on X, Musk wrote, “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk wrote on X. Congressional leaders released the text of their 1,547-page CR on Tuesday evening after last-minute negotiations delayed its original planned being release Sunday. Since then, it’s seen fierce pushback from conservatives and House GOP hardliners, many of whom are frustrated at the unrelated policy riders attached to the legislation – rather than a “clean” extension of government funding. The final package extends existing government programs and services at their current operating levels for a few more months, through March 14, 2025. The stopgap measure is needed because Congress has failed to pass its annual appropriations bills to fund all the various agencies in the federal government, from the Pentagon and national security apparatus, to the health, welfare, transportation and other routine domestic services. When the fiscal year ended on Sept. 30, Congress simply punted the problem by passing a temporary funding bill that expires Friday. Fox News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram reported on Wednesday afternoon that there is “talk now of pulling the CR and trying to do a ‘clean’ bill. but it is “unclear if that also means no disaster aid.” Stopping the 1,500 page spending package and forcing a vote on a clean bill would mark a significant victory for DOGE and its supporters, who have been vocally pushing for changes in the way that government spending bills are handled. “This bill is contrary to the very existence of @DOGE,” GOP Rep. Chip Roy’s press office posted on X. “The @HouseGOP should vote NO. Miss Christmas if we must.” Pergram posted on X on Wednesday after that the bill was “bleeding support from Republicans.” “As to Elon Musk weighing in, telling lawmakers that all should be voted out in two years, a member of the House Republican leadership told Fox that Musk ‘is not helping. He has bigger fish to fry than picking a fight with House Republicans,’” Pergram wrote. Johnson’s difficulty coming to an agreement with his razor-thin majority in the House has resulted in names being floated to possibly replace him in the next Congress, Fox News Digital reported. Fox News anchor Lawrence Jones reported late Wednesday afternoon that President-elect Trump is “totally against” the CR although he “acknowledged” that Johnson is in a precarious position. During an appearance on Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning, Johnson shared that while government debt and deficits are a concern, Republicans must approve “short-term stopgap funding measures” while Democrats still control the White House and Senate. “We’ve got it in our central focus and when we start the new Congress in January, when Republicans are in control and DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency) is working on all six cylinders, we’re going to be able to scale back the size and scope of government,” he said. Johnson also said the move would ensure Republicans can control spending for 2025, describing it as an “impossible position.” “This is the sausage-making process,” he added. The House Speaker also revealed that he has been on a text chain with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will helm DOGE. “Remember, guys, we still have just a razor-thin margin of Republicans. So, any bill has to have Democrat votes. They understand the situation.” Johnson said, referencing the text exchange. If Republicans are unable to rally the necessary votes or receive enough support from Democrats to push it through despite the vocal opponents within the party, the country would face a government shutdown on Friday night. “What does President Trump want Republicans to do: vote for the CR or shut down government? Absent direction, confusion reigns,” said retiring Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, in a sly post on X. Late Wednesday afternoon, Trump said in a statement, “If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF.” Musk addressed the shutdown possibility on X writing that “shutting down the government (which doesn’t actually shut down critical functions btw) is infinitely better than passing a horrible bill.” Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom, Liz Elkind,
Fox News Politics: Open Up the Gaetz
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Congress unveils bill to avert Friday government shutdown with over $100B in disaster aid –Supreme Court to take up challenge to TikTok ban -Biden sinks to all-time low, while Trump’s numbers rise, in new national poll The House Ethics Committee has decided to release its report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. Lawmakers on the secretive panel voted to make the report public after the final votes of this year – which are slated for Thursday. The House Ethics Committee’s multi-year investigation into Gaetz, involving allegations of sex with a minor and illicit drug use, came to an abrupt halt last month after he resigned from Congress hours after President-elect Trump tapped him to be his attorney general…Read more COAL BURN: WV Democrats say Biden’s ‘egregious’ pardon choices are ‘what we would expect from Trump’…Read more ‘WRONG-HEADED’: Energy industry leaders blast Biden admin report on natural gas exports…Read more ‘RECKLESS’ SCOTUS: Justice was wrong to appear in ‘queer’ musical as court weighs trans case, expert says… Read more 11th HOUR FUNDING DEAL: Renewal of counter-drone authority, China crackdowns in last-minute government funding extension…Read more 51ST STATE: Trump says US subsidies to Canada make ‘no sense,’ suggests Canadians want to joint he Union…Read more TWO MORE AMBASSADORS: Trump names Herschel Walker, Nicole McGraw to ambassador positions before issuing warning to GOP senators…Read more ‘NOTHING’: Pete Hegseth says he hasn’t heard from West Point since employee ‘error’ denying his acceptance…Read more FARMING FRUSTRATION: Farm state Republicans appear skeptical about RFK amid his quest for HHS confirmation…Read more NEW GAMEPLAN: New mission for longtime Trump ally and friend Herschel Walker…Read more ‘SHOULD NOT PASS’: Key Trump ally comes out against massive emergency spending plan…Read more CALMING FEARS: Senator says RFK told him that he agrees with Trump on abortion, will have light touch regulating farmers…Read more ON THE HILL: Spate of health scares and violent threats highlight growing vulnerabilities for lawmakers on Capitol Hill…Read more ‘HOUSE IS ON FIRE’: Massie drops colorful analogy opposing foreign aid, mocks Speaker Johnson with AI-generated image…Read more BRIDGE TOO FAR?: Congress agrees to fully fund Baltimore Key Bridge rebuild in plan to avert government shutdown…Read more DOGE HOUSE: Lawmakers eye ‘low hanging fruit’ for government efficiency after first DOGE Caucus meeting…Read more ‘NOT BUYING THE ANSWERS’: Johnson demands Biden admin ‘do its job’ on New Jersey drone sightings…Read more ‘BAD DEAL’: Republican lawmakers savage spending bill as Mike Johnson defends it: ‘We gotta get this done’…Read more ‘AMERICA FIRST ACT’: Mike Lee angles to halt welfare for illegals going on under Biden with key budget process…Read more ‘IT’S MY JOB’: Fetterman meets with Trump nominees, pledges ‘open-mind and an informed opinion’ for confirmation votes…Read more MYSTERY THICKENS: Drones spotted over Camp Pendleton in California posed no threat to operations…Read more ‘UNLAWFUL’: EPA grants California permission to ban new gas car sales by 2035…Read more PATTERN OF DISREGARD’: Red states seek court action against Biden admin’s ‘shameful’ border wall disposal…Read more RULING BLOCKED: Montana judge temporarily blocks rules banning transgender people from changing sex on state documents…Read more BOOK WORM: UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect could see most serious charge downgraded: defense attorney…Read more ‘POSSIBLY DEADLY’: FBI warns New Jersey residents not to shoot down drones or point lasers at aircraft…Read more ‘GETTING OUR BUTTS KICKED’: Democratic Party chair frontrunner acknowledges ‘we’re getting our butts kicked right now’…Read more ‘FALSE MEDIA NARRATIVE’: DeSantis slams media bias on illegal immigration response as report shows Florida saw economic growth…Read more ‘MAGA’VENUE: Lawmakers prep legislation to name several heartland highways after Trump…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Sen. Tim Kaine ‘very frustrated’ by lack of answers on drone incursions at Langley Air Force Base
Nearly one year after mysterious drones hovered near a top-secret military base in Virginia for 17 days, Sen. Tim Kaine says he is “very frustrated” with “so many unanswered questions” that remain. The Virginia Democrat said his state delegation will get a classified briefing on the situation Thursday. For more than two weeks in December 2023, the mystery drones flew into restricted airspace over the installation, home to key national security sites and the F-22 Raptor stealth fighters. The Pentagon has said little about the incidents other than to confirm they occurred after a Wall Street Journal report in October. If officials know where the drones came from or what they were doing, they haven’t shared it with Congress. RENEWAL OF COUNTER-DRONE AUTHORITY, CHINA CRACKDOWNS IN LAST-MINUTE GOVERNMENT FUNDING EXTENSION “We’re kind of at the year anniversary of these incursions at Langley. And I’m very frustrated with the fact that there’s still so many unanswered questions,” Kaine told Fox News Digital. Lack of a standard protocol for such incursions left Langley officials unsure of what to do, other than allow the 20-foot drones to hover near their classified sites. As defense-minded lawmakers sought more answers, Langley officials referred them to the FBI, who referred them to Northern Command, who referred them to local law enforcement, one congressional source said. “I’m going to keep pushing the federal agencies to get their act together and have a clear agency that’s responsible for answering rather than all pointing their fingers at each other and telling us that you got to go to some other agency to get an answer,” said Kaine. The drones over Langley “don’t appear to be armed, but they are there for at least surveillance purposes. And they interrupted training exercises at Langley.” And during the recent drone phenomenon in New Jersey, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have been spotted near Picatinny Arsenal and over President-elect Trump’s golf club in Bedminster. Trump said he canceled a trip to his golf club due to the drone sightings. Drone incursions at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio prompted the base to close its airspace Friday night, and UAS sightings have occurred at U.S. military bases in the United Kingdom and Germany. A spending bill that must pass before the end of the week includes a reauthorization of the government’s counter-drone authorities. But it is a simple reauthorization of a program many drone experts say is outdated. National security-minded lawmakers and experts have implored Congress to take up legislation that would grant the government greater detection capabilities and give state and local law enforcement the authority to deal with unauthorized drones. U.S. capabilities offer many different ways to take down a drone, including shooting them, zapping them with heat lasers and jamming the frequencies so they stop working and fall out of the sky. Whether Congress needs to change laws is a point of contention, but one thing that is clear is incursions like the one at Langley prompt confusion over legal authority. “This is a little bit of a problem of too many cooks. And it’s not clear who is the chef,” said Kaine. “The FAA is looking at it. The FBI is looking at it. DOD looking at it. PLANES, STARS AND HOBBYISTS: LAWMAKERS INSIST NOTHING ‘NEFARIOUS’ IS HAPPENING IN NJ SKIES “This is a lot clearer if there’s a drone incursion over a base in a war zone like Syria, for example, or Iraq at a base where U.S. military personnel are positioned. The authorities to knock these drones down in that setting are much clearer than if there’s a drone incursion over a base on domestic soil. OK, not going to drone down over the city of Hampton, where the debris might fall into neighborhoods. The authorities on that aren’t so clear.” When drones encroach near bases overseas, the rules of engagement give service members more leeway to engage with them. However, U.S. law does not allow the military to shoot down drones near its bases unless they pose an imminent threat. While Langley has the authority to protect its coastal base, the Coast Guard has the authority to protect the waters and the Federal Aviation Administration has authority over U.S. airspace, some of the most congested with commercial airliners in the world. Last week, a Chinese national was charged with flying an unauthorized drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. In October, Chinese national Fengyun Shi was sentenced to six months in prison for capturing drone footage over Huntington Ingalls Industries Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, 10 miles from Langley Air Force Base. Two months prior to Langley, in October 2023, five drones flew over the Energy Department’s Nevada National Security Site, which is used for nuclear weapons experiments. U.S. authorities were not sure who was behind those drones either. A Chinese surveillance balloon traversed over the U.S. for a week last year before the Air Force shot it down off the coast. The U.S. Air Force’s Plant 42 in California, home to highly classified aerospace development, has also seen a slew of unidentified drone incursions in 2024, prompting flight restrictions around the site.