Dems flirt with government shutdown threat despite past furor over spending cliff
Democratic lawmakers are fueling concerns of a partial government shutdown, warning they may withhold support for any plan in protest of President Donald Trump‘s shakeup of the federal government. Left-wing leaders who have warned of the catastrophic consequences of government shutdowns in the past are now publicly signaling it could be a possibility – and they are already positioning to blame Republicans. “What leverage do we have? Republicans have repeatedly lectured America, they control the House, the Senate and the presidency. It’s their government,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters when asked about what concessions he would seek in exchange for Democratic help to avert a partial shutdown. “We are in the governing season, and so we’re ready to work together on any issue. But I’m also confused about the leverage that we allegedly have in the face of such an overwhelming mandate that was given to Republicans by the American people, according to them.” BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS Meanwhile, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., suggested a partial shutdown could even aid in stopping the work of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which Democrats have repeatedly raised alarms over. “This is on them. This is about whether or not they can get the votes. They are the majority. And if they cannot govern, then that’s for the American people to see,” Kim told NBC News’ “Meet The Press,” referring to Republicans. “I’ve worked through multiple government shutdowns. I will be the last person to want to get to that stage. But we are at a point where we are basically on the cusp of a constitutional crisis, seeing this administration taking steps that are so clearly illegal. And until we see a change in that behavior, we should not allow and condone that, nor should we assist in that.” KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., signaled one point of opposition was Trump and his allies’ support of allowing Trump to direct less federal spending than what was authorized by Congress, which Democrats argue runs afoul of the Constitution’s separation of powers. “We will meet with folks, and we will try to find common ground where it is possible. But what we will not do is engage in an effort that gives Donald Trump money to direct our federal government that he has no plan to utilize or implement,” Aguilar said at a press conference last week. “If we’re going to pass law, we need to know that the law is followed. And it doesn’t appear that House Republicans are in a position to push back against Donald Trump to protect vital funding that supports our communities.” Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told CNN that Democrats should seek a “very high” price in exchange for their votes. In past fiscal standoffs, Democrats had used the specter of a government shutdown to force Republicans back to the negotiating table. Jeffries said during the previous round of government funding talks in late December, “If the government shuts down, holiday travel will be impacted…Border security and border patrol agents will not be paid. TSA agents will not be paid. Small businesses will be hurt in every single community in this country.” “This reckless Republican-driven shutdown can be avoided if House Republicans will simply do what is right for the American people and stick with the bipartisan agreement that they themselves negotiated,” Jeffries said at the time. Government funding has long been a thorny issue within the House Republican conference. GOP leaders have relied on Democratic support to pass every federal funding bill that has been signed into law since taking the House majority in January 2023. Despite now having the Senate majority as well, Republican leaders’ razor-thin margins mean House GOP lawmakers would need to vote nearly in lock-step to pass any one bill without Democrats. The House has about 15 days left in session before the government funding deadline on March 14. Democratic lawmakers have also previously painted shutdowns as “catastrophic” for the economy and federal workforce. Aguilar said during a January 2024 press conference, “House Democrats are in lock step that we need to avoid a government shutdown, which would be a disaster for our economy and a disaster for hardworking American families.”
AZ Senate leader urges Burgum to reverse Biden-Obama ‘land grabs’ on uranium sites
Arizona’s Senate president will urge Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to undo former President Joe Biden’s “land grab” in the Grand Canyon State that he said wrongly cordoned off nearly 1 million acres in the state for future energy exploration. State Sen. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, said in a letter to President Donald Trump’s new Cabinet official – and obtained by Fox News Digital – that he will take swift and sweeping actions like undoing certain national monument designations to “Make America Energy Dominant Again.” “On his first day in office, President Trump directed you and the rest of his cabinet to immediately identify and rescind all agency actions that impose an undue burden on the development of domestic energy resources like critical minerals and nuclear energy resources,” Petersen wrote. Biden’s proclamation making 900,000 acres near the Grand Canyon the “Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni” or “Ancestral Footprints National Monument” nixed any exploration of what scientists believe is more than 300 million pounds of uranium, according to Petersen. ENERGY SECRETARY WRIGHT ISSUES DAY-1 ORDERS TARGETING SPR, NUKE STOCKPILE, MORE Undoing that “land grab” would both make the U.S. less reliant on foreign uranium and be a potential energy source breakthrough. Notably, during Trump’s first administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions looked into allegations of a “racketeering scheme” involving Russian entities trying to forward Moscow’s energy goals within the U.S., in relation to the sale of the company Uranium One to Russian energy giant Rosatom – in what Trump called the “Real Russia Story” of the 2016 election cycle. In 2017, Hillary Clinton maintained allegations of Clinton or Clinton Foundation involvement in the Uranium One situation were “debunked repeatedly.” According to the left-wing Center for American Progress, the Biden administration issued protections for 28 million acres in Alaska to keep them from the reach of oil and gas interests, as well as 625 marine acres along coastlines for similar reasons. “Virtually all of the uranium used in America comes from foreign powers,” Petersen wrote, adding that former President Barack Obama also enacted a ban on domestic uranium mining during his term. “President Biden’s action made this prohibition permanent,” he said. ALASKANS LAUNCH GROUP HIGHLIGHTING HOW US CAN BE STRENGTHENED VIA THE LAST FRONTIER In 2018, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case in which the Ninth Circuit ruled against the GOP and mining interests as they hoped to nix the ban – announced by then-Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar as a block on new mining on federal lands near the Grand Canyon for 20 years. Petersen estimated the uranium beneath Ancestral Footprints is equivalent to 13 billion barrels of oil in an area the size of Rhode Island – and that he and other Arizona officials have fought such “land grabs” for more than a decade. As leader of Arizona’s upper chamber, Petersen said the feds already own nearly half of the land in his state. The newest national monument does nothing to protect the Grand Canyon, as critics reportedly claimed. Included among the justifications for the new monument, he said, was the protection of the northern grasshopper mouse, which can reportedly carry fleas infected with the plague. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Petersen told Fox News Digital on Monday that the previous administration “trashed the Constitution to steal land and critical resources from Arizonans” and that he led the fight against such “generational theft” from the people of Arizona. “I look forward to working with the Trump Administration to reverse the rampant federal overreach and allow Arizona to regain control over its Tenth Amendment rights.” “We know President Trump and Secretary Burgum will help make Arizona great again as our state and nation heal from the unconstitutional onslaught of the previous administration.”
‘What a ripoff!’: Trump sparks backlash after cutting billions in overhead costs from NIH research grants
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced it would be cutting billions in overhead costs associated with federally funded research grants that go to various institutions, as part of a wider move by the Trump administration to slash wasteful spending. The agency’s announcement unveiling the directive indicated that in fiscal year 2023, the NIH spent around $35 billion across roughly 50,000 grants that go to research institutions, such as universities and hospitals. Of that $35 billion, according to the announcement, $9 billion was allocated for “indirect costs” that cover expenses related to depreciation on buildings, equipment, capital improvements, interest on debt associated with certain buildings, and operations and maintenance expenses. When a grant is awarded, an additional percentage, on top of the allocated research funding, goes to the facility housing their work to cover these “indirect costs.” According to the announcement, that percentage has historically been around 27 to 28% for each grant; however, the new directive is now imposing a 15% threshold, unless otherwise negotiated. US SEASONAL FLU CASES SKYROCKET TO HIGHEST LEVEL IN AT LEAST 15 YEARS: CDC “Most private foundations that fund research provide substantially lower indirect costs than the federal government, and universities readily accept grants from these foundations. For example, a recent study found that the most common rate of indirect rate reimbursement by foundations was 0%, meaning many foundations do not fund indirect costs whatsoever,” NIH’s announcement, released Friday evening, stated. “In addition, many of the nation’s largest funders of research—such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—have a maximum indirect rate of 15%. And in the case of the Gates Foundation, the maximum indirect costs rate is 10% for institutions of higher education.” Some universities responded to the new indirect cost cap with confusion and backlash. The University of Wisconsin-Madison put out a statement arguing the new indirect cost cap will “significantly disrupt vital research activity and daily life-saving discoveries.” It added that the move will also “have an inevitable impact on student opportunities to engage in research activities.” POSITIVE PEOPLE CAME THROUGH COVID MUCH BETTER THAN OTHERS: NEW STUDYNews of the At the University of Michigan, which currently has a negotiated indirect cost rate with the federal government of 56%, the school put out a statement emphasizing the “great deal of uncertainty” over how the policy will be implemented. The school said it has begun investigating the implications of this new rule on its current grants. “It seems like it is of a piece with the sort of slash-and-burn philosophy of the current administration,” Dr. Francis P. Wilson, a Yale associate professor of medicine and public health, told the Yale Daily News. “It feels indiscriminate and abrupt, executed with little regard for the potential downstream consequences.” The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, applauded the move in a post on social media. “Amazing job by the NIH team,” the group said in a post on social media. “Saved > $4B annually in excessive grant administrative costs.” “Can you believe that universities with tens of billions in endowments were siphoning off 60% of research award money for ‘overhead’?” Musk also posted on social media. “What a ripoff!” “Contrary to the hysteria, redirecting billions of allocated NIH spending away from administrative bloat means there will be more money and resources available for legitimate scientific research, not less,” added White House spokesperson Kush Desai in an emailed statement to reporters. Fox News Digital reached out directly to the NIH for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Iran’s campaign trail threats against Trump more serious than publicly reported, book claims
Iran’s assassination threats against Donald Trump have loomed over the president in recent days and are more serious than publicly reported, an upcoming book claims. Axios reporter Isaac Isenstadt’s upcoming book, “Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power,” claims that law enforcement officials warned Trump in 2024 that Iran had placed operatives in the U.S. with access to surface-to-air missiles and that Trump’s orbit worried Iran would try to take out “Trump Force One” as it was taking off or landing while on the campaign trail. Isenstadt previewed his book in an Axios article published Sunday. The reported threats and concern of Iran’s threats against Trump hit a fever pitch in September 2024, when a second assassination attempt was thwarted at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, the book claims. Isenstadt reported that his book is based on his conversations with Trump’s “inner circle during his campaign.” Fast-forward to Trump’s second presidency in 2025, the 47th president already has issued stern warnings against Iran. Trump said while signing an executive order imposing maximum pressure on Tehran earlier in February that he left special instructions if something were to happen to him. During his first term in the Oval Office, Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, and reapplied crippling economic sanctions on Iran, escalating tensions between Trump and the nation. TRUMP’S CUTS TO FOREIGN AID COULD BENEFIT US POSITION IN IRAN NEGOTIATIONS, EXPERT SAYS “That would be a terrible thing for them to do,” Trump said on Feb. 4 of Iran potentially attempting to assassinate him. “If they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end.… There won’t be anything left.” Trump survived two assassination attempts while on the campaign trail in 2024, including the Pennsylvania attempt that left him with an injury to his ear as suspect Thomas Crooks opened fire on the crowd of Trump supporters in July. The Pennsylvania attempt has not been connected to Iran. The suspect behind the Florida attempt, Ryan Wesley Routh, wrote a book in 2023 urging Iran to assassinate Trump, the Associated Press reported in September 2024. IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER SAYS NUCLEAR TALKS WITH TRUMP ADMIN WOULD NOT BE ‘WISE’ Following the second attempt in Florida, Isenstadt’s book, which will be released March 18, claims Trump’s team was on high alert, including his security detail putting Trump on a “Trump Force One” decoy plane owned by Steve Witkoff to travel to an event shortly after the attempt. The co-chairs of the campaign at the time, current chief of staff Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, split up, with Wiles traveling with Trump on the decoy plane and LaCivita on Trump Force One. “The boss ain’t riding with us today,” LaCivita reportedly told staffers on the flight. “We had to put him into another plane. This is nothing but a sort of test for how things may happen in the future.” Staffers on Trump Force One reportedly worried they would be “collateral damage” if the plane had been taken down, the book alleges. Three aides told Isenstadt that the flight was packed with “gallows humor galore” as staffers reportedly realized the severity of an alleged threat, dubbing the trip as the “Ghost Flight” and remarking the alleged threat was “some serious s—.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the excerpts from Isenstadt’s book, but did not immediately receive a reply. TRUMP’S LATEST HIRES AND FIRES RANKLE IRAN HAWKS AS NEW PRESIDENT SUGGESTS NUCLEAR DEAL Trump’s campaign continued to face reported threats and scares following the second assassination attempt, including the Secret Service warning that a person might attempt to shoot at Trump’s motorcade after a Long Island rally on Sept. 18, 2024. In a separate incident, Secret Service agents shot a drone with an electromagnetic gun from a sunroof in one of the cars in Trump’s motorcade during a Pennsylvania campaign trip in September 2024, the book claimed. “Don’t f—ing hang out the window and take photos, because you’re a f—ing target,” LaCivita reportedly told longtime Trump advisor Dan Scavino during one trip on Trump Force One. IF IRAN ATTEMPTS ASSASSINATION, ‘THEY GET OBLITERATED’: PRESIDENT TRUMP Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in January that his country “never” plotted to assassinate Trump, adding “we never will.” The Justice Department announced in November 2024 that it thwarted an Iranian attempt to assassinate Trump, charging an alleged Iranian government asset in the murder-for-hire plot. As for the two assassination attempts during the campaign cycle, Trump instructed the Secret Service to hand over “every bit of information” related to the Florida and Pennsylvania incidents, he told the New York Post recently, arguing the Biden administration held back details. “I want to find out about the two assassins,” the president told the New York Post Friday. “Why did the one guy have six cellphones, and why did the other guy have [foreign] apps?” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I’m entitled to know. And they held it back long enough,” he continued, referring to the Biden administration’s handling of information on the attempts. “No more excuses.” Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch, Diana Stancy and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Egypt planning ’emergency’ Arab summit on Palestinian territory as Trump insists US ‘own’ Gaza
Egypt announced on Sunday it will host a summit of Arab leaders on Feb. 27 to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip after President Donald Trump signaled he wants the U.S. to own it. Trump’s stunning declaration, made last week after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reiterated over the weekend, rankled key U.S. allies in the Middle East, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Egypt’s foreign ministry said the meeting in Cairo would include discussions on “the state of Palestine that asked to hold the summit in order to discuss new and dangerous developments for the Palestinian cause.” Gaza’s Arab neighbors also dismissed Trump’s calls for them to take in the 1.8 million Palestinians still living in the Strip. TRUMP’S GAZA ‘TAKEOVER’ RANKLES AMERICA FIRST CONSERVATIVES, ALLIES SUGGEST NEGOTIATOR-IN-CHIEF IS AT WORK While many of Trump’s allies surmised the bold suggestion was a negotiating tactic, Trump reasserted to reporters Sunday night as he was leaving the Super Bowl that he was committed to “buying and owning” Gaza. “I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza. As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it. Other people may do it through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back,” he said. “There’s nothing to move back in to. The place is a demolition site… The remainder will be demolished,” he added. “But we’ll make it into a very good site for future development by somebody.” The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, agreed to in January and partially brokered by Trump’s team, calls for a three- to five-year reconstruction phase, but Trump officials now insist it will take more like 10 to 15 years to rebuild the 139-square-mile territory that has been leveled by Israel’s offensive against Hamas. Trump insisted Palestinians do not want to go back to Gaza. “We’re going to make sure they live beautifully and in harmony and peace and that they’re not murdered,” he said. “They don’t want to go back to Gaza. They only go back because they have no alternative.” TRUMP REMAINS COMMITTED TO US OWNING GAZA, SAYS MIDDLE EAST STATES COULD HELP REBUILD WAR-TORN AREA Jordan’s King Abdullah II is due to meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, and Trump is expected to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the coming days. The Palestinian terror group Hamas on Sunday called Trump’s latest comments “absurd.” “Gaza is not a property that can be bought and sold, and it is an integral part of our occupied Palestinian land,” Izzat al-Risheq, a member of the Hamas political bureau, wrote on Telegram. “Dealing with the Palestinian issue with the mentality of a real estate dealer is a recipe for failure,” al-Risheq added. ARAB AMERICANS FOR TRUMP GROUP CHANGES NAME AFTER PRESIDENT’S GAZA TAKEOVER PROPOSAL “Our Palestinian people will thwart all displacement and deportation plans. Gaza belongs to its people.” Also on Sunday, Israel began withdrawing from the Netzarim corridor in Gaza as Palestinians return to their homes there – both sides honoring a tenuous ceasefire that is expected to return home Israel’s remaining hostages. However, negotiations for the mid- and long-term future are ongoing. Hamas wants all Israeli troops out of Gaza, while Israel wants Hamas eliminated. Last week, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz suggested Trump’s comments would turn up the heat on the Middle East to find its own solutions. “I think it’s going to bring the entire region to come with their own solutions,” Waltz mused about the comments on CBS on Wednesday. Waltz went on, adding, “He’s not seeing any realistic solutions on how those miles and miles and miles of debris are going to be clear, how those essentially unexploded bombs are going to be removed, how these people are physically going to live there for at least a decade, if not longer, it’s going to take to do this.”
Trump birthright citizenship executive order blocked by third federal judge
A third federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Joseph N. Laplante in New Hampshire follows similar rulings from judges in Washington state and Maryland. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.
‘Lost all credibility’: Nonprofit CEO delivers demand to Trump HHS amid ‘failed’ human trafficking hotline
A group of anti-human trafficking advocates called “Safe House Project” is urging the Trump administration and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reform the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The hotline, which is run by HHS, was started in 2007 to provide 24/7 help for victims of human trafficking. According to Safe House Project, which offers victims a range of services, including a network of shelters, the hotline has “lost all credibility” and simply does not accomplish the goal of ending human trafficking. HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIM RECOUNTS HORRORS OF LIFE AT THE MERCY OF CRIMINALS After Kennedy cleared a committee vote on Tuesday, bringing him one step closer to confirmation, the nonprofit released a statement celebrating the step, saying that “our nation is in dire need of leadership that will restore it [the hotline] to fulfill its purpose of identifying victims of trafficking, supporting victims escaping from their traffickers, and helping bring swift justice to those who abuse and victimize desperate and vulnerable populations.” In line with the Department of Government Efficiency’s mission to slash government waste, Safe House Project says HHS can reform the hotline to conserve its tax-dollar funding and save more lives at the same time. “The American taxpayers funded the National Human trafficking hotline, and the reality is it has failed,” Safe House Project CEO Kristi Wells told Fox News Digital. Wells claimed that people who call the hotline often have to wait upwards of 45 minutes, resulting in many people hanging up before even reporting a human trafficking incident. She also said that in many instances, hotline staff fail to return calls or to share tips with law enforcement. DOGE TARGETS MEDICARE AGENCY, LOOKING FOR FRAUD If he is confirmed by the Senate, Wells said Kennedy will have a “phenomenal opportunity” to save thousands of lives by moving quickly to increase the efficiency of the hotline. “The National Human Trafficking Hotline, again, has the potential to save thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of lives,” she continued. “And so, [since] the Department of Health and Human Services is the one that oversees the effectiveness of the hotline, it’s really important that the current administration prioritizes and really holds the current hotline accountable and making sure that the services are operating the way that they need to be operating.” In place of the current hotline, Wells is urging HHS to leverage modern technology – such as cellphone apps and AI – to create a new system that is “fast, actionable and easy to use.” After conducting extensive research with law enforcement entities and related NGOs, Wells said she believes a new system could be created using modern technology that would make the tax dollars being spent by the government on this go much further and accomplish more. BIDEN BORDER CRISIS LEADING TO INCREASE IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING, FORMER DHS OFFICIALS WARN “When you’re leveraging technology, you are really creating efficiencies of scale and really increasing scale,” she said. “And so, I don’t believe that this is a solution that would cost the government more money. I think it would allow them to use the dollars that are currently being spent on a national hotline more effectively and see more effective results.” Wells said the Trump administration “has already shown an encouraging willingness to tackle human trafficking,” but noted, “We want to do our part to make sure that this is a top priority for them and make sure that correct actions are taken to bring victims out of the shadows, to increase reporting and to increase law enforcement and prosecution of traffickers and buyers.” “Human trafficking is happening all around us and we as community members have the opportunity to identify and respond to human trafficking and a new tool is really vital to us making sure that that happens,” she continued. “Whenever we have proper reporting mechanisms and we are ‘seeing something and saying something,’ then this idea that human trafficking is undercover and goes undetected is no longer the reality.” “The reality is we’ll be able to see it more and when we start seeing it more, we’re able to empower our lawmakers with more effective data to create more effective policies. And so, I am excited about the trajectory that a more robust reporting mechanism can bring to the objective of eradicating trafficking in America.”
‘Constitutional crisis’: The Impoundment Control Act takes center stage amid Russell Vought’s confirmation
A power struggle concerning government spending is heating up in Washington, D.C., igniting what some Senate Democrats call a “constitutional crisis” amid the Trump administration’s efforts to curb government waste. The conflict stems from President Donald Trump‘s pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Russell Vought, and was exacerbated when the Trump administration announced it would freeze federal grants and loans on Jan. 27 in an OMB memo. Both Trump and Vought share a common point of contention: the Impoundment Control Act. The 1974 law, which Trump and Vought both argue is unconstitutional, reasserts Congress’ power of the purse and bars the executive branch from unilaterally side-stepping Congress and withholding appropriated funds. However, many legal experts warn that the matter is not up for debate, and the courts are clear; it is unconstitutional for the executive branch to divert dollars Congress has authorized. The Senate voted to confirm Vought on Thursday by a 53–47 margin along party lines, following a 30-hour delay from Democrats in protest against his nomination. Republicans claim that Vought is qualified to lead the department because he previously served in that role during Trump’s first term. Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Wednesday that Vought would “be able to hit the ground running.” However, Democrats remained staunchly opposed to Vought’s nomination and claimed his views on impoundment disqualified him from the role, with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., arguing on Wednesday that Trump and Vought believe “they may be above the law.” However, what is the Impoundment Control Act? Here is a look at what’s up for debate regarding government spending — and what changes could emerge during the Trump administration. Article I of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the authority to manage the federal budget to determine funding decisions to balance power between the branches of government. However, the act of impoundment occurs when the executive branch chooses to not spend these approved dollars from Congress, since the executive branch and the Office of Budget and Management do oversee the actual spending of the approved funds. Should a president want to spend less than what Congress has budgeted, the executive branch must secure approval from Congress. Deferring funds also requires the executive branch to inform Congress. As a result, Congress passed the 1974 Impoundment Control Act to establish these proper channels of congressional oversight if a president chooses to withhold or defer these funds. ‘ULTRA-RIGHT’: TRUMP BUDGET CHIEF PICK RUSSELL VOUGHT FACES FIRE FROM DEM SENATORS Vought’s opponents voiced concern that his leadership would lead to more cases like the freeze of federal grants and loans disclosed in an OMB memo on Jan. 27, a move that Democrats say was illegal and violated the Impoundment Control Act. “As much as Trump desires it, the president is not a king,” Senate Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., told reporters on Jan. 28. “As much as Trump desires it, a law is not a suggestion.” “These are not questions of opinion,” Merkley said. “These are principles at the heart of our constitutional system. It’s at the heart of our checks and balances, and thus we have a constitutional crisis.” Vought repeatedly defended his stance that the Impoundment Control Act was unconstitutional in multiple confirmation hearings and claimed that presidents historically could spend less than what Congress had earmarked prior to 1974. Proponents of executive impoundment frequently point to Thomas Jefferson’s administration in 1803, when Congress appropriated funding for 15 gunboats. However, Jefferson held off on purchasing the boats to not aggravate France amid delicate discussions between then-Secretary of State James Madison and Napoleon. The purchase of the boats eventually became unnecessary following the Louisiana Purchase. Additionally, Vought’s Center for Renewing America, a nonprofit Vought founded in 2021, has said impoundment allows the executive branch to exert fiscal discipline and that the president has the authority to determine if funds are used in the most efficient manner. Vought did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. However, according to multiple legal experts, the Constitution and the courts are clear that spending appropriations fall under the parameters of the legislative branch. Michael McConnell, director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School, told Fox News Digital, “The president has the constitutional obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and that includes spending. “So I don’t know where Mr. Vought gets the view that somehow the president has the right to decide what the government is going to spend money on,” he said. “This is Congress’ job.” Despite Trump and Vought’s views that the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional, McConnell said that he believed there is “no reasonable prospect that the court is going to agree with that. “The person who would have been the recipient of the funding will have some standing to sue,” McConnell said. “So, I would assume that if there’s an impoundment, there will be an immediate lawsuit under the Impoundment Control Act.” TRUMP TREASURY PICK: EXTENDING TRUMP TAX CUTS ‘SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC ISSUE’ Other legal experts agreed that should the Trump administration attempt to withhold funds, the courts would step in and assert that there is no legal basis to do so. That is because this is not a murky legal issue, according to Georgetown Law professor Stephen Vladeck. “There are contested issues of constitutional law, but this just isn’t one of them,” Vladeck told Fox News Digital. “Were it otherwise, there wouldn’t be much point in having a legislative branch.” Legal experts claim the courts historically have upheld the constitutionality of the Impoundment Control Act, and point to the 1975 case Train v. City of New York. In that case, the Supreme Court determined the Environmental Protection Agency must use full funding included in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, even though then-President Richard Nixon issued orders not to use all the funding. Vought himself admitted in a Jan. 22 confirmation hearing that no court of law
800,000 noncitizens could soon be voting in New York City’s elections
New York’s top court will consider a city law allowing noncitizens to register to vote in New York City‘s elections this week. The court will hear arguments in the case on Tuesday, with lawyers for Democrats arguing in favor of legislation the city already passed to allow noncitizen voters. If successful, the over 800,000 noncitizens living in the Big Apple would be able to cast ballots in city-level contests like mayoral elections. Proponents of the bill claim noncitizens are being unfairly taxed. “In five City Council districts, non-U.S. citizens make up about a third of the adult population,” attorneys for the city wrote in a filing. “These New Yorkers pay billions in taxes and yet have no say in local policies on public safety, garbage collection, or housing — all matters that affect their day-to-day lives.” Meanwhile, Republicans in the city are flabbergasted by the effort, pointing to language in the state constitution granting voting rights to “every citizen.” NEW YORK TO OPEN MASSIVE NEW 2,200-BED MIGRANT SHELTER FOR SINGLE MEN IN THE BRONX “It’s hard to discuss because it’s crazy it’s even an issue,” state Sen. Andrew Lanza, a Staten Island Republican, told Politico. “Citizens ought to vote; if you’re not a citizen of a country, you should not have a say.” New York’s state constitution states, “Every citizen shall be entitled to vote at every election for all officers elected by the people and upon all questions submitted to the vote of the people.” TRUMP BORDER CZAR MEETING WITH NYC MAYOR ADAMS DESPITE SANCTUARY CITY STATUS An appellate court sided with Republicans on the issue last year in a 3-1 ruling. The panel of judges found an “irrefutable inference applies that noncitizens were intended to be excluded from those entitled to vote,” Politico reported. The case comes amid a burgeoning race among Democrats to replace New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who remains embroiled in legal trouble. Adams’ administration has struggled to handle a massive influx of illegal immigrants in recent years. City residents have complained about the accomodation methods of migrants as well. Furious residents expressed their anger Monday after learning they were powerless to stop a massive 2,200 male-only migrant shelter from opening in their neighborhood, raising concerns that the new facility will make their community less safe, especially for women. The mayor’s office told Fox News Digital last month that despite the new shelter being opened, they are planning to close 46 migrant shelters across the city and reduce the total shelter bed count by 10,000 by June. The city noted that the Hall Street shelter in Brooklyn, one of the largest shelters being closed, housed 3,500 migrants. Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Fox News Presidential Personality Quiz: Which Historic President are You?
See what traits you share with historical presidents. Then share your results with friends.