Biden admin refuses to reveal terror watchlist nationalities as illegal immigration explodes on his watch
EXCLUSIVE: Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has rejected a request by Fox News to reveal the nationalities of people on the FBI terror watchlist arrested at the border by Border Patrol, citing “privacy interests” of those involved. Fox filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in October requesting the nationalities of suspects on the FBI terror watchlist arrested at the southern border entering between ports of entry by Border Patrol. Over six months later, CBP told Fox it will not provide the information, although it acknowledges the information is maintained in the Terrorist Screening Dataset (TSDS). The letter says it is applying exemptions to protect the disclosure of files that may create a “clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy” and must balance a public’s right to disclosure against an individual’s right to privacy. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM FOREIGN ADVERSARY HIT NEW HIGH AMID NATIONAL SECURITY FEARS “The privacy interests of the individuals in the records you have requested outweigh any minimal public interest in disclosure of the information. Any private interest you may have in that information does not factor into the aforementioned balancing test,” it says. It also cites exemptions that protect records that would disclose techniques or procedures for law enforcement investigation and those that could be expected to endanger the life or safety of any individual. Fox did not request personal information, only the countries from which the encounters originated. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS There have so far been 80 encounters of people between ports of entry this year by Border Patrol who are on the TSDS, compared to 172 in fiscal year 2023 and 98 in fiscal 2022. The TSDS contains sensitive information on terrorist identities. It initially contained only known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) but now also includes additional individuals who represent a “potential threat to the United States, including known affiliates of watchlisted individuals.” “Encounters of watchlisted individuals at our borders are very uncommon, underscoring the critical work CBP Agents and Officers carry out every day on the frontlines,” CBP says on its website. “DHS works tirelessly to secure our borders through a combination of highly trained personnel, ground and aerial monitoring systems, and robust intelligence and information sharing networks.” But the rejection of the FOIA request brought immediate criticism from Republicans. “Wow: DHS thinks the “privacy” of potential national security threats is more important than the American people’s right to know where these individuals are coming from,” Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Biden administration begins formal rulemaking process to downgrade marijuana to less dangerous drug
The Biden administration on Thursday submitted a proposal seeking to begin the formal process of reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Attorney General Merrick Garland submitted the proposal to the Federal Register, with the intent of having the drug dropped to a Schedule III drug from Schedule I, as classified under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Congress enacted the CSA in 1970, and ever since the act’s establishment, marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I drug. President Biden asked the attorney general and the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a review of how marijuana is scheduled under federal law on Oct. 6, 2022. BIDEN ADMIN WILL MOVE TO RECLASSIFY MARIJUANA AS ‘LESS DANGEROUS DRUG’ IN HISTORIC SHIFT The HHS provided its recommendations to the attorney general in August 2023, who then asked for legal advice for questions about the rulemaking process, from the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). After receiving all the pertinent information, Garland initiated the process to downgrade marijuana to a Schedule III drug. Now, the controlled substance rescheduling will go through a procedure requiring the public to be notified and an opportunity for comment, along with an administrative hearing. CANNABIS SEIZURES AT CHECKPOINTS BY US-MEXICO BORDER FRUSTRATE STATE-AUTHORIZED POT INDUSTRY As part of the process, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will also collect and consider information and views submitted by the public to help decide on whether the drug should be dropped to a less dangerous controlled substance. Until a final rule is released, however, marijuana will continue to be classified as a Schedule I controlled substance. The planned move by the Biden administration comes during an election year. FETTERMAN HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR ‘SAFE, PURE, TAXED’ MARIJUANA IN 4/20 PUSH TO LEGALIZE WEED This proposal, if passed, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use. As the drug schedule changes — Schedule II, Schedule III, etc., so does the abuse potential — Schedule V drugs represent the least potential for abuse. THESE ARE THE TOP HEALTH RISKS OF MARIJUANA USE, ESPECIALLY SMOKING CANNABIS Schedule III drugs have a lower misuse potential than I and II, according to the CSA. Drugs in this category may cause physical dependence but more commonly lead to psychological dependence. Drugs in this category also require a prescription and all CSA record-keeping requirements would apply. However, this does not mean it is legal to sell without a Medical License and a DEA registration. It is the same as filling a prescription at a pharmacy. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, marijuana in small amounts has been made legal for recreational use by adults in 24 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and two U.S. territories. Marijuana is the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with an estimated 48.2 million users nationwide in 2019, which has only increased since then, with states continuing to legalize recreational and medical cannabis use. Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price, Julia Johnson and Kyle Schmidbauer, Fox News’ Jake Gibson, David Spunt and Patrick Ward, as well as The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Gov. Greg Abbott pardons Daniel Perry, officer who killed police brutality protester in 2020
A Travis County jury sentenced Perry to 25 years in prison last year, prompting Abbott to ask the state parole board to review his case.
Biden campaign high on DOJ’s marijuana shift, ‘smokes’ Trump for inaction during his term
EXCLUSIVE: The Biden campaign is taking aim at former President Trump following the administration’s move to ease federal marijuana restrictions. President Biden announced the “monumental” shift in marijuana policy on Thursday in a video posted on social media, kicking off a process to reclassify the drug from a Schedule I restricted substance to a Schedule III. “It’s simple, Joe Biden smokes sleepy Don on delivering for the American people. After four years of all talk, all failure from Donald Trump, Joe Biden is keeping his promise on marijuana policy, moving America forward, and making America safer,” Biden campaign spokesman James Singer told Fox News Digital following the announcement. TRUMP’S POTENTIAL RUNNING MATES TO COMPETE FOR APPROVAL AT MAJOR CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE AS SPECULATION SWIRLS “Donald Trump was wrong on marijuana policy and made America less safe, hurting young people and communities of color. Voters can’t afford the broken promises and dangerous failures of a second Trump term,” he added. Trump’s position on marijuana remained somewhat ambiguous during his presidency. He previously expressed the view that marijuana policy should be determined at the state level, but has also spoken out against related ballot initiatives, citing worries it could boost Democrats. He did, however, sign the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp. The substance had been prohibited for decades, and his administration allocated resources specifically to enact the reforms in the bill. TRUMP VEEP STAKES: THE PROS AND CONS OF SOUTH DAKOTA GOV. KRISTI NOEM The proposed rescheduling will now appear in the Federal Register, where the public can participate in a 60-day comment period. Following this period, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will take the proposal to an administrative law judge, who will consider related evidence and make a recommendation, and then the DOJ will make a final decision on the reclassification. Schedule I drugs include substances like heroin and ecstasy, while Schedule III drugs include ketamine and anabolic steroids, as well as have “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence,” according to the DEA. The change, although it wouldn’t legalize the recreational use of marijuana outright, could be popular with young voters as recent polls suggest Biden is struggling with that demographic less than six months from the November general election. Other polling shows a split among Americans when it comes to easing marijuana restrictions, something Pew found in research published earlier this year, as “34% of conservative Republicans say marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use, compared with a 57% majority of moderate and liberal Republicans,” the report said. It added that “62% of conservative and moderate Democrats say marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use,” with 84% of liberal Democrats believing the same. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Senate GOP probes Trump prosecutor Fani Willis’ office for alleged ‘misuse’ of funds
Two Republican lawmakers are opening a second congressional investigation into embattled Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis for alleged misuse of federal grant funding. Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in a letter to Willis Wednesday alleged funds granted to the Fulton County District Attorney’s office by the Justice Department Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) meant to help at-risk youth and gang prevention went to purchase computers and “swag.” The letter also alleges that, in 2020, OJJDP awarded Fulton County nearly $500,000 to establish the Fulton County Center of Youth Empowerment and Gang Prevention. The stated purpose of the center was to provide professional development, academic mentorship and a community network for young people at risk of becoming involved or continuing in gang activity. But the letter alleges that, according to reports, the center has yet to open, and the “building meant to house it is closed to the public, its gates padlocked.” TRUMP CO-DEFENDANTS OFFICIALLY FILE NOTICES OF APPEAL TO KICK FANI WILLIS OFF GA CASE Willis is leading the prosecution of the sweeping 2020 election interference case against former President Trump and has faced mounting scrutiny for allegedly having an “improper” affair with subordinate counsel. The senators note that Amanda Timpson, the former director of gang prevention and intervention for the Fulton County DA Office, reportedly notified Willis that an official in her office planned to use the OJJDP gang prevention funding “on computers and other ineligible expenses” such as MacBooks, “swag” and travel instead of helping at-risk youth in the community. FANI WILLIS SUGGESTS SHE WON’T TESTIFY IN ‘UNLAWFUL’ GEORGIA SENATE INVESTIGATION Timpson brought these concerns to Willis’ attention Nov. 19, 2021, and two months later, Timpson’s employment was terminated, the letter says. The letter also highlights that, in 2020, the Fulton County DA’s office received $2 million in federal funding through the Office of Justice Program’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). According to OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, the office that administers SAKI, these funds were authorized to “address the issues that underline the problem of unsubmitted [sexual assault kits]” and help law enforcement and prosecutors solve more of these heinous crimes. “However, data published by Fulton County, from 2020 to 2023 show the Fulton County DA’s office spent approximately 49% of its SAKI funding expenditures on travel and conference expenses, such as hotel, airfare, and rental cars, and approximately 28% was actually spent on professional services, such as forensic and DNA testing,” the senators wrote. “Moreover, in 2023, the Fulton County DA’s office spent approximately 98% of its SAKI funding on travel and conference expenditures. The apparent and significant discrepancy between the purpose of the federal award of taxpayer money and the actual use of that money raises alarms that it hasn’t been used as Congress intended. “The waste or misuse of taxpayer funds is unacceptable.” The duo asked for a list of all federal grants received by the Fulton County DA since fiscal year 2019 and a complete accounting of all expenditures for each federal grant. The request includes, but is not limited to, individualized receipts and invoices for expenditures, summaries of conference and travel expenses, conflicts of interest screenings, performance measures and outcomes and all records related to the expenditure of these taxpayer funds and compliance with all applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. GEORGIA SENATORS FIND LITTLE OVERSIGHT OVER HOW FANI WILLIS SPENDS TAXPAYER DOLLARS: ‘LIKE THE WILD WEST’ They also asked for all records referring to or relating to the Fulton County DA’s planned expenditures for each federal grant it received, including but not limited to, any complaints or communications referring to or relating to concerns that an expenditure may not be permitted or was inconsistent with the purpose of the federal grant associated with those funds. This is the second probe the U.S. Congress has launched into Willis’ office. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio., subpoenaed Willis in February over the accusations of misusing federal funds. She is also under investigation by committees in the Georgia legislature. The Fulton County DA’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Republican Senators blast ‘lawless’ Biden admin over COVID spending: ‘Time to stop’
An effort to save American taxpayers over $13 billion dollars by reigning in wasteful spending has failed after Senate Democrats voted down Senator Eric Schmitt’s, R-Mo., disapproval resolution. “Today, Senate Democrats chose to continue their effort to shelter unelected bureaucrats from any sort of accountability and embolden the Biden Administration’s disastrous efforts to waste more taxpayer money on pet projects unrelated to their original intent,” Sen. Schmitt said in a press release following Wednesday’s Senate vote. During Wednesday’s press conference, Sen. Schmitt was joined by several other Midwest Republican Senators, including Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., who presented the disapproval resolution under the Congressional Review Act aimed at the U.S. Department of Treasury’s misuse of COVID recovery dollars. “Biden, Senate Democrats, and the army of unelected bureaucrats in the administrative state have wreaked financial havoc on middle and working-class Americans from high prices to runaway inflation and everything in between. My work on this isn’t done – stay tuned,” Schmitt vowed. BIDEN REPEATS FALSE CLAIM THAT INFLATION WAS AT 9% WHEN HE TOOK OFFICE AFTER BEING CALLED OUT LAST WEEK Sen. Schmitt stated that a couple of years ago, Congress passed legislation that authorized over $300 billion to go out during the COVID emergency and said the timing of that is supposed to expire at the end of this year, in 2024. “Inflation is sky-high, COVID is over, it’s time to stop this reckless spending,” Schmitt said. Schmitt then said that the Senate would be raised with a very simple question – Do they want to reign in a “lawless” administration and save taxpayers $13 billion dollars, at least? “We got here because of Joe Biden’s policies. That’s where it got us here with our inflation and high interest rates. He got us here because of America’s attack on American energy, as well as borrowing and printing money, some of which is the subject of Senator Schmitt’s resolution to start clawing that back,” Sen. Marshall stated during a press conference. “Joe Biden used COVID as an excuse to spend $1.9 TRILLION we don’t have. It caused inflation & it’s costing Americans over $12,000 more each year. Now Biden wants to break the law & extend the spending deadline for that money. I’m working with @SenEricSchmitt to stop him,” Sen Ricketts wrote in a post on X. Sen. Marshall reemphasized that interest rates are not going to come down until Congress stops borrowing and spending money. CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS FORCED TO SPEND $2 BILLION OF COVID-RELIEF FUNDS TO ADDRESS LEARNING LOSS AFTER LAWSUIT “Folks, the pandemic is over. Thank goodness. Thank God the pandemic is over. It’s been over for four years now. We’ve seen different folks back home, you know, trying to use these COVID dollars. They have built golf courses and swimming pools, they’re spending them on illegal immigrants. That type of thing. That was not the intent of these dollars,” Sen. Marshall stated. “I think in any other time or place, this kind of wasteful spending and fraud would have been a scandal. But we hardly hear much of it from this administration,” Sen. Schmitt said. The Biden administration issued a policy statement saying that President Biden intended to veto the Congressional Review Act if it hit his desk, arguing that the bill could lead to projects being canceled midstream and reduce oversight of projects that are already ongoing. WASHINGTON STATE DIVERTED $340M IN FEDERAL COVID FUNDS TO IMMIGRANTS, INCLUDING VIA $1,000 CHECKS “That’s a lie. I mean, we shouldn’t be surprised by that now. It’s a total lie. Essentially, the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored,” Schmitt countered. “When this law was passed, every governor… knew exactly what the rules were and were structuring their programs around the rules. So if there’s somebody who says, ‘oh, I didn’t know what those rules are,’ it’s not the truth,” Sen. Ricketts added. “Everybody knew it going back to when this legislation was passed. And to say that somehow projects are not going to be completed or there’s not going to be oversight, it’s simply untrue. Because all this had to be planned years ago to be able to make sure you’d obligate the dollars in the appropriate way. So that’s a bunch of hooey, what he’s saying.” The resolution vote failed 46-49. Fox News’ Brianna O’Neil contributed to this report.
NPR chief works to clean up public image with extra editorial review, meeting with GOP senator
Controversial National Public Radio (NPR) chief Katherine Maher met with a Republican senator and the organization rolled out a new layer of editorial review on Wednesday in response to the fallout from a former senior editor’s scathing essay alleging significant bias at the outlet. “She acknowledged the problem, which I think is a pretty good first step,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “She pretty much validated the concerns that I raised.” Last month, the senator led a letter to Maher that was signed by six other Republican senators. In the correspondence, they stressed significant concerns about the direction of the organization and its leadership following allegations of bias made by former senior editor Uri Berliner in his essay. DEMS USE GOP-OPPOSED IMMIGRATION BILL AS CUDGEL AGAINST REPUBLICANS ON BORDER SECURITY Berliner claimed to have found 87 Democrats and zero Republicans in editorial positions when researching his coworkers’ voter registrations at the NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. He also criticized editorial decisions on coverage of various current events, including allegations of former President Trump’s collusion with Russia in the 2016 election, Hunter Biden’s laptop and the theory that COVID-19 began in a lab in China and was leaked. DEMS SAY KATIE BRITT’S NEW BILL WOULD CREATE ‘DATABASE OF PREGNANT WOMEN’ The essay quickly sparked renewed Republican criticism and threats to review funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which partially funds NPR through grants. According to Cramer, Maher “emphasized their ongoing efforts to provide more balanced and fair journalism” during their meeting on Wednesday. Edith Chapin, NPR’s acting chief content officer, SVP and editor-in-chief, revealed a new editorial review layer to content division staff, which was published on Wednesday. One of the many steps being taken by NPR to “strengthen editorial operations” is the institution of “the backstop.” BIDEN TORCHED BY REPUBLICANS FOR TOUGHER IMMIGRATION RULE AHEAD OF NOVEMBER ELECTION “We will institute a process to ensure that all journalism across NPR platforms gets a final editorial review before air/publication. This will be a new group of senior-level editors who are not involved in the inception or development of a particular piece of work, working 24/7 to ensure that all coverage receives final editorial review,” Chapin wrote. While he appreciated the purpose, Cramer noted potential issues with the new layer’s implementation. “Three editors that are homogeneous, that are left-wing Democrats — that doesn’t increase oversight,” he said. “It just validates bias.” DEMS PLAN TO REVIVE BORDER BILL REJECTED BY REPUBLICANS AHEAD OF NOVEMBER ELECTION Maher has also come under fire during the scandal for her own views, with old social media posts demonstrating support for President Biden and policies associated with Democrats being brought to light. But Cramer said this issue wasn’t discussed during their meeting, which he characterized as pleasant. “I was more interested in going forward, how she’s going to improve the newsroom,” he explained. Despite NPR’s move to address concerns, the North Dakota senator said that defunding is “always” on the table. “I could easily be talked into not funding public radio,” he added.
House Judiciary votes to hold AG Garland in contempt over audio of Biden’s Hur interview
The House Judiciary Committee advanced a resolution to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress over the Justice Department’s failure to produce the subpoenaed audio recording of President Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur. The House Judiciary Committee considered a resolution to hold the attorney general in contempt during a mark-up session Thursday. The vote advances the measure for a full floor vote. The move comes after the White House asserted executive privilege over the audio and video recordings related to Hur’s interviews with the president as part of his classified records investigation. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that “the attorney general made it clear that law enforcement files like these need to be protected.” “And so the president made his determination at the request of the attorney general,” she said. “So just want to make that second point that I made really clear.” Hur, who released his report to the public in February after months of investigation, did not recommend criminal charges against Biden for mishandling and retaining classified documents, and he stated that he would not bring charges against Biden even if he were not in the Oval Office. Those records included classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan and other countries, among other records related to national security and foreign policy, which Hur said implicated “sensitive intelligence sources and methods.” Hur, in his report, described Biden as a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory” — a description that has raised significant concerns for Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign.
Catholic groups pummel HHS secretary after heated exchange with GOP rep on transgender surgeries
Catholic groups and other conservative organizations are going after Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra after a GOP lawmaker accused him of withholding federal funds from hospitals that do not perform transgender surgeries on religious grounds. Rep. Mary Miller, R-N.Y., clashed with Becerra at a heated House hearing on Wednesday, demanding that he commit to not blocking federal dollars from doctors or hospitals “that refuse to provide the gender-affirming care that you’re mandating if it violates their religious beliefs.” “You’re going somewhere completely different. First, you’re talking about how a doctor should have the rights to not offer particular care. Then you stretch it out to provide for the system-wide services…very different,” Becerra said in a clip later shared by Miller. Miller replied, “You’ve put out this guidance and doctors do need to know what are you going to do if they refuse to provide this care?” CHRISTIAN EX-TEACHER SUES CALIFORNIA DISTRICT AFTER REFUSING TO HIDE KIDS’ GENDER TRANSITIONS FROM PARENTS “A doctor, if that doctor has religious objections, that doctor under these rules is not required to offer the care,” Becerra said, adding doctors “don’t get federal funding.” When Miller pressed him about the faith-based hospitals where many doctors work, he said, “If a healthcare facility is violating the law and not providing the service they’re required to, they are not entitled to the resources.” Becerra told Miller earlier in the exchange, “If a provider for religious reasons objects, they are not forced to provide any particular service.” But Miller posted on X after the hearing, “After attempting to lie, HHS Secretary Becerra says the quiet part out loud. Joe Biden’s government will withhold funds from religious hospitals that refuse to provide sex-change operations for young children.” SURFING ORGANIZATION PULLS ABOUT-FACE ON TRANS INCLUSION AFTER PRESSURE FROM CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION CatholicVote President Brian Burch told Fox News Digital, “Secretary Becerra has made a career of targeting Catholics. Now, in his disdain for faith-based healthcare institutions and medical professionals, including the numerous Catholic hospital systems across the country, he is threatening the care of millions of Americans.” “This administration has done more harm to the Catholic faith and religious Americans than any which has preceded it. It is time for the American people to take a stand against this administration’s overt hostility toward institutions of faith. November can’t come soon enough,” he said. Solidarity HealthShare President Chris Faddis said the recent HHS rule, which prohibits health programs that get federal dollars from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, or sex, including whether a patient identifies as LGBTQ+, confirms “our grave concern that his agency has no intention of honoring the empty promise to protect religious freedom” PROMINENT US FIRMS FACE ALLEGATIONS OF WORKFORCE DISCRIMINATION OVER DIVERSITY EFFORTS “These rules mandate gender transition surgeries even when it violates the faith of religious doctors and healthcare systems, not to mention their best medical judgment,” Faddis said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Katy Talento, executive director of the Alliance of Health Care Sharing Ministries and a former Trump administration health adviser, said the rule would force hospitals to provide transgender surgeries “or else lose access to federal funding to care for the poor and elderly, such as Medicaid and Medicare.” “Instead of helping young people embrace how God created them as male or female, the Biden administration wants to permanently alter their bodies and force sterilization in many cases. Not only should hospitals use all available legal options to fight back, but Americans more broadly must wake up to this wicked agenda and roundly reject this wicked gender ideology at every turn,” said Walker Wildmon, vice president of the American Family Association. Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment.
Johnson rebukes Biden, Schumer over blocked Israel aid as House votes to force bomb deliveries
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday hammered President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., over blocked U.S. military aid for Israel with the House expected to vote on a bill to force bomb deliveries to the Jewish state amid its war against Hamas. On the steps of the Capitol, Johnson also drew a parallel to Biden’s decision earlier Thursday to assert executive privilege to block House committees from obtaining subpoenaed audio recordings of his interview with former special counsel Robert Hur over classified documents found in the president’s possession. “Rather than defend our closest ally at war, President Biden is using his authority to defend himself politically,” Johnson said. “Just as President Biden defies the will of Congress with his use of executive privilege, he is brazenly doing so by withholding congressionally mandated aid. Just last month, Sen. Chuck Schumer declared from the Senate floor — this is his quote, ‘The House must rush to Israel’s aid … as quickly as humanly possible.’ “Well, today, Sen. Schumer has done an about-face. He’s reversed course. Yet again, it is President Biden and Sen. Schumer himself who are standing in the way of getting Israel the resources it desperately needs to defend itself. The House has tried multiple times to deliver this much needed aid to Israel, and each and every time. Now, Biden and Schumer have opposed it.” GARLAND RIPS ‘UNFOUNDED’ EFFORT TO HOLD HIM IN CONTEMPT AFTER BIDEN ASSERTS EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE OVER HUR AUDIO The press conference happened before the House was set Thursday to deliver a rebuke to Biden for pausing a shipment of bombs to Israel, voting on legislation that would seek to force the weapons transfer as Republicans worked to highlight Democratic divisions over the Israel-Hamas war. Just weeks after Congress passed the national security supplemental, which included $26 billion for Israel, Johnson accused the Biden administration of “defying the will of Congress and withholding weapons shipments to Israel,” claiming that this “is a catastrophic decision with global implications” that is being handled “as a political calculation.” The speaker said the House “will be voting on legislation to compel the delivery of defense weapons to Israel as they fight to protect themselves from radical terrorists and defend their very existence as a nation.” “But Joe Biden is threatening to veto that legislation, and Chuck Schumer is suggesting now that he refuses to bring it to the Senate floor,” Johnson said. “On Oct. 7, Hamas, the radical terrorists, which are proxies for Iran, lit a fire in Israel, the proverbial fire that is still burning. And Biden and Schumer are telling Israel that they are only really allowed to put out part of that fire. That is just simply not going to work. Israel needs to finish the job, and America needs to help Israel extinguish the flame of terror that is wrought by Hamas.” Seeking to discourage Israel from its offensive on the crowded southern Gazan city of Rafah, the Biden administration this month put on hold a weapons shipment of 3,500 bombs — some as large as 2,000 pounds — capable of killing hundreds in populated areas. Republicans were outraged, accusing Biden of abandoning the closest U.S. ally in the Middle East. The bill condemns Biden for initiating the pause on the bomb shipment and would withhold funding for the State Department, Department of Defense and the National Security Council until the delivery is made. Schumer said should the legislation pass the House, it would not receive floor time in the Senate, where Democrats hold the majority, telling reporters earlier this week, “It’s not going anywhere.” BIDEN’S WEAPONS PAUSE TO ISRAEL CONFUSES, ANNOYS DEMOCRATS: ‘THEY SUCK’ AT COMMUNICATING Even if the legislation passes Congress, the White House said Biden would veto it. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., argued that while Biden is “impeding the ability for Israel to defend themselves, Iran is not holding back.” He noted that Tehran fired over 300 drones and missiles into Israel, and Hamas still holds more than 130 hostages, including Americans. “Where is President Biden caring about the lives of those American citizens that are being held hostage right now in tunnels under Gaza?” Scalise said. “President Biden is supporting Hamas’ position against Israel. This is disgusting. When this bill passes with a bipartisan vote today through the House, the public pressure will grow so large that Chuck Schumer will have to take this bill up. And if this bill does pass the Senate, like some other bills that President Biden threatened to veto, that he ultimately signed because the public finally had enough. This is one of those cases.” Debate over the bill, rushed to the House floor by GOP leadership this week, showed Washington’s deeply fractured outlook on the Israel-Hamas war. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The White House and Democratic leadership have scrambled to rally support from a House caucus that ranges from moderates frustrated that the president would allow any daylight between the U.S. and Israel to progressives outraged that he is still sending any weapons at all. The Associated Press contributed to this report.