Fox News Politics: Spending spree
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. What’s happening? – Republican introduces motion to vacate the Speaker after House passes spending bill – Another Republican resigns House seat – Democrat blames the GOP for border crisis The House of Representatives narrowly passed a $1.2 trillion federal spending package along bipartisan lines on Friday, taking a step closer to averting a partial government shutdown at midnight. The legislation was expedited onto the House floor via suspension of the rules, which bypasses procedural hurdles in exchange for raising the threshold for passage from a simple majority to two-thirds. It passed by a 286 to 134 vote. More Republicans voted against the bill than for it – 112 GOP lawmakers opposed the bill and 106 voted for it. Just 22 Democrats voted against it. Many Republicans objected to having just a day to read the 1,000 page bill — passed under suspension of a rule that requires 72 hours between a bill’s introduction and vote. And Democratic earmarks for things like organizations handing out chest binders to transgender kids raised alarms. After the bill passed, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., introduced a motion to vacate the Speaker and oust Rep. Mike Johnson, telling reporters on Friday that he “betrayed” the “confidence” of the House GOP Conference by ushering through a bipartisan $1.2 trillion federal funding bill to avoid a partial government shutdown. The Senate will consider the bill next. SPENDING SPREE: House passes $1.2T government spending bill to avert government shutdown …Read more HOUSE OF CARDS: Motion to vacate filed against Speaker Johnson, lawmakers say …Read more EXIT STAGE RIGHT: Top GOP lawmaker announces early exit, leaving Republicans with temporary one-seat majority …Read more SEE YOU IN COURT: House Judiciary Committee suing DOJ officials for testimony on Hunter Biden tax case …Read more TIM SCOTT FINDS A RUNNING MATE: Top Trump VP prospect plans summer wedding weeks after GOP convention …Read more COMPETITOR TO ALLY: Rubio says being Trump running mate would be ‘incredible honor’ …Read more ‘NEEDS TO RESCIND HIS ENDORSEMENT’: Longtime PA Dem silent on support for freshman ‘Squad’ member after his name is quietly removed from site …Read more THE ELECTION GAMEPLAN: Obama met privately with Biden and worried Trump may win the 2024 election …Read more BLUE WALL BUSTED?: Trump lead over Biden in Michigan powered by 2 critical voting blocs: poll …Read more ABILITY TO APPEAL: Georgia judge allows Trump, co-defendants to appeal Fani Willis disqualification decision …Read more BUCKING THE PRESIDENT: Border Patrol chief suggests ‘jail time,’ tougher ‘consequences to stop illegal US-Mexico border crossings …Read more ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE’: Trump says he has nearly $500M in cash, suggests he could afford bond in New York AG case, slams ‘hack’ judge …Read more ‘ALL THE WAY’: Trump vows to fight New York AG case ‘all the way up to the US Supreme Court,’ as deadline to post $454M looms …Read more ‘FOREVER CHANGED’: Female athlete injured by transgender player slams Dem lawmakers who dismissed dangers …Read more PULLING THE PLUG: Republican senators introduce bill to block migrants from using Border Patrol app as ID at TSA checkpoints …Read more UNDER THE GUN: Judge’s illegal immigrant gun ruling throws ‘hand grenade’ into crime fight: former federal agent …Read more ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE’: Tim Scott labels Schumer call for Israeli leader change ‘election interference’ …Read more FAULT LINES: House Dem blames Republicans in wake of viral video of migrants storming US border in Texas …Read more ‘BLATANT DISREGARD’: Biden admin accelerates plan to unleash apex predator near rural community over widespread local opposition …Read more Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
T-Squared: Associated Press, Texas Tribune to share select news content in new collaboration
AP will distribute Tribune articles to its members. The Tribune will have access to AP’s immigration and Texas stories.
Migrant encounters at southern border hit new February record high
The number of migrant encounters at the southern border for February hit a new high for the month this year, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) figures released on Friday reveal, reversing a sharp drop in numbers in January. There were 189,922 migrant encounters along the border in February. That’s higher than the 156,000 in the same month in 2023. The highest it had been for February was in 2022 when numbers reached 166,010. Despite the record high numbers overall, the number of illegal migrant encounters between ports of entry by Border Patrol is lower than in February 2022, meaning the new high is explained in part by large numbers coming to the ports of entry. CBP processed more than 42,000 people through appointment at ports of entry. Numbers had dropped from a record 302,000 in December to a relatively low 176,204 in January, but had not continued to go down in February. In a statement, acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said that it is working with domestic and foreign partners to enhance enforcement as well as “aggressively targeting unscrupulous human smugglers, and swiftly applying consequences against those who cross the border illegally and have no legal basis to remain in the United States.” He pointed to increases in drugs seized by agents, including 294% more meth than in January. DHS also said it has now removed or returned nearly 600,000 individuals since May. This is a breaking story; check back for updates.
Expelled George Santos announces bid for return to Congress as Independent
Expelled former U.S. Rep. George Santos of New York on Friday announced another congressional bid to reclaim a seat in the House, but this time as an Independent candidate. Santos will run to unseat Rep. Nick LaLota, a Republican, who represents New York’s 1st Congressional District. “The Republican Party continues to lie and swindle its voter base,” Santos wrote Friday on X. “I in good conscience cannot affiliate myself with a party that stands for nothing and falls for everything.” FORMER SANTOS STAFFER SAYS EXPELLED CONGRESSMAN’S SURPRISE CHALLENGE TO LALOTA ‘IS A JOKE’ “I am officially suspending my petitioning in #NY01 to access the ballot as a Republican and will be filing to run as an independent…” he added. Santos previously represented New York’s 3rd Congressional District as a Republican. U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat, took the seat after winning a special election after Santos was booted from Congress. In a post on X earlier this month, Santos called LaLota a RINO – Republican in name only. “He is a willing to risk the future of our majority and the future of this country for his own political gain,” he wrote at the time in which he announced a run to unseat LaLota without stating his political affiliation. Fox News Digital has reached out to LaLota’s office. The freshman lawmaker was expelled a year into his first term in the House in the wake of a damning House Ethics Committee report that found he misused campaign funds on luxury items and OnlyFans, among other things. He has not been convicted of a crime, but he has been indicted on multiple counts related to wire fraud, identity theft, falsification of records, credit card fraud and other charges. He has pleaded not guilty. Santos was ousted in a 311 to 114 bipartisan vote. In a surprise to many, he returned to Capitol Hill earlier this month to watch President Biden’s State of the Union address. Despite being expelled, Santos noted that as a former member, he still retains privileges that include entry to the House floor when the body is in session. At the time, he didn’t rule out running for office again. Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Ramaswamy predicts NY ruling against Trump could energize this key voter group ‘in droves’: ‘Seismic impact’
FIRST ON FOX: Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy predicts a recent judgment worth almost half a billion dollars against former President Trump in New York will drive voters to Trump in “droves” and could be struck down unanimously by the Supreme Court for violating the 8th Amendment. “I think this will drive independents to Trump in droves,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital about the possibility that the state of New York will begin seizing Trump’s properties as early as Monday if he is unable to secure the $464 million bond needed to appeal the recent civil judgment against him. “Especially independents who are concerned about their own economic plight, their own security and safety in this country, who aren’t particularly partisan one way or another, but don’t believe that the justice system should be used to financially punish certain people because of their political affiliation.” Ramaswamy continued, “I think that’s going to be startling and eye-opening for a lot of independents across this country and it is really a shame that they’re doing this to Trump, but I think it’s going to have the effect of even giving him a more decisive electoral mandate this November.” NY AG ASKS COURT TO IGNORE TRUMP CLAIM THAT POSTING $464M BOND IS ‘PRACTICAL IMPOSSIBILITY’ Reports circulated this week that New York officials are on the verge of seizing Trump properties if he doesn’t meet the bond deadline on Monday, something his legal team has said is a “practical impossibility”, and Ramaswamy said while he questions the accuracy of those reports, it would be a “sad” and “unjust” development. “I mean it’s just jarring to think that this is a country where you just trace back the origin of this prosecution, you have a prosecutor who ran on the explicit promise of going after one man, regardless of the crime then actually effectively concocts a crime out of nowhere, torturing a statute that lawyers on the left and right agree was never intended for this kind of case,” Ramaswamy said. “Abusing a consumer protection law to instead charge a case where the counterparties weren’t ordinary consumers, but sophisticated financial institutions, and moreover, sophisticated financial institutions that were not harmed that made money from those interactions to find a nearly half $1 billion judgment against an individual, and then use that as a lever in the middle of an election to effectively exercise a form of political and financial leverage over that individual, is shocking that this has happened in the United States of America.” TRUMP HAVING TROUBLE SECURING MASSIVE $454M APPEAL BOND IN NEW YORK CIVIL CASE “I think that the old Soviet saying was, you find me the man and I’ll show you the crime,” Ramaswamy said. “Well, that’s come to life now in the pursuit of Donald Trump.” In addition to being unjust on its face, Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital that be believes the judgment violates the 8th Amendment and if taken to the Supreme Court on appeal would likely result in a 9-0 decision in Trump’s favor similar to the effort to remove him from Colorado presidential ballot. “I think this is exactly the kind of case that the first half of the eighth amendment was designed to protect against and I believe if taken to the Supreme Court. We could see the equivalent of another nine zero rebuke of this unjust maneuver against Trump.” “I say this because Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself, not some sort of conservative justice, certainly it’s not the label that most would use to describe Justice Ginsburg but she had a clear eyed view of the Eighth Amendment as well and I think if she were on the court today she’d say the same thing,” Ramaswamy explained. TRUMP SAYS ‘DISGUSTING’ NEW YORK AG COMMITTED ‘FRAUD’ BY ALLEGEDLY CONVINCING JUDGE TO UNDERVALUE MAR-A-LAGO “This is an excessive fine, especially against the prosecutorial context of it’s not just an excessive fine issued by a jury in an otherwise impartial prosecution, it’s the product of a remarkably precise witch hunt against one man that then is topped off by what is obviously an excessive fine in a case where there was literally no victim for the alleged crime and I think that that is going to be, if that’s an avenue that’s pursued on appeal, I think it’s going to be a very promising one for the Supreme Court to affirm.” The 8th Amendment to the United States Constitution states, “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” Ramaswamy posted on X on Thursday that he believes a disbarment could possibly be in store for New York Attorney General Letitia James as a result of her legal pursuit of the former president. “Not just because of this one case, because of a pattern of behavior demonstrating that her own political beliefs are affecting the legal judgments that she makes as a prosecutor that has impact on the lives of everyday citizens and so I think that type of continued reckless disregard for the law, I do think, is grounds for disbarment,” Ramaswamy said, while acknowledging it’s “very difficult” to “prosecute a prosecutor for a crime.” LOOMING LEGAL PENALTIES RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP’S FINANCES “But this had an impact on a presidential candidate’s latitude and ability to run an election,” Ramaswamy said. “If there is irreparable damage done both to Trump and to the country, there has to be some level of accountability. There can’t just be no accountability for the people who perpetrated this and at the very least, one level of accountability I think could be disbarment.” James has been widely criticized over past statements seemingly boasting about her aspirations while campaigning for her position to prosecute Trump and said in an interview last month that she thinks about it every time she walks by his properties. “If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek, you know, judgment enforcement
GOP Senate candidate Steve Garvey owes hundreds of thousands in unpaid back taxes as he runs against Schiff
Rep. Adam Schiff’s Republican challenger in California’s Senate race, Steve Garvey, owes at least $350,000 – and up to $750,000 – in back taxes, according to his February financial disclosures. Garvey’s campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement on Friday: “We have been taking this very seriously and have always filed our taxes on time.” “We have been working diligently with our accountant and the IRS to resolve this debt by the end of the year,” the spokesperson said. The financial disclosures, filed by Garvey in the Senate Office of Public Records, show that the former MLB player racked up between $250,001 and $500,000 in federal tax liabilities in 2011, and owes between $100,001 and $250,000 in tax liabilities in the state of California. The statement also says he owes an 8% interest rate on both liabilities listed. It’s unclear whether the taxes are a reflection of business- or self-incurred liabilities. EX-MLB STAR IN STATISTICAL TIE WITH SCHIFF IN CALIFORNIA SENATE RACE, SAYS VOTERS ARE ‘MAD’ AT DEMOCRATS Garvey will face Schiff, one of the leading Democrats in the U.S. House, in November to determine who will serve in late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat. California puts all candidates, regardless of party, on the same primary ballot, and the two who get the most votes advance to the general election. Among the other big names on the ballot were Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, both Democrats. Garvey has campaigned on a platform highlighting crime and homelessness in the state, pledging to get the issues under control. Schiff has taken a more progressive stance. MLB GREAT STEVE GARVEY LOOKS TO REVIVE ‘HEARTBEAT’ OF CALIFORNIA ‘FOR ALL THE PEOPLE’ WITH SENATE RUN A Republican hasn’t been elected to represent California in the U.S. Senate since Pete Wilson in 1988, when he won re-election over Leo T. McCarthy. Wilson stepped down when he became governor of California in 1991 and appointed John Seymour to serve in his place. Feinstein defeated Seymour in the state’s 1992 election and held the seat until her death in September. Now-Sen. Laphonza Butler was appointed to serve out the remainder of Feinstein’s term. According to the latest primary results on Friday, Garvey is just slightly behind Schiff at 31.5%, compared to Schiff’s 31.6%. Final results will be certified on April 12 after all of the mail-in ballots are counted. Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Republican senators introduce bill to block migrants from using Border Patrol app as ID at TSA checkpoints
FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans introduced a bill on Friday cracking down on the federal government’s use of a controversial mobile app to identify illegal immigrants traveling via airplane to the United States. The CBP One app was first introduced during the Trump administration for cross-border transit at ports, but it was expanded last year by the Biden administration to allow migrants seeking to enter the U.S. to upload data and make appointments to be processed into the U.S. Led by Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee, the measure, named the VALID Act, would prohibit the TSA from accepting the CBP One Mobile App, a Notice to Appear (NTA), or a Notice to Report (NTR) as legal forms of identification for the purposes of successfully passing through TSA security and boarding a plane. The legislation would also prevent aircraft flying from foreign countries with the intent of landing at an American airport from operating in U.S. airspace if they accept the CBP One Mobile App, an NTA or an NTR as a legal form of identification. KANSAS SENATOR AIMS TO BLOCK AIRLINES FROM LETTING MIGRANTS FLY VIA CONTROVERSIAL APP AT DC AIRPORT “Every American needs to show ID to enter our country. Why has our government made it simpler for illegal immigrants to enter and fly around the nation than for our fellow citizens? As America grapples with an unprecedented invasion at our southern border, the VALID Act resolves to close the loopholes that have allowed 200,000 illegal immigrants into the country unchecked,” Lee told Fox News Digital. “The Biden administration’s policies have blatantly facilitated this crisis, encouraging illegal immigration and compromising our national security,” he added. According to DHS, up to 1,450 migrants are currently allowed into the country each day at ports of entry via parole. Separately, the CBP One app is used to bring in up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela each month via a separate parole process. Republicans have repeatedly accused the administration of abusing the parole law, which the administration has denied. They have also raised concerns about the use of the CBP One app to verify documentation when boarding airplanes. CBP has stressed that those who have entered the country are vetted using biographic and biometric information, and those who are paroled have already provided a photograph. Parolees are not granted an automatic path to citizenship, and Republicans have said that the CBP One app is being used to waive in otherwise illegal immigrants. Many have expressed skepticism about how the verification can match that of those going through normal processes. HAWLEY DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM TSA ON MIGRANTS USING CONTROVERSIAL APP TO BOARD PLANES: ‘THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS’ Lee’s measure is co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Roger Marshall of Kansas. “Biden’s TSA has made the choice to allow illegal aliens with no verified identification to use the CBP One Mobile App before flying on commercial airlines into U.S. airports. This is unacceptable and dangerous,” Scott said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The Biden administration has intentionally made our country more dangerous with policies that put Americans at great risk and weaken U.S. national security. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation to keep Americans safe.” The bill has also been endorsed by a handful of conservative and immigration-related groups, including the America First Policy Institute, the Immigration Accountability Project, and the Eagle Forum. Chad Wolf, the former acting Homeland Security secretary who now serves as the executive director of the America First Policy Institute, told Fox News the bill is “an important step” to ensuring the safety of Americans. “Shortly after 9/11, the U.S. Congress, through the REAL ID Act, recognized the importance of establishing certain security standards for identification documents to fly on commercial aircraft,” Wolf said. “Each presidential administration since 9/11 has worked diligently to bring more security to our skies. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration’s policy of allowing illegal aliens to use documents with unverifiable and unvetted information to board commercial aircraft defies common sense and congressional will and makes it easier for illegal aliens to travel than U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.” “The administration’s unlawful use of the CBP One app to mass parole inadmissible aliens into American communities raises both legal and public safety concerns,” he added. “The VALID Act is an important step in reining in these abuses and ensuring the safety of the American people.” The administration has pushed back on criticism of the use of the app, saying that those without ID go through a “stringent identity matching process” and additional screening, and are denied boarding if they cannot be identified. Those who pose threats to security or public safety are turned over for investigation. “The Department of Homeland Security works to detect and prevent individuals who pose national security or public safety risks from entering the secure areas of an airport to depart on a domestic flight or entering the United States upon arrival from another country,” a spokesman told Fox News Digital in February. “Recent reports that noncitizens have lower security bars for traveling on domestic flights are false. Noncitizens without acceptable forms of ID must undergo additional, more robust screenings to fly within the United States.”
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger steps down from powerful House appropriations leadership position
Her role as as committee chair made her one of the most influential Texans in Congress.
Top GOP lawmaker announces early exit, leaving Republicans with temporary one-seat majority
Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., chairman of the House select committee on China, announced he’s leaving Congress on April 19, which will temporarily leave House Republicans with just a one-seat majority. Gallagher revealed in February that he would not be running for a fifth term in the House, a shocking announcement for someone long considered a rising star within the Republican Party. His early departure will mean that Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only afford to lose one GOP lawmaker on any vote that falls along party lines. That will likely remain the case until June, when there’s a special election to replace ex-Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio. HOUSE PASSES $460 BILLION GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL BLASTED BY GOP HARDLINERS A special election to replace ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is set to take place in May. McCarthy’s former seat in California’s 20th Congressional District is a safe red seat, so it’s likely going to give Johnson a GOP win. Before that, however, is an April 30 special election to replace Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., a longtime left-wing lawmaker who departed earlier this year. That election will likely see Democrats add to their tally, which would keep the House majority at one seat. GOP HARDLINERS FURIOUS AT JOHNSON FOR PASSING ANOTHER SHORT-TERM SPENDING BILL WITH DEMS: ‘USUAL C–P’ Republicans keeping McCarthy’s seat and Democrats keeping Higgins’ seat would keep the majority at one, which means the June 11 special election to replace Johnson in Ohio’s 6th Congressional District is the GOP’s first chance to regain some wiggle room. “After conversations with my family, I have made the decision to resign my position as a member of the House of Representatives for Wisconsin’s Eighth Congressional District, effective April 19, 2024,” Gallagher said in a statement on Friday afternoon. HOUSE SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T ‘CALL THE SHOTS’ ON WHEN IMPEACHMENT IS OVER “I’ve worked closely with House Republican leadership on this timeline and look forward to seeing Speaker Johnson appoint a new chair to carry out the important mission of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. My office will continue to operate and provide constituent services to the Eighth District for the remainder of the term.” Gallagher announced his departure from Congress just after he experienced blowback from members of his own party for not voting to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Gallagher was one of three Republicans who voted against the measure. It also prompted a primary threat – multiple outlets reported last month that Alex Bruesewitz, an ally of former President Trump, was considering a challenge to Gallagher. A source close to Bruesewitz told Fox News Digital on Friday that Bruesewitz is meeting with business leaders in Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional district and is actively being recruited to run for the now open seat. The source said people in Trump’s circle, as well as current House Republicans, are pushing Bruesewitz to run. “If I run, I will win,” the Trump ally said. He is planning to announce his final decision the week of April 8, the source said. The Washington Examiner reported last month that he’s being endorsed by Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Cory Mills, R-Fla.
Cardinals super fan known as ‘Rally Runner’ pleads guilty to storming Capitol in face paint
WASHINGTON (AP) — A St. Louis Cardinals super fan known as Rally Runner pleaded guilty on Friday to storming the U.S. Capitol while wearing red face paint and red clothes, fueling a baseless conspiracy theory that government plants secretly incited the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. The 44-year-old Missouri man, who legally changed his name from Daniel Donnelly Jr. to Rally Runner in 2017, used a stolen shield to help other rioters attack police officers at the Capitol. TRUMP SAYS HE WILL FREE JAN. 6 RIOTERS ON FIRST DAY IF RE-ELECTED Rally Runner was wearing red paint on his face, a red jacket and a red “Keep America Great” hat when he stormed the Capitol. He is known in St. Louis for running around the Cardinals’ stadium during baseball games while wearing red clothes and red face paint. Rally Runner pleaded guilty to civil disorder, a felony punishable by a maximum prison sentence of five years. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb is scheduled to sentence him on July 30. Tucker Carlson featured him on a December 2021 segment of his now-canceled Fox News show. Carlson showed an image of Rally Runner outside the Capitol as he promoted conspiracy theories that uncharged “agent provocateurs” had infiltrated the mob, HuffPost reported. “Who is this person? Why hasn’t he been charged? That’s a very simple ask,” Carlson told his viewers. The FBI arrested Rally Runner in St. Louis in August 2023. Investigators questioned him at his St. Louis home less than a week after the riot. He told them that he was at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and took one of the police shields that rioters were passing around the crowd, the FBI said. Video captured Rally Runner in the crowd of rioters who attacked police in a tunnel on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace. He and other rioters used shields to form a wall as they clashed with police, the FBI said. Rally Runner was still wearing face paint and his Trump hat when he talked about his part in the Capitol attack in a Facebook video posted on Jan. 6, 2021. “We pushed them all the way into the doors. It was working until more cops showed up. I’m right at the front of it and got through those doors into the Capitol, and that’s when reinforcements came,” he said on the video. The estimated sentencing guidelines for Rally Runner’s case recommend a prison term ranging from two years to two years and six months. The judge isn’t bound by those guidelines. More than 1,300 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. Nearly 800 of them have pleaded guilty. Approximately 200 others have been convicted after trials decided by a judge or jury. More than 800 have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds receiving a term of imprisonment ranging from a few days to 22 years.