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House Democrats unveil immigration, border reform plan after crisis proves to be pivotal election issue

House Democrats unveil immigration, border reform plan after crisis proves to be pivotal election issue

A group of House Democrats is unveiling their own plan for border security and immigration reform, another sign the left is gradually growing to embrace discussions of how to solve the U.S. migrant crisis. The New Democrat Coalition, a caucus of nearly 100 lawmakers that bills itself as “center-left,” revealed a framework that called for increased manpower at the southern border and within immigration courts, as well as more pathways for legal residency and citizenship for workers, “Dreamers” and others. Among other measures, the plan would permanently authorize a program to allow international medical students studying in the U.S. to legally stay in the country after completing their degrees. It would also expand legal pathways for migrant farmworkers and establish a new non-immigrant work visa category for U.S. industries experiencing personnel shortages. It also would include a legal pathway for people who came here illegally but have been working and paying taxes for at least five years, provided they pay a fine and pass a criminal background check. REPUBLICANS PROBE DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS OVER ROLE IN HOUSING MIGRANTS ON FEDERAL LANDS On the enforcement front, the plan called for increasing the number of border agents at ports of entry by at least 500 and increasing some Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers’ pay. The Democrat framework would also create an independent judiciary system for immigration courts and increase the number of judges to cut down on the current backlog of cases. To manage the flow of migrants coming to the U.S. to be processed for asylum, it would also create “new regional processing centers” in South and Central America where migrants are granted interviews and their cases begin to be taken up. They would be considered for lawful entry to “participating nations” like Canada and Spain, in addition to the U.S. It’s part of an overall shift among figures in the Democratic Party that’s seen top mainstream liberals concede the need to overhaul the U.S. immigration system. REPUBLICANS PROBE DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS OVER ROLE IN HOUSING MIGRANTS ON FEDERAL LANDS On Tuesday, Rep.-elect Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., won a closely watched special election to succeed expelled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., after empathizing with voter concerns about the border. Both parties funneled millions of dollars into the race, but Suozzi delivered the critical victory for his party – and shrunk the House GOP majority – by running a campaign that largely shunned progressive ideals. “Their candidate ran like a Republican. He sounded like a Republican talking about the border and immigration because everybody knows that’s the top issue,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said of Suozzi during a Wednesday press conference. A recent Fox News poll found that nearly eight in 10 voters think the border is a significant issue – 34% said it was an emergency and 45% said it was a major problem. SENATE TANKS IMMIGRATION, FOREIGN AID SPENDING PACKAGE AFTER GOP BACKLASH AGAINST BORDER PROVISIONS President Biden himself has noticeably sharpened his rhetoric on the border, particularly amid talks between the Senate and White House over a now-defunct plan to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan while overhauling U.S. border security. He’s called the border situation a “crisis” multiple times and even vowed to shut down the border if Congress granted him the power to do so, which angered his progressive allies. Biden said the border was in “crisis” in April 2021, but the White House walked back his statement at the time.

House Republican introduces bill to reimburse Texas the nearly $4 billion it spent to secure border

House Republican introduces bill to reimburse Texas the nearly billion it spent to secure border

FIRST ON FOX: A GOP House lawmaker has introduced a piece of legislation that aims to reimburse Texas for the nearly $4 billion in expenses it incurred to secure the southern border in recent years. Titled the “Operation Lone Star Reimbursement Act,” the measure was introduced Thursday evening by Texas Republican Rep. Roger Williams and would, if successful, reimburse the state for the combined $3,726,400,000 it spent on activities related to securing the southern border from 2020 through 2023. “The Federal Government is primarily responsible for securing the borders of the United States at and between ports of entry,” the bill reads. “Due to the lack of action by the Federal Government, the State of Texas has been forced to continually appropriate funds to secure the southern border of the United States.” In an effort to “help maintain safety and security for all citizens” in the U.S., the measure noted that Texas has protected Americans from criminal acts of human trafficking, sex trafficking, drug proliferation, illicit movement of weapons and contraband, criminal organizations and unlawful entry. OVER 40 LAWMAKERS SIGN BRIEF TO SUPPORT TEXAS IN IMMIGRATION FIGHT WITH BIDEN ADMINISTRATION To secure the border, the measure said Texas spent more than $800,000,000 in 2020 and 2021, and more than $2,926,400,000 in 2022 through 2023. The bill also explained that Texas “plans to spend an additional $4,600,000,000 to secure the border” from 2024 through 2025. The bill calls on Texas to submit an application for reimbursement to the secretary of Homeland Security and the secretary of the Treasury Department that includes the total amount the state spent on securing the southern border over the last four years. Should the measure pass and be signed into law, the bill states that the Treasury secretary “shall pay to the State of Texas, out of any amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, an amount equal to the total amount of expenses” outlined in the bill within 60 days of Texas filing the application. “As the border crisis rages on, President Biden has failed to uphold his duty to defend our borders from foreign invasion, leaving border states like Texas to fend for themselves,” Williams told Fox News Digital in a statement. “I am proud to introduce the Operation Lone Star Reimbursement Act to ensure Texans don’t have to continually shell out taxpayer dollars to secure the southern border of the United States.” CBP MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS ALREADY EXCEED 1 MILLION SINCE OCTOBER “Since Biden refuses to do his job and safeguard the American people, Texas has been forced to step up to protect our homes and communities, and we must be reimbursed,” he added. The legislation from Williams comes amid Texas’ years-long feud with President Biden and his administration over efforts to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. Earlier this year, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Texas over a state law that allows authorities to arrest illegal immigrants, further pitting Republican Gov. Greg Abbott against the Biden administration. The lawsuit, filed in an Austin federal court, came after Abbott signed into law in December a measure challenging the federal government’s authority over immigration matters. In addition to Biden, several blue cities like New York and Chicago have pushed back against Abbott for having thousands of migrants bussed from his state to their jurisdictions. Under the Texas law, migrants could either agree to a judge’s order to leave the U.S. or be prosecuted on misdemeanor charges of illegal entry. Those who don’t leave could face serious felony charges if arrested again. Those ordered to leave would be sent to ports of entry along the border with Mexico, even if they are not Mexican citizens. The law can be enforced anywhere in Texas, but some places are off-limits, including schools and churches. “Texas has spent billions to help maintain the safety and security of all citizens across the United States and fight back against deadly human trafficking, sex trafficking, drug and cartel activity, and seemingly endless unlawful entries that are draining Texas’ resources,” said Williams, who serves as chair of the House Small Business Committee. “It’s past time Biden recognizes this crisis for what it is and stands with Texans to secure our nation.” Fox News’ Louis Casiano and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

GOP senators urge Biden admin to ‘immediately’ end ‘racist’ policy in CHIPS grant approval: ‘Anti-American’

GOP senators urge Biden admin to ‘immediately’ end ‘racist’ policy in CHIPS grant approval: ‘Anti-American’

EXCLUSIVE: Republican senators are urging the Biden administration to immediately reverse what they call a “racist” and “anti-American” policy for distributing CHIPS Act grants before it violates the law. The top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, Ranking Member Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and members Sens. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo, penned a letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo about the agency’s guidance stating it would consider the race of an applicant’s suppliers when awarding CHIPS Act funding. The senators say that policy is a clear violation of the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, Title IV, and the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The guidance requires applicants to document “how the applicant intends to address the inclusion of … minority-owned business … through a supplier diversity plan” with “measurable targets,” including how much money it plans to spend on “minority-owned” suppliers by 2030. ‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOSTS CLASH OVER WHETHER AMERICA IS A RACIST COUNTRY: ‘CAN’T DISMISS MY LIVED EXPERIENCE’ The guidance also explains that the Commerce Department will consider an applicant’s diversity plan as part of the merit review process and access that plan based on the applicant’s strategy for engaging with minority-owned businesses and “commitment to tracking and disclosing disaggregated data on supplier diversity and contractor/subcontractor diversity.” Cruz told Fox News Digital the Biden administration’s decision to “dole out CHIPS funding based on the skin color of an applicant’s supply chain is racist and anti-American.”  “I’m calling on the Commerce Department to immediately rescind its unconstitutional policy,” Cruz said. “If it fails to do so, it will most certainly face fierce opposition in the courts.”  KENTUCKY SENATE APPROVES BILL TO CURB DEI INITIATIVES AT PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES The bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act was signed into law in 2022 and works to strengthen American manufacturing, supply chains and national security.  In their letter to Raimondo, the senators warned that the policy is “illegal” and urged the secretary to “withdraw it before it causes real harm.” “The Department’s Guidance intentionally treats certain applicants worse than others on the ground of the race of their suppliers. Title VI forbids such discrimination,” they wrote. “In addition to instructing the federal government to violate the law, the Guidance also encourages private businesses to discriminate on the basis of race in violation of federal law, specifically Section 1981,” they continued. “Section 1981 makes it illegal for private companies to discriminate on the basis of race when making and enforcing contracts.” But the senators said the Commerce Department “has not yet finalized a grant for any CHIPS funding to any applicants,” meaning the agency “still has time to reverse course before it breaks the law.” Cruz and his GOP colleagues demanded Raimondo respond to their letter and rescind the Commerce Department’s policy by Feb. 29. If she fails to rescind the policy, Cruz and his colleagues are demanding that she detail “the reasons you believe the Guidance does not violate the United States Constitution or Title VI, or induce private parties to violate Section 1981.” 

Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan does victory lap after massive banks exit $68 trillion UN climate alliance

Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan does victory lap after massive banks exit trillion UN climate alliance

EXCLUSIVE: House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, cheered the news that multiple major U.S. banks and financial institutions are leaving a $68 trillion climate alliance founded at the United Nations. In a series of unexpected announcements on Thursday, JPMorgan Chase, the world’s largest bank, and State Street Global Advisors, an institutional investor with $3.5 trillion in assets under management, withdrew from the so-called Climate Action 100+ investor group. At the same time, BlackRock, which has more than $10 trillion in assets under management, dramatically scaled back its involvement in the alliance. “This is great news because you’re supposed to make investment decisions based on just good common business sense, your fiduciary responsibility to your investors, not based on left-wing woke politics,” Jordan told Fox News Digital in an interview. “So, yeah, this is a win for America, a win for the economy, a win for Americans and investors and, more importantly, it’s a win for freedom.” “The folks who are involved in these banks are smart people, successful people. They’ve done well. I think deep down they know decisions should be based on the market, on principles of capitalism, not on politics,” he added. CONSUMER GROUP REVEALS LEFT-WING GROUPS INCREASINGLY USING COURTS TO PUSH GREEN NEW DEAL Under Jordan’s leadership, the House Judiciary Committee launched a sprawling investigation into what he dubbed the “climate-obsessed corporate ‘cartel’” in December 2022 as Republicans prepared to take majority control of the chamber. The panel’s main objective has been to probe whether the financial sector, aided by nonprofit activist climate groups, are violating U.S. antitrust laws. As part of the initial effort, Jordan and several fellow House Republicans penned a letter to the Steering Committee for Climate Action 100+, demanding information about the coalition’s network of influence. The letter stated that the alliance “seems to work like a cartel to ‘ensure the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitters take necessary action on climate change.’” BILLIONAIRE-FUELED ROCKEFELLER FUND COORDINATED CLIMATE LAWSUITS WITH DEM STATE AG: INTERNAL DOCUMENTS Since then, Jordan’s committee has expanded the investigation, firing off inquiries into BlackRock, State Street and Vanguard, in addition to nonprofits Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero and the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative. And late last year he issued subpoenas to BlackRock and State Street, compelling the production of documents related to his investigation into potential antitrust violations. “I think we’ve done more subpoenas and more interviews and written more letters than probably most of the rest of Congress combined,” Jordan told Fox News Digital. “We have been pushing for stopping this kind of coordination and collusion that we think is harmful to the economy, to freedom, to investors,” the Judiciary Committee chair continued. “So, you know, we’re just doing our job, and we’re happy to see that three huge banks — the decision they made today, and I think, as I said before, it’s a win for the country.” Climate Action 100+ was formally established in December 2017 at the United Nations as a way of aligning the world’s largest private sector financiers of greenhouse gas emitters. Since the association was created, it has grown to include more than 700 financial institutions that are collectively responsible for a staggering $68 trillion in assets under management. The group, which is overseen by a nongovernmental steering committee comprised of ESG activists, calls for members to engage companies on “improving climate change governance,” curbing carbon emissions and strengthening climate-related financial disclosure policies. Its actions have largely taken aim at investments that benefit the oil and gas industry while boosting green energy investment strategies. MEET THE LITTLE-KNOWN GROUP FUNDED BY LEFT-WING DARK MONEY THAT IS SHAPING FEDERAL CLIMATE POLICY But in June 2023, Climate Action 100+ unveiled its “phase 2” strategy, which calls for member investors to actively engage with companies to reduce their carbon footprint. That program, slated to be implemented in the coming months, sparked concerns from State Street and BlackRock. “After careful review, State Street Global Advisors has concluded the enhanced Climate Action 100+ Phase 2 requirements for signatories will not be consistent with our independent approach to proxy voting and portfolio company engagement,” State Street Global Advisors said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “As a result, we have decided to withdraw from Climate Action 100+.” BlackRock similarly said in a note Thursday that the “phase 2” strategy caused it to withdraw its U.S. business from Climate Action 100+ in recent weeks, instead shifting involvement in the alliance to its smaller international entity where a majority of clients are pursuing decarbonization goals. “This new strategy will require signatories to make an overarching commitment to use client assets to pursue emissions reductions in investee companies through stewardship engagement,” the firm stated. “In our judgment, making this new commitment across our assets under management would raise legal considerations, particularly in the U.S.” “The majority of the firm’s clients who are seeking investment solutions that help them meet their climate, transition and decarbonization commitments are clients of our international businesses,” it added. “To align with these clients and funds, we have transferred our membership in CA100+ to BlackRock International. BlackRock Inc. is no longer a member of CA100+.” UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION IS QUIETLY FUELING CLIMATE POLICY, FUNDING STAFF IN DEM STATES And JPMorgan Chase separately explained that it quit the global investor group because of the expansion of its own in-house sustainability team and the establishment of its climate-risk framework in recent years. Climate Action 100+, in addition to other global climate alliances and investor networks, has also drawn the ire of Republican states, which have argued that their activities may infringe on government policymaking. They have also warned that such associations are harming domestic energy companies that employ thousands of Americans and ensure low consumer prices. As a result, state attorneys general, financial officers and agriculture commissioners have banded together in recent months to threaten legal action related to nonprofit climate alliances and banks’ involvement in such groups. “More than 700 investors are committed to managing climate